India plans to introduce exchange-based trading for major minerals next financial year, aiming to boost transparency, efficiency, and supply chain security in a move that could reshape the country’s raw materials market and benefit key manufacturing sectors.
India is preparing to open trading in major minerals on commodity exchanges from the next financial year, a move that could reshape how some of the country’s most important raw materials are priced and sold. According to EqMagPro, the plan is designed to make mineral transactions more transparent and create a clearer benchmark for price discovery across the domestic market.
The shift would matter well beyond the mining sector. Major minerals are key inputs for steel, cement, construction, power generation, renewable energy, electric vehicles, batteries, electronics and advanced manufacturing. A more formal exchange-based system could give buyers and sellers a better view of prevailing prices, while reducing the dependence on negotiated deals that often differ by grade, transport costs and location.
The proposal also fits into a wider reform push in India’s minerals and commodities markets. In June 2026, the government notified the Coal Exchange Rules, 2026, introducing a competitive many-to-many trading model for coal and giving the Coal Controller Organisation responsibility for registering and regulating exchanges. Those rules were presented as a way to improve transparency, efficiency and energy security, and the move on major minerals suggests the same logic is now being extended more broadly across the sector.
For industry, the attraction is clearer pricing and easier access to supply. Producers could reach a wider pool of buyers, while manufacturers, especially smaller firms, might gain a more level playing field when sourcing materials. But the success of the plan will depend on the practical machinery behind it: contract specifications, quality standards, warehouse systems, delivery points, settlement rules and tax treatment will all need to be worked through carefully.
If implemented well, the change could strengthen India’s mineral supply chains at a time when demand is rising across infrastructure, industrial production and the clean-energy transition. It would also mark another step towards a more organised market for strategic resources, one that could support both domestic manufacturing and the country’s longer-term push for mineral security.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
