NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / March 20, 2026 / SMX (Security Matters) PLC (NASDAQ: SMX) is advancing the way rare earth elements and precious metals are authenticated, tracked, and managed - bringing a new level of transparency and control to some of the most strategically important materials in the global economy.

From rare earth elements powering electric vehicles, semiconductors, and defense systems, to precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium underpinning financial markets and industrial production, these materials sit at the core of modern life. Yet the systems used to verify their origin, movement, and authenticity have not kept pace with their growing importance.

As demand accelerates and supply chains stretch across multiple jurisdictions, the risks are rising - misrepresentation, illicit sourcing, substitution, and loss of provenance all threaten the integrity and value of these materials.

SMX delivers a new solution.

Through its advanced molecular marking technology, SMX enables rare earth elements and precious metals to carry a permanent, invisible, and tamper-resistant identity from the point of extraction through refining, manufacturing, and end use. This identity is linked to a secure digital record, allowing stakeholders to verify origin, composition, and chain of custody in real time.

This transforms how these materials are managed and traded.

Mining companies can validate the source of extracted materials, protecting the value of their output and differentiating responsibly produced resources in a competitive global market. Refiners and processors gain assurance that the materials entering their facilities are authentic and compliant. Manufacturers can confirm the integrity of the inputs used in high-performance applications, from electronics to aerospace systems.

For governments and regulators, SMX provides a powerful tool to strengthen oversight. Materials can be traced across borders with verifiable data, supporting compliance with sanctions, export controls, and responsible sourcing mandates.

In financial markets, where precious metals function as both industrial inputs and stores of value, verification becomes even more critical.

Gold and other precious metals are traded globally, often multiple times across their lifecycle. By embedding traceability directly into the material, SMX enables each unit to carry a verifiable history - enhancing trust in trading, reducing fraud, and supporting the development of more transparent and efficient markets.

At the same time, SMX's technology supports the growing importance of circularity.

As industries look to recover and reuse rare earth elements and precious metals from end-of-life products, the ability to identify, authenticate, and quantify those materials becomes essential. SMX enables recovered materials to retain their identity and value, facilitating more efficient recycling and reintegration into supply chains.

This is particularly significant in a world where sourcing new materials is becoming more complex, expensive, and geopolitically sensitive.

By making materials visible and verifiable at every stage, SMX is not only protecting supply chains - it is enhancing the underlying value of the materials themselves.

In the emerging global economy, where transparency, accountability, and resource efficiency are increasingly tied to economic performance, rare earth elements and precious metals are no longer just commodities.

They are strategic assets - and their value depends on trust.

SMX is building the infrastructure to ensure that trust is embedded at the material level, enabling industries, governments, and markets to operate with greater confidence, security, and efficiency.

As demand for these critical materials continues to rise, SMX is positioning itself at the center of a new era - where every gram of material carries not just physical value, but verified truth.

Contact:

Jeremy Murphy
jeremy@360bespoke.com

SOURCE: SMX (Security Matters) Public Limited