Industrial Policy & Trade Monitor· 2663 actions· ✨ 89 recent

The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) initiated an anti-dumping investigation on 25 June 2026 into imports of Hot Rolled Flat Products of Alloy or Non-Alloy Steel (width ≤ 2,100 mm, thickness ≤ 25 mm; not clad, plated or coated; stainless steel excluded; HS 7208, 7211, 7225, 7226) originating in or exported from China PR, Japan and Russia, following a petition by domestic producers JSW Steel, JSW Vijayanagar Metallics and Jindal Steel Odisha. DGTR's prima-facie assessment found export prices significantly below normal value, with dumping margins above the de-minimis threshold for all three origins. The period of investigation (POI) is January–December 2025; interested parties have 30 days to register and submit questionnaire responses.

Executive Order 14413, signed 22 June 2026, directs a national quantum-computing industrial-policy push: the QC-ADDS effort to deliver large-scale quantum computers to Department of Energy facilities for application development and discovery science, a National Center for Quantum Computing Assessment, an expanded Quantum Information Science and Technology Counterintelligence Protection Team, and a network of National QIST Workforce Development Institutes. It sets staged deadlines (30/60/90/120/180 days) for agency policy alignment, sensor-project identification, QC-ADDS technical specifications, and workforce/supply-chain plans, plus a September 2028 target for next-generation quantum-sensor deployment. Section 9 directs harmonisation of research-security and export-control policy with allies to prevent "countries of concern" from acquiring critical quantum technologies, but the order does not itself impose any new export-control rule. No dollar figures are specified.

On 3 June 2026 the European Commission adopted a legislative proposal for the Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA) — COM(2026) 502 — as part of the European Technological Sovereignty Package. The CADA proposes to triple EU data-centre capacity over five to seven years, introduces a single EU-wide sovereignty assessment framework for cloud and AI services, and establishes common EU-level procurement mechanisms for public administrations prioritising EU-based cloud and AI infrastructure. As a Commission proposal the CADA now enters co-decision (European Parliament + Council) and is not yet law; it is structurally distinct from the co-adopted Chips Act 2.0, addressing cloud infrastructure and AI compute capacity rather than semiconductor supply chains.

South Africa's electricity regulator NERSA approved, on 29 May 2026, an amendment to Eskom's Negotiated Pricing Agreements establishing an interim concessionary electricity tariff of 62 c/kWh for ten ferrochrome smelters — six operated by Samancor Chrome (5-year term) and four by the Glencore-Merafe Chrome Venture (3-year term). The decision followed Eskom's 10 April 2026 application and a 25 May 2026 public hearing, invoked under the agreements' hardship provisions after falling ferrochrome prices led both producers to threaten smelter closures and job losses. Eskom states the revenue variance is ring-fenced and cannot be recovered from standard tariff customers.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) Raw Materials Industry Division opened a 30-day public consultation on 28 April 2026 on the Administrative Penalty Discretion Standards Table operationalising the State Council's Rare Earth Management Regulation (Order No. 785, in force 1 October 2024). The draft sets a tiered fines schedule for breaches across the entire mining → smelting → separation → sales value chain — fines up to five times "illegal gains" for production-quota breaches under 10%, escalating to product/equipment confiscation and licence revocation for breaches over 30%. Traceability-reporting failures under MIIT's national rare-earth traceability platform are penalised separately with fines up to ten times illegal gains. Comments close 28 May 2026.

Presidential decree signed by President Claudia Sheinbaum and published in the evening edition of the Diario Oficial de la Federación on 23 April 2026, in force 24 April 2026. The decree amends the Tariff of the Ley de los Impuestos Generales de Importación y de Exportación (LIGIE/TIGIE) and the Decreto que establece diversos Programas de Promoción Sectorial (PROSEC), imposing MFN import duties at 5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, 30% or 35% ad valorem on 185 tariff fractions covering chemical products, cosmetics, paper and cardboard, textiles, steel, graphic arts, aluminum manufactures, auto parts, electrical material, bicycles, musical instruments, furniture, wind turbines, and trailers. Goods originating in countries with which Mexico has a free-trade agreement remain eligible for preferential treatment, so practical incidence falls on China and other non-FTA suppliers (Korea, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Brazil, Indonesia, Taiwan, UAE, South Africa). Paired PROSEC modifications add tariff fractions to Article 5 sections I, II.b and XIX (electrical, electronic, automotive and auto-parts industries) at exempt (EX) rates.

ALNAFT officially launched the Algeria Bid Round 2026 on 19 April 2026 in Algiers, offering seven onshore exploration/development perimeters (Est Bordj Omar Driss I, Illizi Centre I, El M'Zaid Nord, El Borma II, El Hadjira III, El Benoud Est, Touggourt Sud) located in the Ouargla, Illizi, Touggourt, and El Bayadh hydrocarbon provinces. The round operates under the Loi n° 19-13 hydrocarbons framework, with the virtual data room (VDR) opening 1 June 2026, bids due 26 November 2026, and contracts to be signed no later than 31 January 2027. The initiative is Algeria's first structured multi-block bid round since the 2019 framework law restructured the upstream contractual and institutional architecture, and is materially significant to EU gas-import diversification given Algeria's approximately 12% share of EU gas supply via the Medgaz and Transmed pipelines plus LNG.

The European Commission approved Bulgaria's Electricity Price Relief Scheme (State Aid Case SA.120414) under the Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework (CISAF), authorising €334 million for energy-intensive industries over a three-year corridor from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2028. Aid is delivered via a reduction on beneficiaries' monthly electricity bills through their suppliers, subject to a minimum price floor of €50/MWh. This is the first EU member-state scheme approved under the CISAF framework, establishing the precedential template for subsequent CISAF approvals across the EU industrial base.

President Tokayev signed Decree U2600001233 on 15 April 2026, formally adopting the Strategy for the Development of the Nuclear Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2050. The 30-year framework marks a structural pivot for the world's largest uranium producer (~45% of global mined supply) from a raw-ore export model toward domestic nuclear-energy sovereignty, targeting at least three operational NPPs by 2050 (a fourth under assessment), 5% of national electricity from nuclear by 2035, and 50% combined nuclear and renewables by 2050. The strategy mandates SMR evaluation for regional deployment, a 1% R&D levy on uranium miners' production costs through 2030, and the development of a Kazakh "nuclear cluster" producing high-value fuel-cycle goods and services rather than raw uranium concentrate alone.

On 15 April 2026 Tanzania's Minister for Minerals Hon. Anthony Mavunde announced at a press conference in Dodoma the revocation of 40 idle mineral exploration licences covering 188,163 hectares, following a ministerial assessment that found widespread licence-holder breaches: hoarding of blocks without development activity, non-payment of statutory fees and royalty obligations, failure to meet local-content requirements under GN 563/2025, and neglect of corporate social responsibility obligations to host communities. Revoked areas are to be reallocated under the "Mining for a Brighter Tomorrow" (MBT) framework with explicit preference for small-scale miners, women, youth, and persons with disabilities. A companion default-notice batch issued on 10 April 2026 covered 43 additional licences (40 exploration + 3 medium-scale mining) with 30-day rectification windows before further revocations proceed.

Presidential Proclamation 11021 of 2 April 2026 (signed by President Trump, effective 6 April 2026 at 12:01 a.m. EDT, published 9 April 2026 at 91 FR 18201) consolidates and restructures the Section 232 tariff architecture for aluminum, steel, and copper. The proclamation modifies Proclamations 9704 (aluminum), 9705 (steel), and 10962 (copper) and applies tiered ad valorem duties to the full customs value of imported articles regardless of metal content: 50% on aluminum/steel articles and most copper articles; 25% on certain copper articles and on derivative articles substantially made of the three metals; 10% on derivative articles produced abroad using entirely US-smelted/cast metals; and 0% supplemental duty where existing tariffs already meet a 15% combined-rate floor. UK products receive preferential rates (25% on primary articles and 15% on certain derivatives) contingent on UK smelting/casting under the US–UK trade framework.

Minister of Trade Regulation No. 5 of 2026, signed on 26 March 2026 and effective 1 April 2026, is the fourth amendment to Permendag 23/2023 on Export Policy and Regulation. It introduces three substantively significant changes: (i) restricts issuance of Export Approval (Persetujuan Ekspor / PE) for ilmenite and rutile concentrate to holders of IUP/IUPK Operasi Produksi mining permits — eliminating the prior Izin Usaha Industri (IUI) industrial pathway — extending Indonesia's hilirisasi vertical-integration doctrine to titanium feedstock; (ii) removes the Eksportir Terdaftar (ET) registered- exporter requirement for industrial tin exports, simplifying the export chain to PE + Laporan Surveyor (LS) only; (iii) mandates electronic and automatic issuance of PE where the integrated INATRADE/SINSW system documentation is complete, digitising the export-licensing chain. Additional changes tighten kratom ET validity to a three-year cap and reassign marine-species transport- document authority from the Ministry of Forestry to the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.

The Government of Tanzania signed a Development Agreement with Panda Hill Tanzania Limited (a subsidiary of US-based Denham Capital / Tremont Investments) on 24 March 2026 in Mbeya to develop the Panda Hill niobium and ferroniobium project in the Mbeya/Songwe region. Under the agreement, the Government holds a 16% non-dilutable free carried interest in the project special-purpose vehicle, with Panda Hill Tanzania Limited committing to an initial capital investment of USD 442 million to construct Tanzania's first niobium mine and ferroniobium smelting plant — the first ferroniobium processing facility in Africa. At full production, the project is expected to supply approximately 4–5% of global niobium demand, generating USD 686 million in lifetime government revenues (royalties, taxes, and 16% equity dividends), positioning Tanzania among the world's top-four niobium producers alongside Brazil's CBMM, Canada's Niobec, and China Molybdenum.

Peru's Congress enacted Ley N° 32560 on 22 March 2026, establishing the country's first legal framework for nuclear electricity generation and the deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). The law tasks MINEM, MINAM, and the Peruvian Institute of Nuclear Energy (IPEN) with jointly assessing SMR viability across Peruvian departments, explicitly aiming to use domestic uranium resources as feedstock. Private investment in nuclear power is permitted under a free-competition regime, with mandatory National Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) review and citizen participation required at all project phases.

Zambia's Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry gazetted Statutory Instrument No. 17 of 2026 on 20 March 2026 (effective 27 March 2026), replacing a prior outright export prohibition on sulphuric acid with a permit-based export control regime under the Control of Goods Act (Chapter 421). The instrument was triggered by an acute domestic shortage after multiple major Zambian copper smelters entered simultaneous extended maintenance shutdowns in 2025, collapsing by-product acid production. As the dominant supplier of sulphuric acid to DRC hydrometallurgical copper and cobalt mines, Zambia's restriction disrupted leaching operations across the DRC's oxide-ore processing chain. A partial easing began in May 2026 as smelter capacity recovered, with company-specific export authorisations issued to Chambishi Copper Smelter and Mopani Copper Mines.

On 19 March 2026 the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) announced the selection of 38 German projects across 12 federal Länder for the IPCEI Advanced Semiconductor Technologies (IPCEI AST) — the next Important Project of Common European Interest on semiconductors under EU State Aid Article 107(3)(b) TFEU. The federal commitment is EUR 3 billion drawn from the Sondervermögen Infrastruktur und Klimaneutralität (SVIK), the EUR 100 bn special-purpose vehicle enacted via SVIKG in September 2025. The 38 selected projects span AI chips and chiplets, photonic integrated circuits, advanced manufacturing equipment, sensor technologies, and power electronics, with approximately one-third being startups and SMEs. The measure operationalises Germany's Microelectronics Strategy (October 2025) at the project-funding layer and is the first major SVIK semiconductor-tranche deployment.

Peru's Mining Council (Consejo de Minería) issued Resolution No. 236-2026-MINEM/CM on 19 March 2026, declaring null and void Directoral Resolution No. 0692-2025-MINEM/DGM of 13 October 2025, which had authorised Southern Peru Copper Corporation (SPCC, NYSE: SCCO; subsidiary of Grupo México) to begin exploitation activities at the Tía María copper project in Islay province, Arequipa. The council found the original DGM authorisation lacked adequate legal motivation and failed to address two technical observations relating to waste-dump infrastructure design and construction-sequencing plans, as required under the Regulation of Mining Procedures and the consolidated text of the Administrative Procedures Act (Law 27444). The resolution returned the file to the General Directorate of Mining (DGM) for technical re-evaluation, without terminating the project's administrative procedure; MINEM subsequently re-authorised the project's first-stage La Tapada open-pit operations on approximately 20 April 2026 after a revised technical assessment.

The UK Finance Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on 18 March 2026, establishes the primary statutory framework for the United Kingdom Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (UK CBAM), granting HM Revenue & Customs the assessment, collection, and enforcement powers needed to apply a carbon-content levy on imports of aluminium, cement, fertilisers, hydrogen, and iron & steel from 1 January 2027. Two tranches of draft secondary legislation (the CBAM Regulations 2026 covering administration, rate calculation/carbon-price relief, emissions and verification, and transitory provisions) were published for technical consultation on 10 February 2026 (closing 24 March 2026) and again in Spring 2026 (closing 21 May 2026). The mechanism imposes a UK ETS-linked benchmark price on the embedded carbon of in-scope imports, with a credit for verified third-country carbon prices already paid, and — unlike the EU CBAM — has no transitional reporting phase and a narrower initial sectoral scope (no electricity).

Brazil's Secretariat of Foreign Trade (SECEX) opened a formal antidumping investigation via Circular nº 18 (12 March 2026) into imports of machined graphite electrodes (NCM 8545.11.00, diameter ≥ 350 mm) from China and India, following a petition by GrafTech Brasil Participações Ltda (subsidiary of NYSE-listed GrafTech International / EAF). DECOM's preliminary assessment found indicative dumping margins of 54.9% for Chinese-origin and 57.3% for Indian-origin electrodes. The investigation covers assembled and unassembled electrodes used in electric-arc-furnace steelmaking, ferroalloy smelting, and metal-oxide reduction. A definitive antidumping duty of up to five years may result if DECOM confirms material injury and issues a positive final determination.

On 12 March 2026 the UK Cabinet Office (Investment Security Unit) published its Government Response to the consultation on reform of the Notifiable Acquisition Regulations (NARs) under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 — the first major substantive overhaul of the NSI mandatory-notification schedules since the regime took effect on 4 January 2022. The reform splits Critical Minerals out of the existing Advanced Materials schedule into a standalone mandatory schedule covering all 34 minerals on the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre's latest criticality assessment; splits Semiconductors into its own standalone schedule (capturing advanced packaging and specific chip-design processes); creates a brand-new Water sector schedule covering the 17 regional water and sewerage undertakers in England and Wales; refocuses Artificial Intelligence on entities that create or materially modify AI systems (excluding routine end-use); and refines Communications, Critical Suppliers to Government, Data Infrastructure, Energy and Suppliers to Emergency Services to reduce low-risk capture. An implementing Statutory Instrument is expected later in 2026; the existing NARs remain in force until that SI takes effect.

The Zambian Minister of Finance suspended the 10% export duty on copper concentrates (HS 2603.00.21–29) effective 5 March 2026 under Section 89 of the Customs and Excise Act, providing temporary duty relief to miners whose domestic processing capacity was constrained by extended smelter maintenance cycles at Mopani/ZCCM-IH, Lumwana (Barrick), First Quantum Kansanshi, and Nkana. The suspension allows qualifying copper concentrate to be exported for offshore processing at zero duty, addressing a stockpile overhang across Zambia's copper belt that could not be absorbed by the domestic smelter fleet. A follow-on extension (SI No. 43/2026, effective 1 June 2026 through 30 September 2026) introduced company-specific quotas totalling 271,742 t and mandated channelling through Industrial Resources Limited, an IDC subsidiary.

Mozambique's Council of Ministers, at its 6th Ordinary Session on 3 March 2026, approved resolutions establishing two Interministerial Coordination Committees — one for the Development Plan of Area 1 of the Rovuma Block (the TotalEnergies-led Mozambique LNG project, formerly Anadarko) and one for Area 4 of the Rovuma Block (the ExxonMobil/Eni-led Rovuma LNG / Coral South / Coral Norte projects). Both committees are chaired by the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy and include the ministers of finance, economy, transport and logistics, labour, and land and environment, plus INP, the Tax Authority, and the Bank of Mozambique as technical participants. The mandate is to monitor and ensure the rapid, coordinated government assessment of amendments to the development plans for these projects, which together represent approximately USD 50bn+ in committed capital in Cabo Delgado province and are the primary drivers of Mozambique's projected fiscal revenue stream through 2060+.

On 25 February 2026 Zimbabwe's Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, under Minister Polite Kambamura, announced an immediate and indefinite suspension of exports of all unprocessed minerals — including lithium-bearing spodumene concentrates, which had previously been exempt from the country's December 2022 ban on raw lithium ore (Statutory Instrument 213 of 2022). The directive was communicated by ministerial letter dated 17 February 2026 to the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe and copied to lithium producers; the suspension took effect on 25 February and explicitly covered consignments already in transit, with the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) and the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) ordered to halt clearance at the border. The measure brings forward by roughly eleven months a lithium-concentrate export ban that had been telegraphed for January 2027, and broadens it to all raw mineral exports. The Minister cited "national interest", in-country beneficiation, transparency, and prevention of mineral export "leakages" (smuggling and under-invoicing) as the rationale. Bloomberg and Reuters reporting noted under-declaration of grade and value as a proximate trigger; the government later (April 2026) clarified that reinstated exports would require Quota Verification certificates, monthly reporting, on-site assay laboratories, and individual producer-level export ceilings — i.e. the suspension functions as a reset to a quota regime rather than a permanent embargo. Zimbabwe is the world's fifth-largest lithium producer (~6-7% of global supply on a contained-LCE basis) and exported 1.128 million tonnes of spodumene concentrate in 2025 (an 11% YoY increase). The producer base is overwhelmingly Chinese-owned: Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt (Arcadia / Prospect), Sinomine Resource Group (Bikita Minerals), Chengxin Lithium (Sabi Star), and Sichuan Yahua (Kamativi) together account for the majority of output. The ban therefore primarily disrupts Chinese midstream lithium converters in Sichuan and Jiangxi that depend on Zimbabwean spodumene feedstock, while incrementally tightening the global seaborne concentrate market. The action is structurally a continuation of the EM resource-nationalism / upstream-capture template pioneered by Indonesia's nickel-ore ban (2020) and most recently extended by the DRC's ARECOMS cobalt suspension and quota system (Feb-Oct 2025). It reinforces a pattern in which producing-country governments capture processing margin from consuming-country smelters, and it does so in a commodity (lithium) where ex-China refining capacity is still thin, magnifying near-term price impact even though the headline share of global supply removed is moderate.

On 24 February 2026 China's Ministry of Commerce simultaneously issued Announcement No. 11 and Announcement No. 12 [2026], activating for the first time the Control List (受控名单) mechanism under Article 28 and the Watch List (关注名单) mechanism under Article 26 of the Dual-Use Export Control Regulations (effective 1 December 2024), designating 40 Japanese entities in total. The Control List (20 entities, led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Shipbuilding Co.) imposes an absolute prohibition on any person or entity worldwide supplying PRC-origin dual-use items to listed parties; the Watch List (20 entities, led by SUBARU Corporation) bars general licensing and requires exporters to file risk assessments and non-military-use commitments. MOFCOM framed both measures as a response to Japan's "remilitarization" trajectory, escalating well beyond the blanket enhanced- review framework established by Announcement No. 1 [2026] in January.

India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, issued Notification No. 62/2025-26 on 24 February 2026 permitting the export of 25 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) of wheat under HS Codes 10011900 (durum wheat - other) and 10019910 (other wheat) while keeping the headline export-policy classification as "Prohibited". A second tranche of 25 LMT was authorised by Notification No. 13/2026-27 on 27 April 2026, bringing the cumulative quota envelope to 50 LMT (5 million tonnes). Public Notice No. 05/2026-27 (30 April 2026) prescribed allocation modalities for the second tranche: 18 LMT for large exporters, 5 LMT for state trading entities and cooperatives, and 2 LMT for MSMEs, with online applications open 1-10 May 2026 and authorisations valid for six months. The mechanism partially unwinds the May 2022 blanket wheat export ban (DGFT Notification 06/2015-2020) which had been in continuous force for nearly four years, while preserving DGFT's authority to retighten via the prohibition baseline. Pre-existing government-to-government exports to meet third-country food security needs remain permitted outside the quota envelope.

Kenya's Senate introduced the Artificial Intelligence Bill, 2026 (Senate Bills No. 4 of 2025) on 19 February 2026, sponsored by Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu; the bill received its first reading on 2 April 2026 and was committed to the Senate Standing Committee on Information, Communication and Technology for public-input review. The bill establishes a risk-based AI regulatory framework explicitly modelled on the EU AI Act (Regulation 2024/1689), creating a four-tier classification (prohibited / high-risk / limited-risk / minimal-risk) with conformity- assessment, technical-documentation, and human-oversight obligations for high-risk AI systems. It creates the Office of the Artificial Intelligence Commissioner as a new statutory regulator with licensing, enforcement, and administrative-penalty powers, and bans social-scoring systems, real-time remote biometric identification in public spaces, emotion recognition in workplaces and education, and predictive policing based on profiling. The bill is the first comprehensive national AI regulatory instrument in Africa, closing a structural geographic gap in the global AI-governance architecture and positioning Kenya as the Brussels-effect template-recipient for the African continent.

At the Indonesia Economic Outlook 2026 forum in Jakarta on 13 February 2026, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia announced the government is "studying the termination of tin exports" as the next phase of Indonesia's hilirisasi (downstream processing) programme, explicitly framing it as the successor to the 2020 nickel ore export ban and the 2023 bauxite export ban. Indonesia is the world's largest refined tin exporter, with Bangka Belitung province accounting for approximately 81.7% of provincial export value (~USD 1.6bn in 2025); no formal decree (Permendag or Kepmen ESDM) has been issued as of June 2026, placing this action in a pre-legislative signalling stage.

On 9 February 2026 the European Investment Fund (EIF), part of the EIB Group, and Deutsche Sparkassen Leasing AG & Co. KG (Deutsche Leasing) signed two InvestEU-backed guarantee agreements — an uncapped EUR 200 million facility and a capped EUR 600 million facility (up to 70% guarantee rate, 5% cap rate on the capped tranche) — totalling up to EUR 800 million. The guarantees let Deutsche Leasing build a portfolio of up to EUR 1.1 billion in new sustainable asset finance, covering an estimated 4,600 leasing and loan contracts (up to EUR 8.25 million each) for SMEs and small mid-caps across its European network. The press release states coverage across 14 European countries but does not name them individually; GTA's own jurisdiction tagging lists all 27 EU member states, which is broader than the "14 countries" figure in the primary source and is not treated as authoritative here.

On 5 February 2026 Bangladesh Bank's SME & Special Programmes Department issued SMESPD Circular No. 02, establishing a BDT 30 billion (~USD 245 million) refinancing scheme for cluster-based financing of Cottage, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (CMSMEs). Participating banks and non-bank financial institutions can draw on the fund to on-lend to CMSME clusters at concessional rates. The circular was issued the same day as the companion SMESPD Circular No. 03 (Financial Sector Fund for the Development of MSMEs, BDT 15 billion), together restructuring Bangladesh Bank's CMSME refinance-fund architecture.

On 5 February 2026 Bangladesh Bank's SME & Special Programmes Department issued SMESPD Circular No. 03, formally establishing the "Financial Sector Fund for the Development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises" (FSFDMSME), a BDT 15 billion (~USD 122 million) refinancing facility. Participating banks and non-bank financial institutions can draw on the fund to refinance MSME loans at concessional rates, aimed at improving credit access for micro, small and medium enterprises. The circular was issued alongside the companion SMESPD Circular No. 02 (Cluster Financing Scheme, BDT 30 billion) the same day, both restructuring Bangladesh Bank's CMSME refinance-fund architecture.

On 5 February 2026, at the National Investment Promotion Meeting, Mexico's two state development banks — Nacional Financiera (Nafin) and Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior (Bancomext) — announced a scheme to mobilise over MXN 120 billion (~USD 6.9 billion) in financing for micro, small and medium enterprises (MiPyMEs) and strategic Plan México projects. The package channels public resources through credit, guarantees and co-investment mechanisms, including 70% credit guarantees up to MXN 20 million in priority sectors and 80% guarantees on first-time credits up to MXN 5 million, alongside reduced factoring interest rates and an additional MXN 40 billion Bancomext facility for industrial real estate. The scheme operationalises financing for the PODECOBI/PODECIBI economic development poles established under Mexico's 2025 Plan México decree.

On 18 February 2025 Tailings Dam 15 at Sino-Metals Leach Zambia Limited's Chambishi facility (Copperbelt Province, Kalulushi District) failed, releasing acidic leach residue into the Chambishi Stream and the Mwambashi and Kafue Rivers; the company suspended operations and the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) commissioned an independent Environmental and Social Incident Impact Assessment (ESIIA). ZEMA received the consultant's final report on 19 December 2025 and held a public disclosure meeting in Kitwe on 6 January 2026. On 2 February 2026 the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development announced that the investigation had concluded and that, once ZEMA's review of the findings is complete, stakeholders will be engaged to determine remediation and compensation modalities. Company clean-up operations began in March 2026.

On 9 February 2026 the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) published a comprehensively revised enforcement and monetary-penalties guidance following its July–October 2025 public consultation. The update introduces a Settlement Scheme (20% penalty discount for subjects who agree not to contest OFSI's findings within 30 business days), an Early Account Scheme (up to 20% discount for legal persons providing a timely senior-attested factual account), a revised voluntary-disclosure framework (maximum discount cut from 50% to 30% and renamed to cover both prompt self-reporting and full cooperation), a four-level case-assessment seriousness matrix (severity × conduct), and fixed monetary penalties of £5,000 and £10,000 for information, reporting, and licensing offences. A planned legislative amendment (requiring primary legislation) will subsequently double the statutory civil monetary-penalty cap from £1m / 50%-of-breach to £2m / 100%-of-breach; in the interim the Policing and Crime Act 2017 caps remain in force. The revised guidance is the foundational enforcement architecture for all UK financial-sanctions programs (Russia, Iran, DPRK, Syria, Belarus, Myanmar, and 10+ additional regimes).

The Rajasthan State Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, approved the Rajasthan Aerospace & Defence Policy 2026 on 21 January 2026 in the same session that cleared the Rajasthan Semiconductor Policy 2026. The policy positions Rajasthan as a manufacturing and MRO hub for aircraft, helicopters, drones, missiles, avionics, satellite buses, armoured vehicles, radars, defence electronics, and precision engineering, targeting OEMs, system integrators, MSMEs, and startups under the Make in India / Atmanirbhar Bharat defence-industrial pivot. Projects are tiered (large / mega / ultra-mega) with differentiated incentive menus including capital grants, tax reimbursements, and turnover-linked incentives aligned with national DPEPP and iDEX frameworks.

China's Ministry of Finance, NDRC, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, People's Bank of China and National Financial Regulatory Administration jointly issued Cai Jin [2026] No. 4 on 2026-01-19, establishing a central-fiscal loan interest-subsidy scheme for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) operating in 14 designated industrial-chain and emerging-industry sectors. Eligible loans originated from 2026-01-01 receive a 1.5-percentage-point annual interest subsidy for up to two years, capped at RMB 50 million in principal per enterprise (maximum subsidy RMB 1.5 million per enterprise). The policy is tentatively set to run one year with a possible extension.

At a 2026-01-15 State Council Information Office press conference, PBOC Deputy Governor and spokesperson Zou Lan announced eight structural monetary-policy measures, including a CNY 500 billion increase to the agriculture/small-business relending-and-rediscount facility (支农支小 再贷款), within which a new CNY 1 trillion private-enterprise relending line (民营企业再贷款) is carved out to target small and medium-sized private firms specifically. The PBOC also cut relending/rediscount rates across all structural tools by 0.25 percentage points effective 2026-01-19 (one-year relending rate down from 1.5% to 1.25%).

On 15 January 2026 the Government of Vietnam issued Decree No. 20/2026/ND-CP, providing detailed implementing regulations for National Assembly Resolution 198/2025/QH15 (17 May 2025) on special mechanisms and policies for the development of the private economic sector. The decree (6 chapters, 17 articles) introduces a synchronized incentive framework covering corporate and personal income tax exemptions, land-access support, science/technology and digital transformation support, and human-resource training. SMEs registering for the first time are exempt from corporate income tax for three consecutive years; innovative startups receive a full CIT exemption for two years followed by a 50% reduction for four years; eligible experts and scientists at innovative startups, R&D centers, and intermediary organizations receive a personal income tax exemption for two years followed by a 50% reduction for four years. The decree took effect on the date of signature, with CIT/PIT incentive provisions retroactively applicable from 17 May 2025 (the effective date of Resolution 198/2025/QH15).

On 9 January 2026, Canada's Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly announced Defence Industry Assist (DI Assist), a CAD 244.2 million (~USD 178.6 million) funding and advisory initiative delivered through the National Research Council's Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP). The programme funds high-potential Canadian SMEs developing made-in-Canada defence and dual-use technologies, with the stated aims of reducing barriers to market entry, connecting recipients to procurement pathways, and strengthening domestic supply-chain collaboration. It sits within Canada's broader Defence Industrial Strategy (CAD 6.6 billion over five years from 2025-26) and Canada's push toward its 2% NATO defence-spending target.

The European Commission adopted Communication C(2026) 43 final on 9 January 2026, issuing the first formal interpretive guidelines on the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR, Regulation (EU) 2022/2560). The guidelines codify a four-pillar analytical framework — distortion assessment, public-procurement distortion test, balancing test, and ex officio call-in scope — that DG COMP will apply in every future FSR enforcement proceeding. As the operational blueprint for the FSR regime, the guidelines materially shape Chinese SOE and Gulf SWF EU-market access planning for concentrations, public-procurement tenders, and sub-threshold transactions.

The Government of Maharashtra, Industries Department, notified the Maharashtra Industry, Investment, and Services Policy-2025 on 31 December 2025, valid for five years and superseding the prior Maharashtra Industrial Policy 2019. The umbrella state-level instrument supports Maharashtra's "trillion-dollar economy by 2030" and "Developed Maharashtra 2047" vision with targets of ₹70.5 lakh crore (~USD 850 bn) cumulative investment, 50 lakh (5 million) jobs across manufacturing and services, and expansion of industry's share of Gross State Value Added to 30%. It is Maharashtra's first-ever combined industry + services + investment-promotion framework (prior policies were industry-only), establishes the unified "Invest Maharashtra" platform and revamped MAITRI 2.0 portal (125+ services, AI investor support, blockchain document verification), and empowers a Cabinet Sub-Committee under the Chief Minister to sanction bespoke customised-package incentives for Mega and Ultra-Mega Projects above the ₹500 crore threshold.

The European Investment Bank signed a EUR 100 million guarantee agreement with UniCredit Banka Slovenija dd on 30 December 2025 under the EIB's Growth for Mid-Caps (G4M) guarantee scheme, which runs until end-2028. The guarantee backs UniCredit Banka Slovenija's balance sheet so it can extend more favourable-rate loans to Slovenian mid-cap companies for growth, climate-action and environmental-sustainability projects. The transaction was disclosed publicly in the EIB's March 2026 recap of its 2025 Slovenia financing activity, which totalled EUR 366 million across transport, SME/mid-cap and technology financing.

Decree reforming various tariff fractions of the General Import and Export Duties Tariff (TIGIE), published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on 29 December 2025 and in force 1 January 2026. The reform, approved by Congress as a statutory amendment to the LIGIE (Chamber of Deputies and Senate, Dec 2025) and signed by President Claudia Sheinbaum, raises MFN import duties to between 5% and 50% ad valorem on 1,463 tariff lines covering more than 20 chapters of the TIGIE, spanning automotive, auto parts, textiles, apparel, footwear, steel, aluminum, plastics, paper, leather, furniture, glass, toys, appliances and cosmetics. The increases apply only to goods originating in countries without a free trade agreement with Mexico — principally China, South Korea, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Brazil, Indonesia, Chinese Taipei, the UAE, and South Africa. The decree formalises at statutory level the September 2024 Sheinbaum executive order placing a 50% duty on finished passenger vehicles from non-FTA states and is framed by the Secretaría de Economía and SHCP as the operational tariff instrument of Plan México (2025-01-21).

The Bank of Thailand and Ministry of Finance, together with the Thai Bankers' Association and Association of International Banks, launched "SMEs Credit Boost," a THB 20 billion (~USD 580 million) new loan-guarantee facility funded through a temporary reduction in commercial banks' 2026 FIDF (Financial Institutions Development Fund) contribution rather than new fiscal spending. The scheme guarantees 15-30% of new bank lending to SMEs and qualifying larger firms in government-prioritised "Reinvent Thailand" sectors, is projected to catalyse roughly THB 100 billion in new credit over 1-2 years, and took effect 2026-01-15.

Uruguay's Poder Ejecutivo promulgated Decreto Nº 329/025 on 23 December 2025, comprehensively overhauling the general investment-promotion framework established under Ley Nº 16.906 (1998) and replacing Decreto 268/020. Administered by COMAP under the Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas, the decree entered into force on 1 February 2026 with a coexistence transition period through 30 April 2026 and became the sole operative instrument from 1 May 2026. The decree extends project timelines, creates tiered investment categories (including a mega-investment tier providing up to 25-year IRAE exemptions), expands incentives for SMEs, and explicitly calibrates the scoring matrix toward decentralisation, innovation, export capacity, and strategic sectors including data-centers, green hydrogen, sustainable forestry-pulp, agtech, and global business services.

Zambia enacted the Income Tax (Amendment) (No. 2) Act No. 17 of 2025, assented to 23 December 2025 and effective 1 January 2026, introducing two mining-specific fiscal provisions. First, interest deductibility is capped at 30% of tax EBITDA for all companies, with unrelieved interest carry-forwardable for up to five years (general) or ten years for entities in mining and electricity generation. Second, mining companies deriving at least 75% of gross income in foreign exchange from outside Zambia may maintain their books of accounts in US dollars, reducing FX translation risk for dollar-denominated operators. Both measures are structurally distinct from the concurrent Act No. 10 of 2025 (Minimum Alternative Tax and loss carry-forward cap).

The European Investment Bank and Intesa Sanpaolo announced on 22 December 2025 two finalised agreements totalling EUR 700 million to support access to finance and investment for Italian SMEs and mid-caps: a EUR 500 million EIB covered-bond purchase and a EUR 200 million EIB risk-sharing guarantee to Intesa Sanpaolo backing new mid-cap lending. Twenty-five percent of the combined resources (about EUR 175 million) is earmarked for climate action, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable-mobility investment. The EIB estimates the package will mobilise more than EUR 1.9 billion in real-economy investment and reach roughly 1,000 Italian businesses. Global Trade Alert separately logs the EUR 200 million guarantee leg as a "red"-flagged state-linked lending-support intervention.

The European Investment Bank signed a EUR 250 million guarantee tranche with Banco Santander SA on 19 December 2025 (approved 2 December 2025) under the "Santander Pan-EU Supply Chain" project (EIB ref. 20231000), part of a proposed EUR 500 million total EIB commitment mobilising an estimated EUR 1,200 million in on-lending. The EIB assumes credit risk on new "confirming line" reverse-factoring facilities, letting Santander extend supply-chain finance on better terms to SMEs, mid-caps and EU strategic-sector suppliers, including higher-risk buyers. Global Trade Alert separately logged the transaction as a "red"-flagged state-linked lending-support intervention.

The European Investment Bank signed a EUR 100 million multi-beneficiary intermediated loan with Piraeus Bank SA on 18 December 2025 under the "Piraeus Bank L4SMEs Security & Defence" project (EIB ref. 20250612, approved 12 November 2025). At least 50% of the on-lent amount must go to SMEs and mid-caps active in Greece's security and defence sector, addressing constrained access to finance these firms face due to sector-specific sensitivities and dual-use classification. The EIB describes it as its first-ever financing in Greece dedicated to the security and defence sector, part of a wider Pan-EU Security & Defence Lending Envelope; Global Trade Alert separately logged the transaction (reporting the headline amount as EUR 200 million) as a "red"-flagged state-linked lending-support intervention.