Critical Goods Export Development Guarantee
A loan guarantee for domestic suppliers selling critical minerals products (critical minerals, or products containing them) to UK exporters.
How it works
We can offer an 80% guarantee on finance provided by a commercial lender to companies or projects in the UK which supply critical minerals products to UK exporters. If your company already exports or plans to export, we can potentially support you through our standard Export Development Guarantee.
The Critical Goods Export Development Guarantee is designed to encourage the onshoring of the exporter’s supply chain, making high-value financing available for UK critical mineral-related producers. It can also facilitate securing longer-term import contracts for suppliers that are part of exporting supply chains.
Critical minerals will be defined in line with the UK’s Critical Minerals list developed by the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre which identifies minerals considered to have significant supply risks. We may be able to support other minerals on a case-by-case basis upon cross-government consideration.
Eligibility
- The UK supplier must be carrying on business in the UK, supplying critical minerals or goods containing critical minerals to UK exporters. The UK supplier must have both premises and employees in the UK.
- The UK supplier must supply ≥50% of the critical minerals good produced to UK exporters*
- The critical mineral in the product must be on the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre list (table 1): UK 2024 criticality assessment.
- The UK company that receives the supplied critical minerals or goods must qualify as an exporter and be carrying on business in the UK. To qualify as an exporter, the company must have:
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- generated in the last financial year, at least 20% of its UK turnover from UK export sales; OR
- on average over the last three financial years, generated at least 20% of its UK turnover from UK export sales.
- In addition, the exporter must be carrying on business in the UK, and have both premises and employees in the UK.
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*This production requirement is lowered to ≥20% if the UK supplier also generates ≥5% of annual turnover from overseas sales.
Other relevant information
- The transaction will need to satisfy UKEF’s anti-bribery and corruption and environmental, social and human rights due diligence processes.
- Fossil fuel policy: please note that since March 2021, UKEF does not provide new support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas (including supporting the extraction, production, transportation, refining and marketing of crude oil, natural gas or thermal coal overseas as well as fossil-fuel fired power plants), other than in exceptional circumstances.
How to apply
If you would like an initial discussion or to enquire further, please contact us.