FAQ
The Junior Mining Platform is an initiative of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) that connects early-stage mining projects (from exploration to pre-production) with investors, strategic partners, and financial institutions.
The platform facilitates capital raising for exploration and project development, provides investors with access to high-potential resource assets, enhances project visibility, and creates opportunities for investment engagement.
The platform focuses on projects at various stages of development, including exploration projects on new areas and in regions with previous work, resource definition and drilling-stage projects, projects at the preliminary and detailed feasibility study stages, as well as projects approaching construction and operation.
Projects may cover a wide range of commodities, including gold, copper, lithium, rare earth elements, uranium, and other critical minerals.
A wide range of investors can participate in the platform, including private equity funds, venture capital funds, strategic investors, traders, as well as other financial and investment institutions.
Participation in the platform provides investors with access to a pool of mining projects at various stages of development, the ability to select projects in line with their investment strategy, participation in one-on-one meetings with project sponsors during the Junior Mining Investment Day, as well as the opportunity to build deal flow and establish direct engagement with industry participants.
The first step to participate is to complete the application form.
For project owners, this involves filling out the project questionnaire and providing a set of documents in accordance with the Screening Criteria, which are used for validation and inclusion of the project in the platform’s pipeline.
For investors, this involves completing the investor questionnaire, indicating investment preferences, including preferred project stages, commodities, and formats of engagement, which enables the selection of relevant projects for further interaction.
After submission, the application undergoes an initial review to ensure completeness and accuracy.
Projects are then screened and validated, following which a pipeline of projects is formed, grouped by development stage and commodity type. Projects that do not meet the established criteria or fail to provide sufficient information may not be included in the platform’s pipeline.
Investors define their investment profile, which is used to match them with relevant projects.
Following this, investors are granted access to project materials and independently determine their interest in further engagement, including through platform events.
No, the platform does not conduct geological or economic evaluations of projects. It performs the function of structuring, validation, and comparison of projects based on the information provided.
Junior Mining Investment Day is the key event of the Junior Mining Platform, held as part of Astana Finance Days, bringing together project sponsors and investors on a single platform.
The central element of the event is pitch sessions, where projects that have passed preliminary screening present their investment opportunities, key parameters, and development potential to investors.
In addition, one-on-one (B2B) meetings are organized to enable more detailed discussions of projects and potential forms of cooperation. The event also creates opportunities for networking and establishes a foundation for further investment engagement.
Typical structures include:
• Earn-in agreements — staged investments under which the investor acquires an ownership stake in the project upon fulfilling agreed conditions;
• Royalty agreements — a form of financing where the investor receives returns as a share of the project’s revenue or production;
• Streaming agreements — a mechanism whereby the investor provides upfront financing in exchange for the right to purchase a portion of future production at a predetermined price;
• Option agreements — grant the investor the right to acquire an ownership stake in the project upon meeting specified conditions;
• Joint ventures — a partnership structure in which participants combine resources to develop a project and share risks and returns.
These structures are widely used in international mining finance and enable capital to be raised across different stages of project development.
No, the platform does not provide financing and does not participate in investment decision-making. All decisions are made by investors and project owners.
Yes, a registration fee is required for projects, which covers the review of the application and the organization of participation in platform events.
No, the platform does not guarantee the conclusion of transactions or the raising of financing.
The application and project documentation submission period runs from April 15 to June 15.
From June 16 to July 15, screening and formation of the project pipeline take place.
Following the formation of the pipeline, the investor engagement phase begins, including access to project materials and the organization of meetings.
The key event of the platform is the Junior Mining Investment Day, which will be held as part of Astana Finance Days on September 9–10.