The company Zijin has entered the elite of “mining streaming” and places financial mining at the center of the global board.
According to some experts, the price could reach 4,000 dollars per ounce this year.
Zijin Mining Group, one of the largest gold and copper miners in the world, has begun to open its funds to professional investors in Hong Kong. According to the Financial Times, it has launched China's first mining streaming fund, a financial model that involves financing mines in exchange for rights to their future production. With this model, traditionally dominated by Canadian companies like Wheaton Precious Metals, Zijin aims to secure bars without the need to directly operate each mine.
But the play doesn't end there. As reported by South China Morning Post (SCMP), its asset management subsidiary, Gold Mountain Asset Management, has shifted from exclusively operating with the group's internal resources to attracting external capital, offering exposure to strategic metals such as gold and copper.
A strategic move. The decision is not fortuitous. On one hand, the supply is increasingly limited. Both Lisa Liu, director of Gold Mountain, and analysts from Bank of America cited by the Financial Times have agreed that gold mines around the world are depleting their high-quality reserves, while investment in new explorations has been insufficient over the past decade.
On the other hand, the demand for gold continues to grow. In times of geopolitical uncertainty and trade tensions, investors and central banks seek refuge in tangible assets. This has driven gold to reach historic highs. According to SCMP, some experts have estimated that the price could reach 4,000 dollars per ounce this year.
The center of the world. The digital transformation of the Asian country is not coincidental. In an increasingly data-driven world, with data centers, power grids, and artificial intelligence infrastructure, China wants to be where it needs to be. It has already demonstrated this by positioning itself as the first "electrostate," and now seeks to secure access to the basic materials that feed that infrastructure: gold, copper, and also lithium.
Gold always shines. As detailed in SCMP, Zijin's funds have reported an 18% return in just the first four months of 2025, and investments in copper are also emerging as strategic due to the growing demand driven by artificial intelligence. Zijin even plans to reorganize its international assets under a new entity, Zijin Gold International, with a view to a future stock market listing.
Additionally, Gold Mountain directly finances mining projects through private credit, accepting the produced gold in return, a way to ensure supply without the need to operate the deposits. It has also signed streaming agreements with mines in Ivory Coast, Gansu (China), and expects to close new operations in Africa and South America, according to the Financial Times.
Beyond the numbers, what Zijin is building has a geopolitical dimension. In an increasingly fragmented world, where critical resources define technological and energy sovereignty, controlling the flow of gold, copper, and lithium is both an economic and strategic move.
