MINVEST (The Minerals Investment Network for Vital Energy Security and Technology) is a flagship partnership between the U.S. Department of State and SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy to promote public-private dialogue and mobilize investments in support of critical minerals supply chain diversification and resilience for the United States and its allies.
The MINVEST network brings together leading critical minerals financiers and industry players: institutional investors, private equity firms, and asset managers; public finance institutions from the United States and likeminded governments; commercial and investment banks; mining companies and commodity traders; and offtakers of minerals across automotive, manufacturing, energy, and technology sectors.
MINVEST accomplishes its goals through three main activities:
- Workshops: In-country technical workshops, coordinated with the Department of State, to build technical capacity and relationships in emerging critical minerals-producing countries.
- Convenings: Virtual and in-person convenings to bring together private sector and government stakeholders, often held alongside major conferences, hosting side events with executives, agency heads, and senior U.S. officials.
- Connections: At the direction of the Department of State, MINVEST facilitates connections among project developers, local private sector actors in emerging critical minerals-producing countries, U.S. and partner government officials, and global investors and private sector stakeholders to accelerate collaboration and investment in strategic projects.
SAFE has served as an official critical minerals NGO partner of the State Department since 2023, supporting the Department of State’s critical minerals priorities. With the launch of the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE), the successor to the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), and the U.S. assuming Chairmanship in 2026 and other Department of State-led critical minerals initiatives, this public-private platform will continue accelerating critical mineral projects and creating secure, resilient supply chains.
“SAFE has been an excellent partner to the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. government more broadly in supporting the development of secure and sustainable supply chains for the United States and our like-minded partners […] SAFE’s early work on the MSP through the MINVEST Partnership was instrumental in bringing public finance institutions and the investor community to the table and building interest in collaborating through this forum. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with SAFE through MINVEST.” – Reggie Singh, Senior Advisor for Energy and Critical Minerals, U.S. State Department
Milestones
Annual Events
U.S. Government-Investor Critical Minerals Roundtables
SAFE hosts annual convenings to foster candid conversations and policy dialogue among public and private sector leaders in the critical minerals space.
In 2025, SAFE hosted the first roundtable convening between U.S. government officials and the critical minerals private sector under the second Trump Administration, bringing together leading private sector investors and representatives from the U.S. State Department, the Department of War, Export-Import Bank of the U.S. (EXIM), and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The discussion built on SAFE’s Resources for Resources report and promoted early collaboration between government officials and the private sector to align investment strategies with evolving policy priorities.
SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy also connected the State Department, DFC, and EXIM to over 110 stakeholder investors and mining companies during the annual SAFE Summit to further discuss investment outlook for critical minerals, strategies to revitalize domestic production, and potential international cooperation.
MINVEST Network Meetings
In 2024 and 2026, SAFE hosted MINVEST Network meetings in New York City on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, convening government officials from the United States, MSP/FORGE members, and producing countries with the private sector, including investors, buyers, and traders.
At the 2024 convening, the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) Finance Network – a platform for development finance institutions and export credit agencies of MSP countries to collaborate on funding global minerals supplies – was announced to an audience of U.S. and partner government officials and private sector leaders. The meeting gathered delegates from all 14 MSP member nations, the European Union, private investors representing over $30 trillion in assets, and minerals industry leaders to promote information exchange and co-financing.
Convenings
August 2025: Rwanda-Democratic Republic of Congo Roundtables, Washington, D.C.
Following the implementation of the Rwanda-DRC Peace Agreement in June 2025, SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy hosted the State Department and delegations from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo for two roundtables.
The roundtables focused on how U.S. private sector investment in mineral resources could catalyze growth in the region through the Regional Economic Integration Framework. Discussions, including improvements on regulatory and price stability to spur private capital, training local mining specialists and engineers, and increasing transparency and traceability.
Research and Analysis
July 2026: Critical Moves: Crowding in Capital to Finance Minerals Supply Chains
In July 2026, SAFE published a flagship report examining the roles of public finance institutions, including export credit agencies, development finance institutions, and government-backed funds in supporting critical minerals projects across the G7, Australia, and South Korea. This research grew directly out of SAFE’s work with the MSP Finance Network — the coalition of MSP member countries’ public finance institutions, export credit agencies, and development finance institutions — and reflects more than two years of research and collaboration with public finance institutions from the United States and likeminded countries, alongside private sector partners. The report is intended to build a shared basis of understanding across public and private sectors, and across U.S. and international audiences, on how these institutions can better mobilize capital for critical minerals projects.
“SAFE’s report has been a really good read. I would propose anyone within EFA or looking at this sector read that report gets a really good understanding of where the different players play.” – Dan Smart, Country Lead – United States and Canada, Export Finance Australia
SAFE’s MINVEST Contacts
Erasto Almeida (ealmeida@secureenergy.org), MINVEST Manager, Center for Critical Minerals Strategy
Ayelet Zamek (azamek@secureenergy.org), MINVEST Delegation Coordinator, Center for Critical Minerals Strategy
