Commodity Trading and Risk Management Trends Shaping 2026

As commodity markets move toward 2026, volatility is no longer an exception, it is the operating environment. Geopolitical instability, energy transition pressures, climate variability, and accelerating regulation are reshaping how organizations trade, manage risk, and run physical operations across agriculture, energy, metals, bulk, and mining.

In this environment, Commodity Trading and Risk Management (CTRM) systems are evolving from transactional back-office tools into real-time, connected platforms that support faster decisions, tighter controls, and operational resilience.

Insights shared by Harry Knott, Chief Business Architect at Quoreka, in conversation with Gary Vasey of ComTech on the CTRM Radio podcast highlight a clear shift in market priorities: away from hype-driven transformation and toward practical, governed, and integrated execution.

The Forces Redefining CTRM in 2026

Several macro forces are shaping CTRM requirements across commodity sectors:

• Persistent market volatility driven by geopolitics, sanctions, and supply-chain disruption
• Regulation-led digitalization, particularly around e-invoicing, emissions, and auditability
• Pragmatic AI adoption focused on efficiency, data quality, and exception management
• Demand for near real-time risk metrics, stress testing, and limit monitoring
• Expansion into niche, low-liquidity, and non-standard commodities

Rather than asking what technology can do, commodity firms are increasingly focused on what systems must do reliably, at scale, and under pressure.

Agriculture: Beyond Traditional Trading Models

Agricultural markets are becoming more complex, not just larger. By 2026, traders are dealing with a wider range of specialty crops, regional products, and differentiated grades that don’t fit neatly into exchange-based models.

Key trends include:

• Greater focus on quality-driven risk, blending, and contract tolerance management
• Increased regulatory pressure around traceability, sustainability, and origin reporting
• The need for faster exposure visibility due to climate volatility and logistics disruption

Modern CTRM platforms must support flexible contract structures, integrated quality data, and real-time visibility across physical and financial positions.

Future-proof your agri trading with an integrated CTRM platform

Energy: Faster Risk Cycles and Operational AI

Energy markets remain at the center of global uncertainty. While crude oil trading is relatively stable, growth is increasingly visible in LNG, LPG, and liquid hydrocarbons, alongside long-term infrastructure investments.

One notable dynamic is AI’s indirect impact on energy demand. As discussed in the podcast, the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure is driving significant power consumption, reshaping energy planning and trading strategies.

At the same time:

• Risk cycles are accelerating, requiring intraday valuations and stress testing
• Firms are favoring operational AI for error detection, data extraction, and workflow efficiency, over speculative predictive models

Reliability, governance, and explainability now matter more than experimental forecasting.

Modernise your energy trading operations with a next-gen CTRM

🎧 Listen to the Full Podcast Conversation

In the middle of these market shifts, hearing directly from practitioners matters.
You can listen to the full conversation between Harry Knott (Quoreka) and Gary Vasey (ComTech) on CTRM Radio, where they discuss AI, regulation, risk, and the practical realities shaping CTRM today. 

Metals: Battery Materials and Niche Complexity

Metals trading is undergoing a structural transformation driven by electrification and energy transition. Demand remains strong for battery and infrastructure metals such as copper, lithium, and nickel, while trading in minor metals, alloys, and composites continues to grow.

These products often come with:

• Lower liquidity and less transparent pricing
• Complex logistics and processing chains
• Heavy reliance on assay, quality, and specification data

As highlighted in the podcast, CTRM systems must be flexible enough to manage both mainstream and niche metals without forcing rigid models that limit growth.

Strengthen risk control and execution in metals trading. Learn how

Bulk & Mining: From Visibility to Digital Execution

Bulk and mining operations are moving rapidly toward digitally augmented execution.

Key developments include:

• Advanced stockyard and silo management
• Adoption of virtual twin technology to monitor stockpile volume and quality
• Tighter integration between software and physical infrastructure

What began as regional innovation, particularly in markets like Australia, is now becoming a global expectation. CTRM platforms must extend beyond trading desks into physical execution and inventory control.

Optimise bulk commodity flows with real-time data and risk visibility

Risk Management: Integrated, Real-Time, Actionable

Across all sectors, risk management expectations have fundamentally changed. End-of-day reports are no longer sufficient.

By 2026, firms expect:

• Near real-time valuations and exposure updates
• Automated stress testing and scenario analysis
• Centralized risk views across multiple systems and geographies

One of the biggest challenges, as noted by Harry Knott, is not calculation but data integration, bringing together fragmented systems into a coherent, actionable risk picture.

What lies ahead for Commodity Trading and Risk Management in 2026

The future of CTRM is not about predicting the market; it’s about being ready for whatever the market delivers.

Organizations that succeed in 2026 will:

• Focus on practical, governed AI
• Design systems for regulatory change, not compliance catch-up
• Integrate trading, risk, logistics, and operations into a single ecosystem
• Confidently trade across both mainstream and niche commodities

CTRM is becoming the backbone of resilient commodity operations, and readiness, not speculation, will define the leaders of the next cycle.