A new U.S.-Denmark-Greenland security agreement is putting Greenland’s vast mineral resources back on investors’ radar, sending shares of Greenland-linked miners sharply higher and reviving the broader trade around rare earths and critical minerals.
Critical Metals Corp. (NASDAQ:CRML) surged as much as 35% Monday, giving the company a market capitalization of about $1.3 billion. Greenland Energy Co (NASDAQ:GLND) jumped 126%, while Greenland Mines Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRML) soared 136%. The broader Nasdaq Composite, by comparison, was up just 0.2%.
The move is particularly notable for CRML because its Tanbreez project in southern Greenland contains about 45 million metric tons of resource, with more than one-quarter of that tonnage consisting of heavy rare-earth oxides. Critical Metals owns approximately 93% of the project following Greenland government approval earlier this year.
But investors looking to capture the potential U.S. critical-minerals push through ETFs face a very different risk profile.
A Concentrated Rare-Earth Basket
The VanEck Rare Earth and Strategic Metals ETF (NYSE:REMX) has approximately $2.3 billion in assets. Its expense ratio was 0.53%.
Its portfolio includes several companies directly exposed to the rare-earth and strategic-metals supply chain. Albemarle Corp (NYSE:ALB) accounts for 7.65%, Pilbara Minerals (OTC:PILBF) 7.32%, Mp Materials Corp (NYSE:MP) 6.78%, China Northern Rare Earth 6.76%, SQM (NYSE:SQM) 6.60% and Lynas Rare Earths 6.58%. Almonty Industries Inc (NASDAQ:ALM) represents another 5.09%.
That means REMX provides exposure to the broader supply-chain theme.
A Broader Approach
The Sprott Critical Materials ETF (NASDAQ:SETM) offers a considerably wider portfolio. It has about $629.4 million in assets, with a 0.65% expense ratio.
Its largest positions included Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) at 6.03%, Cameco Corp (NYSE:CCJ) at 4.89%, Lynas at 4.71%, PLS Group at 4.04% and Kazatomprom at 3.56%. MP Materials accounted for about 3% of the portfolio.
That composition makes SETM less of a pure rare-earth bet. Copper, uranium, lithium, silver and other strategic materials also contribute to its performance.
The distinction has mattered in 2026. Through Monday, SETM was up about 8.4% year to date, compared with a roughly 5% decline for REMX.
The Bigger Catalyst Is China Dependence
China’s share of global rare-earth refining fell from more than 90% in 2023 to about 85% in 2025, but the country still dominates processing across the critical-minerals complex. The International Energy Agency estimates China controls roughly 70%-95% of refining capacity for several critical minerals, while its share of rare-earth refining could still be 70%-73% by 2035 even if planned projects outside China are completed.
That is why Greenland matters. Tanbreez could potentially add another source of heavy rare earths to a Western supply chain, while the U.S. continues to pursue domestic and allied production.
Critical Metals has already signed a 15-year binding offtake agreement with REalloys for Tanbreez rare-earth concentrate, with two additional five-year extension options.
However, Monday’s security agreement does not itself provide CRML with new mining rights, government funding or a commercial agreement. Denmark and Greenland have also emphasized that the framework preserves Greenland’s sovereignty.
For ETF investors, REMX provides a more concentrated rare-earth exposure, while SETM spreads that geopolitical thesis across a much wider group of metals and miners.
Photo: M21Perfect on Shutterstock
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