Sovereign Metals Limited has announced encouraging results from its Kasiya Rutile‐Graphite Project in Malawi amid a rapidly changing global graphite market. The company’s latest test work confirms that its spherical purified graphite, when processed into coated spherical purified graphite, meets premium performance standards required by battery manufacturers. The optimized coating process has successfully achieved key electrochemical benchmarks, including discharge capacities well above 360mAh/g and first cycle efficiencies exceeding 94%. Additionally, the advanced testing demonstrated improved physical characteristics, with specific surface areas below 4m²/g and tap densities above 1.0 g/cm³, ensuring the product is well positioned for high-performance lithium-ion battery applications. The announcement comes at a time when the global supply chain is reconfiguring, driven by new U.S. Commerce Department anti-dumping duties of 93.5% on Chinese graphite imports. When combined with existing tariffs, these measures create an effective 160% barrier against Chinese-sourced graphite. As a result, battery manufacturers are increasingly seeking reliable, cost-competitive alternatives, and Sovereign Metals Limited believes that its Kasiya Project, with an incremental cost advantage estimated at US$241 per tonne, is uniquely poised to capture a significant share of this emerging market. The project is set to offer battery producers a strategic alternative to address the vulnerabilities associated with heavily concentrated Chinese supply chains. The technical achievements reported by the company include refined coating protocols using pitch material to optimize the conversion process from rough graphite to a high-performing anode material. Comparative test data indicate that the optimized process maintains nearly identical electrochemical performance to the baseline while reducing the specific surface area—a critical factor for minimizing lithium consumption during the formation of the solid electrolyte interface in batteries. These positive outcomes support ongoing discussions with key anode manufacturers and underscore the resource’s potential to become one of the world’s largest and lowest-cost natural graphite sources outside of China. Market sentiment around Sovereign Metals Limited is mixed but leans toward optimism. On the bullish side, the successful test work not only validates the technical quality of the Kasiya graphite but also strengthens the company’s case for long-term supply agreements with major battery and anode manufacturers. The strategic response to recent U.S. tariff changes, which have significantly altered global supply chain economics, positions the company well to benefit from a growing demand for secure non-Chinese graphite supplies. However, on the bearish side, the project’s further development will need to overcome the typical risks associated with scaling up processing operations and market uncertainties inherent in commodity markets. Investors should remain mindful of forward-looking statements and the associated risks while considering the promising technical metrics and strategic market opportunity presented in this announcement.