Volato Group Inc. (SOAR) on Thursday announced that, in partnership with M2i Global Inc., it is entering the next phase of development of the digital and commercial infrastructure for the U.S. strategic mineral reserve (SMR) plans.

While M2i had previously initiated the SMR framework and technical specifications earlier this year, Volato will build and operationalize the technology backbone to support critical mineral traceability, contracting, and compliance, the company said in an announcement.

Further detailing the use of its digital infrastructure for the U.S. SMR, Volato stated that it will provide miners, refiners, recyclers, manufacturers, and government entities with a trusted environment for physical critical mineral transactions. This would include verified provenance, end-to-end custody visibility, and regulatory compliance.

Volato's announcement comes at a time when trade tensions between the U.S. and China are rising after the latter imposed export controls on rare earth minerals last week.

Volato's shares were up more than 12% in Thursday's pre-market trade. Retail sentiment on Stocktwits around the company trended in the 'bullish' territory.

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