Salus launches on IOTA to bridge global trade finance gap for mineral supply chains
Salus launches to tokenize critical minerals on-chain with IOTA, enabling real-world impact that is critical for today’s economy
LONDON. September 10, 2025 — Salus, the digital trade finance platform for critical minerals, is launching with the first verified tantalum exports from Rwanda to the United States. Built on the IOTA network, Salus harnesses decentralized finance (DeFi) to inject stablecoin liquidity and generate asset-backed yields, helping address the $2.5 trillion global trade finance gap, which is acutely felt in the critical minerals sector valued at approximately $500 billion and growing. As renewable energy needs rise exponentially, securing competitive and reliable access to raw materials has become paramount for the United States.
The solution arrives amid 2025's intensified geopolitical race for critical minerals. As the IEA forecasts mineral needs for the energy transition to more than double by 2040, recent policies have prioritized a domestic and diversified supply but tariffs and tensions are driving record volatility on international and American commodities exchanges.
Salus enables companies and investors in the U.S. to fund mineral flows without needing to own mines. The platform combines smart digital contracts, in-market verification, secure physical custody, and stablecoin-based payments to create real-time, auditable trade corridors.
“We’re working with miners, funders, and buyers to redesign trade finance from the ground up,” says Trevor Skidmore, Co-Founder of Salus. “With smart contracts and stablecoins, we can fund minerals at source, on verifiable terms, with real delivery and traceability built in.”
The team behind Salus includes the founders of TradeFlow Capital, a leading innovator in digitized, physical commodity finance. This blend of blockchain infrastructure with deep commodity finance expertise positions Salus to scale rapidly in underserved markets.
Salus is already operational in Rwanda, and additional jurisdictions across Africa and Latin America are underway. With a growing pipeline of mineral flows, funders, and offtake counterparties, the platform is targeting $100 million in gross merchandise value by the end of 2025.
“This is where decades of physical trade experience meet new digital rails,” says James Rilett, Co-Founder of Salus. “Salus shows how DeFi can drive real-world impact, enabling efficient, transparent, and compliant supply chains across multiple jurisdictions.”
“Salus is a flagship use case utilizing IOTA’s decentralized ledger network and its enterprise solutions for tokenized trade finance,” says Dominik Schiener, Co-Founder of IOTA. “The project is furthering our work through TWIN, our solution to digitize trade, to facilitate global trade. Salus will be a key driver to tokenize critical minerals and beyond.”
Salus is now engaging with liquidity providers ranging from stablecoin treasuries and DeFi funds to institutional trade finance players. The platform offers short-duration, asset-backed exposure to verified mineral flows that are fully traceable, auditable, and aligned with global ESG and compliance standards.
About Salus
Salus is the digital trade finance platform for critical minerals operating on the IOTA ecosystem. It connects trusted supply chains with stablecoin liquidity to finance smaller, accredited producers in inland markets. Salus has facilitated successful trades between the United States and Rwanda and will integrate additional markets across Africa and Latin America.
About IOTA
Founded in 2015, IOTA is an open-source distributed ledger technology designed to bring real-world applications on-chain. Scalable, efficient, and secure, it powers a public goods infrastructure optimized for enterprise solutions and Web3 innovation. With smart contracts and a modular architecture, the IOTA mainnet provides a global, permissionless foundation for diverse applications and a streamlined pathway to market adoption. Backed by a proven track record in industry and public sector collaborations, IOTA has been applied to supply chain management, digital identity, energy systems, and more. It also empowers developers to build decentralized applications, DeFi projects, and custom blockchain-based solutions. IOTA is one of the most established blockchain projects globally and is led by the non-profit IOTA Foundation, headquartered in Berlin, Germany. Supporting its mission are the Swiss-based Tangle Ecosystem Association and the IOTA Ecosystem DLT Foundation, the first DLT foundation registered under the Abu Dhabi Global Market.1
Leadership
Trevor is Co-Founder of Salus and brings 17 years of experience in base metals markets, including nearly a decade at Rio Tinto. He has held global supply chain operations management roles, as well as worked in corporate strategy and business development. He has deep expertise in commodity logistics and related financing structures, having worked for mining companies, trading houses, and specialised logistics and warehousing providers
James is Co-Founder of Salus, bringing 20+ years of experience scaling ventures and delivering exits, including the acquisition of Distro Energy by Port of Rotterdam and Minerals Value Service by S&P Global. He has expertise in AI, blockchain, and data-driven commodities product and market innovation. He is recognized globally for pioneering DeFi solutions and engaging with global institutions such as the UN, WEF, and OPEC.
