De Beers has cut its roster of authorised buyers, removing more than 20 companies from its sightholder list as it prepares to roll out new supply contracts from 1st July, according to industry sources cited by JCK.
The revised list is expected to include about 45 sightholders, down from the current 69, though the final figure may vary depending on how multi-division firms are counted. The scale of the reduction appears sharper than anticipated, despite earlier indications that the miner intended to streamline its client base.
The changes also point to a shift in geographic distribution. Only a limited number of sightholders are understood to remain in traditional centres such as New York and Israel, while at least one new entrant from India has reportedly been added, industry analyst Edahn Golan said, in the JCK report.
De Beers has not confirmed the exact composition of the new list or identified affected companies. A spokesperson said the updated roster will be published when the new contracts take effect in July.
The current supply agreements, originally signed in 2021, have been extended several times and now run through June 2026. The latest move reflects a longer-term trend towards a more selective client base—down from more than 350 sightholders in the 1970s, according to JCK.