The year “is going to be seen as the start of serious change — in the way mines operate and are held accountable,” Barrick Gold Corp. Chief Executive Officer Mark Bristow said in an interview. “The scenario that’s playing out across the globe is a very interesting dynamic, and honestly I don’t think anywhere is perfectly safe to invest right now.”
The spat between First Quantum Minerals Ltd. and Panama’s government over a copper mine in the Central American nation may be a sign of things to come. Countries are cracking down on foreign firms mining their resources, both to seize on the rush to secure critical minerals and boost revenue in cash-strapped jurisdictions.
