Author

admin

Browsing

Brunswick Exploration Inc. (TSX-V: BRW, OTCQB: BRWXF; FRANKFURT:1XQ) (‘BRW’ or the ‘Corporation’) is pleased to announce that as a result of strong investor demand, it has increased the maximum gross proceeds of its previously announced non-brokered private placement from $4,000,000 to $5,500,000 (the ‘Offering’). The upsized Offering now consists of the sale of up to 22,000,000 units of the Corporation (‘Units’) at a price of $0.25 per Unit. For more information about the Offering, please refer to the Corporation’s news release dated February 25, 2026.

Mr. Killian Charles, President & CEO of BRW, commented: ‘With these additional funds, we will accelerate the consolidation of multiple targets across several jurisdictions that we have identified as high-priority alongside the advancement of our Quebec portfolio. We look forward to sharing the result of these initiatives as rapidly as possible over the coming weeks.’

Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Corporation and one half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a ‘Warrant‘). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one common share of the Corporation at a price of $0.35 at any time for a period of 36 months following the Closing Date (as defined herein).

The Offering is conducted pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 – Prospectus Exemptions, as amended by Coordinated Blanket Order 45-935 – Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (the ‘Listed Issuer Financing Exemption‘). The securities issued under the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption are expected to be immediately freely tradeable under applicable Canadian securities legislation if sold to purchasers resident in Canada.

There is an amended and restated offering document related to the upsized Offering that can be accessed under the Corporation’s profile at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Corporation’s website at www.brwexplo.ca. Prospective investors should read this offering document before making an investment decision.

The Offering is expected to close on or about March 18, 2026 (the ‘Closing Date‘) and is subject to customary conditions including the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act, as amended or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

About Brunswick Exploration Inc.

Brunswick Exploration is a Montreal-based mineral exploration company listed on the TSX-V under symbol BRW. The Corporation is focused on grassroots exploration for lithium in Canada, a critical metal necessary to global decarbonization and energy transition. The Corporation is rapidly advancing the most extensive grassroots lithium property portfolio in Canada, Greenland and Saudi Arabia underpinned by its Mirage project, one of the largest undeveloped hard-rock lithium Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate in the Americas, with 52.2Mt grading 1.08% Li2O.

Investor Relations/information

Mr. Killian Charles, President and CEO
Phone: (514) 861-4441
Email: info@BRWexplo.com

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains ‘forward-looking information’ within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified using forward-looking terminology such as ‘plans’, ‘seeks’, ‘expects’, ‘estimates’, ‘intends’, ‘anticipates’, ‘believes’, ‘could’, ‘might’, ‘likely’ or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results ‘may’, ‘will’, ‘could’, ‘would’, ‘might’, ‘will be taken’, ‘occur’, ‘be achieved’ or other similar expressions. Such forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements concerning the completion of the Offering and the date of such completion, and approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to mining exploration, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; changes in equity markets; inflation; fluctuations in commodity prices; delays in the development of projects; the other risks involved in the mineral exploration industry; and those risks set out in the Corporation’s public documents filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Although the Corporation believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

New Found Gold Corp. (TSXV: NFG) (NYSE American: NFGC) (‘New Found Gold’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a non-binding term sheet for an up to US$75,000,000 loan facility (the ‘Loan Facility’).

The proceeds from the Loan Facility will be used as financing for the development of the Company’s 100% owned Queensway Gold Project (‘Queensway‘ or the ‘Project‘) in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, including the procurement of long lead items, early construction activities, upgrading and expanding the Company’s 100% owned Pine Cove Mill to accommodate Queensway Phase 1 off-site milling, and general working capital purposes. The Loan Facility, alongside cashflow from the Hammerdown Gold Project (‘Hammerdown‘), is an important component of the Company’s overall finance strategy.

‘We are pleased to enter into the term sheet for this debt financing, which will support Phase 1 of our flagship Queensway Gold Project and enable us to remain on track with the development timeline outlined in our 2025 PEA,’ commented Keith Boyle, CEO of New Found Gold. ‘Once the Loan Facility is in place, we will be well capitalized as we advance towards a formal construction decision later this year, taking us closer to production at Queensway, which showcases a solid low-cost production profile via a phased mine plan, near-term cash flow generation and significant upside through exploration, as we aim for first production in late 2027.’1

Pursuant to the non-binding term sheet, the Loan Facility will be documented by way of a senior secured debenture and advanced in two tranches: US$50,000,000 to be funded at closing (‘Tranche 1‘) and, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions and if required by the Company, an additional US$25,000,000 to be funded no later than 15 months after closing (‘Tranche 2‘) at no additional standby fee. Both tranches will be subject to customary arrangement fees. The Loan Facility will bear interest at a fixed annual rate of 9.25% payable quarterly in arrears and will have a term of 24 months, and will be subject to a quarterly administration fee based on a fixed annual fee of 0.50%. The Company will have the option to extend the term by an additional six months. The funds to be advanced reflect principal amounts subject to an original issue discount, which will increase if the term is extended.

In connection with the Loan Facility and subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (‘TSXV‘), the Company will issue to Nebari Natural Resources Credit Fund II, LP (the ‘Lender‘) at closing non-transferable warrants for the purchase of common shares in the Company. The warrants issued in connection with Tranche 1 will have an aggregate value of US$3,750,000, and the warrants issued in connection with Tranche 2 will have an aggregate value of US$1,875,000. Each warrant will be exercisable for one common share of the Company at an exercise price equal to a 25% premium to the lower of the volume weighted average price of the common shares of the Company on the TSXV for the 20 trading days prior to (a) the date hereof, and (b) the date the warrants are issued, provided that the exercise price will not be below the market price as determined by the TSXV. The warrants will be exercisable for a period of 24 months following closing. If the Company extends the term of the loan by an additional six months, the expiration date of the warrants will also be extended by six months if permitted by the TSXV.

All direct and indirect subsidiaries of the Company will guarantee the Loan Facility. The Company and such guarantors will secure the Loan Facility with first-lien security interests over all of their present and after-acquired real and personal property.

The provision of the Loan Facility remains subject to customary conditions precedent, such as the negotiation, execution, delivery and registration of definitive financing documents, completion of due diligence to the Lender’s satisfaction, receipt of all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals (including approval of the TSXV), and approval by the Lender’s Investment Committee. The term sheet includes a mutual break fee in the event of a termination by either party prior to closing.

Cutfield Freeman & Co. Ltd. (‘CF&Co‘), an independent global mining finance advisory firm, is acting as financial advisors to the Company in relation to the Loan Facility and its overall project finance strategy (see the New Found Gold press release dated November 28, 2025).

The Company appreciates the interest from other finance providers who were willing to support New Found Gold and were eager to be part of our Company’s growth.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of warrants in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The warrants have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ‘U.S. Securities Act‘) and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act, and applicable state securities laws.

About New Found Gold Corp.

New Found Gold is an emerging Canadian gold producer with assets in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The Company holds a 100% interest in Queensway and Hammerdown, which includes the Hammerdown deposit and fully permitted milling and tailings facilities. The Company is currently focused on advancing its flagship Queensway to production and bringing the Hammerdown deposit into commercial gold production.

In July 2025, the Company completed a PEA at Queensway (see New Found Gold press release dated July 21, 2025). Recent drilling continues to yield new discoveries along strike and down dip of known gold zones, pointing to the district-scale potential that covers a +110 km strike extent along two prospective fault zones at Queensway.

Through 2025 New Found Gold built a new board of directors and management team and has a solid shareholder base which includes cornerstone investor Eric Sprott. The Company is focused on growth and value creation.

Keith Boyle, P.Eng.
Chief Executive Officer
New Found Gold Corp.

Contact

For further information on New Found Gold contact us through our investor inquiry form at https://newfoundgold.ca/contact/ or contact:

Fiona Childe, Ph.D., P.Geo.
Vice President, Communications and Corporate Development
Phone: +1 (416) 910-4653
Email: contact@newfoundgold.ca

Follow us on social media at https://www.linkedin.com/company/newfound-gold-corp and https://x.com/newfoundgold.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains certain ‘forward-looking statements’ within the meaning of Canadian and United States securities legislation, including statements regarding the non-binding term sheet for the Loan Facility; the proposed terms of the Loan Facility, including the amounts to be funded and the timing thereof; the arrangement and administration fees; the interest rate; the term of the Loan Facility; the terms of the warrants to be issued in connection with the Loan Facility, including the aggregate value of each tranche, the calculation of the exercise price and the exercise period; the guarantees and security interests to be granted in connection with the Loan Facility; the expected use of proceeds; the Company’s overall finance strategy; the Company’s advancement towards a formal construction decision at Queensway; the future production at Queensway; and the Company’s focus on growth and value creation. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words ‘expects’, ‘plans’, ‘anticipates’, ‘believes’, ‘interpreted’, ‘intends’, ‘estimates’, ‘projects’, ‘aims’, ‘suggests’, ‘indicate’, ‘often’, ‘target’, ‘future’, ‘likely’, ‘pending’, ‘potential’, ‘encouraging’, ‘goal’, ‘objective’, ‘prospective’, ‘possibly’, ‘preliminary’, and similar expressions, or that events or conditions ‘will’, ‘would’, ‘may’, ‘can’, ‘could’ or ‘should’ occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company’s management on the date the statements are made, and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and NYSE American, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks associated with the Company’s ability to complete exploration and drilling programs as expected, possible accidents and other risks associated with mineral exploration operations, the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, risks associated with the interpretation of exploration results and the results of the metallurgical testing program, the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental clearances necessary to carry out the Company’s exploration plans, the risk that the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes that might interfere with the Company’s business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company’s Annual Information Form and Management’s Discussion and Analysis, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators’ System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR+) at www.sedarplus.ca and on the website of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects.

1 See the New Found Gold technical report titled ‘NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Queensway Gold Project, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada’, dated Sept. 2, 2025 prepared by SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/286276

News Provided by TMX Newsfile via QuoteMedia

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Copper Quest Exploration Inc. (CSE: CQX,OTC:IMIMF; OTCQB: IMIMF; FRA: 3MX) (‘Copper Quest’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce the completion of its AI-driven geological analysis at its 100%-owned Kitimat Copper-Gold Project (‘Kitimat’) in northwestern British Columbia confirming a large conductive anomaly consistent with a buried porphyry center.

Brian Thurston, CEO of Copper Quest, stated, ‘The completion of our AI-driven analysis marks a significant step forward at Kitimat. The AI generation of this very large conductive anomaly positioned along a structural magnetic boundary in fertile arc volcanics could very easily represent a concealed intrusive porphyry center. The historical mineralization drilled nearby delivered significant near-surface copper-gold intercepts that remain open and conforms with our geologic interpretation that those intercepts may represent the outer expression of a much larger porphyry system, perhaps of the AI generated anomaly now observed.’

Copper Quest announced its strategic partnership with U.S. based Exploration Technologies Inc. (‘ExploreTech’) on Decemeber 1, 2025, to deploy generative artificial intelligence across its project portfolio, beginning with the Kitimat Copper–Gold Project in British Columbia. Using the ExplorTech platform, historical information from the Kitimat project was integrated and reprocessed, including historical diamond drilling (including 2010 Jeannette Cu-Au Zone drilling), government airborne magnetics, VTEM conductivity data, structural and lithological interpretations, 2025 field observations and alteration mapping, as well as soil and rock geochemistry. The platform integrated this historical information into a unified probabilistic 3D geological framework while the AI system generated thousands of subsurface geological scenarios, ranking probability clusters for concealed intrusive centers and sulphide-rich alteration zones.

Alex Miltenberger, PhD, CEO of ExploreTech commented, ‘Our generative AI platform evaluates thousands of geological and geophysical permutations to identify the highest-probability mineralized centers. At Kitimat, the integrated magnetic, VTEM, drilling and geological datasets produce a coherent target architecture consistent with buried intrusive-related mineralization. This platform has been successfully applied on multiple porphyry systems worldwide and we look forward to supporting Copper Quest as they advance this project toward drill confirmation.’

AI modeling has identified a large, buried conductive body measuring approximately 1.5 km by 1.5 km in lateral extent. The anomaly demonstrates strong vertical continuity to at least 1 km depth—the maximum limit of the analysis—and begins just 50 meters below surface, concealed beneath sedimentary cover. The conductor is situated within a pronounced magnetic gradient/dipole corridor, with a spatial relationship suggestive of an intrusive contact or alteration boundary. It also lies in proximity to documented volcanic-hosted sulphide mineralization.

The geological setting—Lower Jurassic Hazelton Group volcanics intruded by Coast Plutonic rocks—further supports the exploration model. Collectively, these characteristics are interpreted by the Company as indicative of a concealed, sulphide-rich hydrothermal center. Permitting has been initiated for a 2026 Induced Polarization survey followed by a diamond drill program to test this compelling target.

These AI results have materially refined and strengthened Copper Quest’s theory that the project area hosts a large hydrothermal copper-gold porphyry system. ExploreTech’s modeling supports the geologic interpretation that the 2010 drilling at the Jeannette Zone may represent a peripheral expression of a larger concealed intrusive center (Figure 1), represented by the AI interpreted kilometer-scale conductive anomaly.

Figure 1: Presumed geological setting of the Jeannette zone within the larger Kitimat claim block taken from National Instrument 43-101 report written on the Kitimat property by Jeremy Hanson, P.Geo, in 2020.

The Kitimat Project hosts significant historical copper-gold drill intersections, mostly completed by Decade Resources Ltd. in 2010 at the Jeannette Zone. Notable intervals include 117.07m grading 0.54% Cu and 1.03 g/t Au (Hole J-7), 103.65m grading 0.55% Cu and 1.00 g/t Au (Hole J-1), 107.01m grading 0.45% Cu and 0.80 g/t Au (Hole J-2), and 112.20 m grading 0.33% Cu and 0.41 g/t Au (Hole J-8).

INFRASTRUCTURE ADVANTAGE

The Kitimat Project is supported by outstanding infrastructure that meaningfully strengthens its development potential. The property benefits from established road access via historic logging and exploration roads, proximity to rail infrastructure, access to high-voltage hydroelectric power, and deep-water port facilities at Kitimat. Located just 10 kilometers from the city within a stable, mining-friendly jurisdiction, the project is exceptionally well positioned. Collectively, this infrastructure base has the potential to materially enhance project economics in the event of a discovery.

QUALIFIED PERSON

Brian G. Thurston, P.Geo., the Company’s President and CEO and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release.

COPPER: GLOBAL SUPPLY DEFICIT & CRITICAL METAL

Global copper demand is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, fueled by electrification, electric vehicles, renewable energy deployment, expanding data centers, AI infrastructure, and large-scale grid modernization. At the same time, the industry faces mounting constraints while ore grades at existing mines continue to decline, new discoveries become increasingly rare, permitting timelines are lengthening, and meaningful supply deficits are projected over the coming decade.

In this environment, advancing new copper discoveries in stable, mining-friendly jurisdictions such as Canada and the USA has become essential to Western energy security and long-term economic growth. Copper Quest is strategically positioned to help deliver the next generation of North American copper discoveries.

ABOUT EXPLORETECH

ExploreTech is a mineral exploration company which specializes in AI-driven exploration workflows, including geological modeling, geophysical inversion, and drill-target optimization, to find concealed mineralized systems. ExploreTech is led by Alex Miltenberger, PhD, and Tyler Hall, PhD, both graduates of Stanford University in Geophysics and Geology respectively, with professional backgrounds in exploration and mining. The ExploreTech platform integrates geophysics, drilling, geochemistry, structural interpretation, and satellite data into a probabilistic 3D geological framework designed to rapidly identify possible concealed intrusive centers and mineralized systems. ExploreTech has successfully leveraged their technology on a number of different projects, with a particular strength in revealing hidden porphyry targets. More information on ExploreTech can be found at www.exploretech.ai

ABOUT Copper Quest Exploration Inc.

The company’s land holdings comprise 8 projects that span over 46,000 hectares in great mining jurisdictions of Canada and the USA. Copper Quest is committed to building shareholder value through acquisitions, discovery-driven exploration, and responsible development of its North American portfolio of assets. The Company’s common shares are principally listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange under the symbol ‘CQX’. For more information on Copper Quest, please visit the Company’s website at www.copper.quest.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the past-producing Alpine Gold Mine located approximately 20 kilometers northeast of the City of Nelson British Columbia, spanning 4,611.49 hectares with a 2018 National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects historical inferred resource of 268,000 tonnes, estimated using a cut-off grade of 5.0 g/t Au and an average grade of 16.52 g/t Au, that represents an inferred resource of 142,000 oz of gold (McCuaig & Giroux, 2018)*. Apart from the Alpine Mine itself the property hosts 4 other less explored significant vein systems including the past-producing King Solomon vein workings, the Black Prince and the Cold Blow veins system, and the Gold Crown vein system. *The Company has not yet completed sufficient work to verify the 2018 historic inferred resource results.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the road accessible Stars Porphyry Copper-Molybdenum Property, spanning 9,693 hectares in central British Columbia’s Bulkley Porphyry Belt with Tana Zone discovery drill intersection highlights of 0.466% Cu over 195.07m* in drill hole DD18SS004 from 23.47m, 0.200% Cu over 396.67m* in drill hole DD18SS010 from 29.37m, and 0.205% Cu over 207.27m* in drill hole DD18SS015 from 163.98m. This highly prospective, approximately 5 X 2.5 kilometer annular magnetic anomaly is interpreted to represent an altered monzonite intrusion and surrounding hornfels.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the road accessible Kitimat Copper-Gold Property, spanning 2,954 hectares within the Skeena Mining Division of northwestern British Columbia located northwest of the deep-water port community of Kitimat, British Columbia. The property benefits from exceptional infrastructure, being within 10 km of tidewater, 1.5 km of rail, and 6 km of high-voltage hydroelectric transmission lines. Exploration on the Kitimat property dates to the late 1960s, with the most significant historical work conducted by Decade Resources Ltd. (2010), which completed 16 diamond drill holes totaling 4,437.5 meters in the Jeannette Cu-Au Zone, and drill intersection highlights of 1.03 g/t Au, 0.54% Cu over 117.07 m in Hole J-7 from 1.52 m, 1.00 g/t Au, 0.55% Cu over 103.65m in Hole J-1 from 9.15 m, 0.80 g/t Au, 0.45% Cu over 107.01m in Hole J-2 from 6.10 m, and 0.41 g/t Au, 0.33% Cu over 112.20m in Hole J-8 from 11.89 m.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the Nekash Copper-Gold Project, a porphyry exploration opportunity located in Lemhi County, Idaho, USA, along the prolific Idaho-Montana porphyry copper belt that hosts world-class systems such as Butte and CUMO. The project is fully road-accessible via maintained U.S. highways and forest service roads and consists of 70 unpatented federal lode claims covering 585 hectares.

Copper Quest has an option to earn 100% interest in the past-producing road accessible Auxer Gold Mine, spanning 1,087 hectares located in Bonner County, Idaho, USA. This orogenic gold opportunity is positioned along one of the region’s most significant structural corridors located within the prolific Hope Fault system. Historical exploration has demonstrated exceptional gold grades, with the 1936 Platts report documenting up to 21.0 g/t Au in surface samples and underground workings showing consistent mineralization over 4.3-meter widths averaging 9.42 g/t Au at an 18-meter depth.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the road accessible Stellar Property, spanning 5,389-hectares in British Columbia’s Bulkley Porphyry Belt contiguous to the Stars Property.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the Thane Project located in the Quesnel Terrane of Northern British Columbia spanning over 20,658 hectares with 10 priority targets identified demonstrating significant copper and precious metal mineralization potential.

Copper Quest has an earn-in option of up to 80% and joint-venture agreement on the road accessible Rip Porphyry Copper-Molybdenum Project, spanning 4,700-hectares located in the Bulkley Porphyry Belt in central British Columbia.

On behalf of the Board of Copper Quest Exploration Inc.

Brian Thurston, P.Geo.
Chief Executive Officer and Director
Tel: 778-949-1829

For further information contact:

Investor Relations
info@copper.quest

https://x.com/CSECQX 
https://ca.linkedin.com/company/copper-quest

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain ‘forward-looking information’ and ‘forward-looking statements’ (collectively, ‘forward-looking statements‘) within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein, including without limitation, future operations and activities of Copper Quest, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as ‘expects’, ‘anticipates’, ‘believes’, ‘intends’, ‘estimates’, ‘potential’, ‘possible’, and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results ‘will’, ‘may’, ‘could’, or ‘should’ occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, risks associated with possible accidents and other risks associated with mineral exploration operations, the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, risks associated with the interpretation of exploration results, the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental clearances necessary to carry out the Company’s exploration plans, the risk that the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes that might interfere with the Company’s business and prospects. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these items. The Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bc390adc-89c5-4413-bc0a-bd350735d023

News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Modern society has a metals problem. The demands of modern consumer culture, the energy transition and the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics have created a dilemma.

As demand rises, the supply of many metals is at a bottleneck brought about by a number of factors, from government red tape to civil unrest, as well as lack of capital expenditures leading to fewer new discoveries and mines.

On top of this, mining companies focused on essential metals like copper are facing additional challenges, as in many cases the easy discoveries have already been made and existing mines are seeing declining grades, causing further constraints to supply.

BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) Digital Officer Mikko Tepponen suggests that the very technologies that rely on metals and mining can be the answer in his presentation at the 2026 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conference.

Addressing data fragmentation in exploration

Once companies open up capital expenditures to the exploration side of the mining sector, several questions arise, most notably: Where are the minerals?

At its core, exploration relies on the geosciences, with a geologist in the field, sampling rocks, conducting surveys and using the data gathered to estimate where the best place is to put a drill for a look below the surface.

Mining is a data-driven enterprise, and depending on the project, the information can come from a range of methods, from modern techniques to historic observations, meaning the data is fragmented across a variety of sources and formats.

AI and machine learning can be good at processing and interpolating large quantities of information. However, data accessibility creates another roadblock.

“Across our industry, vast volumes of exploration data are sealed in archive rooms, and legacy systems can’t read through third-party data sets,” Tepponen said. “That data is neither structured, searchable nor interoperable. That means AI cannot make easy sense of it, and in many cases, that data was never extracted.”

For Tepponen, one of the challenges the mining industry needs to overcome is data fragmentation. Without enough data or proper information, there is an increased risk of making the wrong exploration decisions.

“Time matters because capital is finite. Drill meters are expensive, and decisions about capital allocation have multi-year impacts down the line,” he said.

The way BHP has implemented a data-centric approach is building a central data platform that integrates the decades of exploration data, standardizes it and makes it accessible through a central team within the company.

Tepponen says the platform supports 52 standardized core geoscience types, backed by more than 100 years of data, helping its exploration teams save months of time.

“Our geoscientists can access more than 4 million drill hole cores and 9,000 geophysical surveys through one portal,” he added.

Using BHP’s in-house AI extraction tool, one team of geoscientists obtained data from thousands of drill holes from 30,000 legacy document records. They then used the central data platform to combine that with modern drilling data.

According to Tepponen, the team completed the work in a few hours, while doing so manually would have taken months, and results were higher quality than the previous method.

However, he stressed that the integration of AI into its workflow wasn’t about replacing geoscience teams, but about “amplifying the work of geoscientists by creating a digital tool that enables them to focus on higher value.”

Additionally, the information in the platform is not limited to BHP’s data. Tepponen explained that the entire system is built on an open-source database designed to break down data silos and enable cross-sector collaboration.

Using targeted optimizations to avoid disruptions

While exploration poses a bottleneck to the development of new projects for future supply, disruptions to existing operations significantly impact current output.

It’s often impossible to predict major events like extreme weather, civil unrest or regulatory changes. However, operators can foresee some disruptions that result in hundreds of hours of downtime throughout the industry every year.

Tepponen outlined one persistent problem: oversized rocks and foreign objects making their way through processing plants.

“If an uncrushable rock or piece of metal gets into the crusher, it can cause blockages, damage belts and create significant downtime,” he said. “If it travels downstream, it can damage equipment and create critical bottlenecks.”

In Western Australia, BHP employs a hub-and-spoke model that connects five mines to a central processing facility. If one of the hazards disrupts operations at the facility, it can affect operations at the mines connected to it.

Additionally, fixing these issues exposes maintenance teams to higher-risk tasks, so eliminating the problem in the first place improves both productivity and safety.

Tepponen explained that historically, workers would be used to identify the hazards before they were loaded onto the truck, but once they reached the conveyor, they became much harder to remove.

The company now employs a real-time monitoring system that detects objects, alerts controllers and can automatically stop the conveyor.

“These are actually very simple technologies available commercially off the shelf. Cameras and machine learning control systems applied to a real world operational constraint,” he said.

In the prior three years, these incidents had caused over 1,000 hours of downtime, according to Tepponen. However, since it installed the monitoring system, the company hasn’t experienced any major disruptions or destruction events caused by oversized rocks, a change that he said amounts to hundreds of thousands of metric tons per year of increased processing.

“It’s a small system-level optimization that can deliver outsized returns on the AI journey. This is not a massive program. This is identifying simple constraints, applying proven technology,” he said, and emphasized the process of controlled testing, iteration and then deploying at scale. ‘That’s how systematic innovation actually happens.’

Testing scenarios with digital twin simulations

In his third use case example, he turned to BHP’s semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill at its Escondida operation in Chile, at which differing particle size and hardness in ore feed was impacting production.

The company used AI to create a digital twin of the value chain, which included everything that was known about the operation, such as ore body knowledge, processing behavior and operational constraints.

“That digital simulation enabled scenario testing and gave us the ability to inform blasting and blending strategies to predict granularity,” Tepponen said, noting that monthly production losses attributed to the problem fell by around 70 percent.

“The lesson, when the ore body knowledge is connected directly to the processing decisions, the system becomes more stable and predictable.”

BHP has since applied the approach to other operations, including ones in Australia and Chile.

“The Gen AI integration is multicultural, so non-technical users and the technical users can run scenarios in their first language,” he said, an aspect that he said is very important for the local companies at its operations.

Building foundations, collaboration key to AI usefulness

Tepponen was emphatic that AI alone wasn’t a “superhero.” BHP needed to specifically design these AI platforms in order to achieve these results.

“One of the most important lessons we have learned is we don’t actually get value from AI by starting with AI. The value comes from the foundations, consistent data standards, interoperability. You need to start at the bottom and make your way to the top.”

Tepponen also stressed the value of collaboration, noting that companies tend to be protective of their intellectual property, but opportunities are being missed that could be mutually beneficial.

“The hard truth is, no company can solve this problem of data fragmentation and system integration,” he said, and the industry would benefit from a collaborative approach on standards, interoperability and data throughout the value chain.

Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Precious metals prices are down on potential for economic fallout from escalating US-Iran War.

Volatility has returned to the precious metals market this past week. All eyes are on the breakout of a full-scale war across the Middle East prompted by a coordinated assault on Iran by the United States and its ally Israel. Oil prices are up, which means inflation risks are once again on the minds of Federal Reserve board members as they contemplate upcoming interest rate decisions.

Let’s take a look at what’s got the precious metals moving over the past week.

Gold price

The price of gold is showing remarkable resilience in the face of strong volatility this past seven very eventful days. On Thursday (February 26), the yellow metal managed an intraday high of US$5,200 per ounce, well above the low of US$4,440 per ounce reached in the first few days of February following US President Donald Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh, a former Federal Reserve governor, to replace Jerome Powell as the next Fed chair.

Gold continued this upward trend on Friday (February 27) rising to an intraday high of US$5,270 per ounce. Over the weekend, tensions in the Middle East erupted into a full-scale war as the US and Israel launched a massive military campaign targeting multiple locations across Iran. Consequently, Iran quickly escalated the conflict into a large-scale regional war including missile strikes and drone attacks in Israel, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

The events lit a fire of safe-haven demand for gold, pushing prices up over US$5,400 per ounce on Monday (March 2). However, the yellow metal just as quickly reversed course on profit-taking and dropped as low as US$5,263 per ounce before recovering to a close of US$5,328 per ounce.

By Tuesday (March 3), the precious metal had lost further ground, following slightly below the psychologically important US$5,000 mark during morning trading, before finishing the day at US$5,088 per ounce.

Gold was trading back up at US$5,195 per ounce early Wednesday morning, as investors sought to buy the dip–a sign that strong confidence remains in the long-term bullish outlook for the metal. Gold closed the day at US$5,145.24 per ounce as investors balance safe-haven demand with the potential for higher interest rates for longer.

Gold price chart, February 25, 2026 to March 4, 2026.

Here are the primary drivers for gold this past week:

  • Geopolitical conflict in the Middle East remains the primary driver for safe-haven gold this week. Investors once again flocked to safe-haven gold, pushing the precious metal to near-record highs.
  • Expected profit-taking brought a healthy correction to the gold market, which contributed to the sharp, short-term drop on Tuesday.
  • Investor faith in gold’s long-term value brought on a buy-the-dip sentiment, giving the metal a strong level of support.
  • Concerns that rising oil prices as a result of the US-Iran war will lead to increased inflation is likely to place pressure on the Federal Reserve to delay interest rate cuts until later in the year. This takes a bit of the wind out of the sails for gold prices.
  • The likelihood of interest rates staying pat for longer strengthened the US Dollar and raised 10-year Treasury yields, both of which are also price negative for gold.

In other gold news, the World Gold Council reported that for the first time in more than a decade the Bank of Korea will begin investing in overseas-listed physical gold ETFs.

In gold mining sector news, SSR Mining (NASDAQ:SSRM,TSX:SSRM,OTCPL:SSRGF) has agreed to sell its majority stake in the Çöpler gold mine in Turkey for US$1.5 billion in cash.

Silver price

Silver has also experienced a volatile week of trading influenced by geopolitical tensions and concerns over the Fed’s next monetary policy moves.

Still well below its all-time high of more than US$120 per ounce it reached on January 29, 2026. The white metal traded at an intraday high of US$88.95 Thursday (February 26) before surging as high as US$94.14 per ounce the following day.

For Monday (March 2), silver continued higher to reach US$95.71 per ounce in early morning trading. Tracking gold’s decline, silver prices touched as low as US$86.61 that day before recovering to close at US$89.34 per ounce.

Tuesday’s (March 3) dip saw silver sink as low as US$79.734 per ounce in early morning trading before closing up at US$82.05 per ounce. Silver managed to hold on to those gains Wednesday (March 4) to close the trading day at US$83.56 per ounce

Silver price chart, February 25, 2026 to March 4, 2026.

As the world’s most electrically and thermally conductive metal, silver is still receiving strong support from industrial demand. The entrenched silver supply deficit also continues to provide a floor of support for the metal’s price.

In silver mining news, major silver producer Fresnillo (LSE:FRES,OTCPL:FNLPF), reported earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization of US$2.80-billion for the 12 months ended December 31, 2025, up more than 80 percent over the previous year. This allowed the company to payout a total of US$950-million, or 128.92 cents per share, to shareholders for 2025.

Platinum price

Platinum prices were trading well above the US$2,200 mark on Thursday (February 26), reaching as high as US$2287.50 per ounce. Friday brought further gains, with the precious metal pushing up past the US$2,400 per ounce level, although only slightly and very briefly.

However, by Monday (March 2) the price of platinum had slid as low as US$2,291.50 in the morning trade before finishing the day at a four-week high of US$2,325.70 per ounce.Tuesday (March 3) brought further volatility for platinum prices as they sank as low as US$2,015.70 as part of a broader liquidation event in the commodities markets. Yet, platinum managed to swing back slightly above the US$2,100 level by the end of the trading day.

Wednesday (March 4) saw platinum hanging on to those gains and moving upward to close at US$2,165.80 per ounce.

Platinum price chart, February 25, 2026 to March 4, 2026.

Platinum prices this week were supported by a March 3 report from the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) highlighting the fourth consecutive annual platinum market deficit with a 240,000 ounce shortfall expected in 2026. Although that is much lower than the 1.1 million ounce deficit recorded in 2025.

Demand is being driven by the metal’s essential role in the emerging hydrogen economy. The WPIC reports it sees support for platinum will come from a 7 percent rise in hydrogen stationary applications in 2026.

Palladium price

Palladium also succumbed to the downward trend for precious metals prices this past seven days. On Thursday (February 26), palladium retreated from the one-month highs above the US$1,900 level experienced last week to slip as low as US$1,770.50 per ounce in morning trading and struggled to finish the day close to US$1,800 per ounce. Friday found the metal back up to an intraday high of US$1,856.50 per ounce.

On Monday (March 2), palladium lost ground again, dipping to a low of US$1,781 per ounce before closing out the day at US$1,803 per ounce. However, the following day palladium’s price tracked its sister metals in a runaway slide that brought prices to a low of US$1,631 per ounce. By the end of the trading day it had only managed to claw back to US$1,672 per ounce.

After rebounding to US$1,730 per ounce in early morning trading Wednesday, palladium closed out the day at the US$1,700 level.

Palladium price chart, February 25, 2026 to March 4, 2026.

It seems investors are reassessing palladium’s value with a focus on broader economic risks to industrial demand brought about from potential shipping route closures in the Strait of Hormuz.

Market tightness persists due to output disruptions in South Africa and uncertainty over Russian exports, which provide a partial floor for prices.

Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Oreterra Metals Corp. (TSXV: OTMC) (OTCID: OTMCF) (OTCID: RMIOD) (FSE: D4R0) (WKN: A421RQ)(‘Oreterra’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce that, further to its press releases of February 10, 2026, February 12, 2026, February 18, 2026, February 19, 2026 and March 2, 2026, it has closed the second and final tranche of its oversubscribed and upsized non-brokered private placement with the placement of 154,444 hard-dollar units (‘HD Units’) of the Company at a price of $0.45 per HD Unit for gross proceeds of $69,500 and the placement of 660,000 flow-through units (‘FT Units’) at a price of $0.50 per FT Unit for gross proceeds of $330,000 (collectively, the ‘Final Closing’). Combined with the first closing of $9.3M, gross proceeds from the placement totaled $9.7M.

Offering Details:

The non-brokered private placement was upsized multiple times to $9,684,000 through the issuance of a combination of $5,500,000 in hard-dollar units (‘HD Units‘) of the Company at a price of $0.45 per HD Unit and $4,184,000 in flow-through units (‘FT Units‘) at a price of $0.50 per FT Unit (collectively, the ‘Offering‘).

Each HD Unit, priced at $0.45, comprised one (1) common share of the Company and one (1) common share purchase warrant (each a ‘HD Warrant‘). Each HD Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one additional common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.60 per share for three years following the closing of the Offering.

Each FT Unit, priced at $0.50, comprised one (1) flow-through share of the Company (each a ‘FT Share‘) and one (1) common share purchase warrant (each an ‘FT Warrant‘). Each FT Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one additional common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.60 per share for three years following the closing of the Offering.

Final Closing Details:

The Company paid one eligible finder a cash commission of $6,900 and issued 13,800 broker warrants (each a ‘Broker Warrant‘). Each Broker Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one additional common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.60 per share for three years following the closing of the Offering.

Canaccord Genuity Corp. acted as financial advisor to the Company and received 62,777 HD Units as compensation for its $28,250 advisory fee (inclusive of HST).

All securities issued under the Final Closing are subject to a hold period expiring on July 5, 2026.

The securities described herein have not been offered or sold within the United States. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any securities in any jurisdiction.

The FT Shares qualify as ‘flow-through shares’ within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the ‘Tax Act’). An amount equal to the proceeds received from the issuance of the FT Shares will be used to incur eligible resource exploration expenses which will qualify as (i) ‘Canadian exploration expenses’ (as defined in the Tax Act), and (ii) as ‘flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures’ (as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Tax Act) (collectively, the ‘Qualifying Expenditures‘).

Expenditures in an aggregate amount not less than the proceeds raised from the issue of the FT Shares will be incurred (or deemed to be incurred) by the Company on or before December 31, 2027 and will be renounced by the Company to the purchasers of the FT Shares with an effective date no later than December 31, 2026. The net proceeds from the issuance of HD Units will be primarily used for exploration activities at the Company’s Trek property, as well as for general working capital purposes.

Early Warning Disclosure Regarding Anastasios Drivas

Anastasios Drivas (‘Tom Drivas‘) previously filed an early warning report with respect to the securities of Oreterra on July 16, 2025. As a result of an increase in the issued and outstanding capital of Oreterra pursuant to the Offering, including the acquisition by Tom Drivas and affiliates of 690,000 FT Units (the ‘690,000 FT Units‘) pursuant to the Offering and the expiry of 833,333 warrants and 800,000 stock options held by Tom Drivas, the direct and indirect interest of Tom Drivas in Oreterra has been reduced to approximately 7.54% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Oreterra on a non-diluted basis and 8.72% on a partially diluted basis, assuming the exercise of the warrants held directly or indirectly by Tom Drivas. Therefore, Tom Drivas is no longer required to file an early warning report under National Instrument 62-103.

Tom Drivas has advised that the 690,000 FT Units were acquired for investment purposes and that he has no present intention to either increase or decrease his direct or indirect holdings in the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, he has advised that he may increase or decrease his beneficial ownership, control or direction over common shares of the Company through market transactions, private agreements, other treasury issuances or otherwise.

This news release is issued pursuant to National Instrument 62-103 – The Early Warning System and related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues of the Canadian Securities Administrators, which also requires an early warning report to be filed with the applicable securities regulators containing additional information with respect to the foregoing matters. A copy of this early warning report in respect of this transaction will be available on Oreterra’s issuer profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Adoption of the 2025 Stock Option Plan

At the Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders of the Company held on January 16, 2026, the Shareholders adopted the new 2025 Stock Option Plan (the ‘2025 SOP‘). The 2025 SOP was appended to the Company’s Management Information Circular (the ‘Information Circular‘) dated November 28, 2025 as Schedule ‘C’, a copy of which Information Circular was filed on sedarplus.com on December 10, 2025. All changes to the 2017 Stock Option Plan made pursuant to the 2025 SOP are set out in a black-lined version of the 2025 SOP appended as Schedule ‘D’ to the Information Circular. The Company wishes to bring to the attention of shareholders the following amendments to the 2017 Stock Option Plan resulting from the adoption of the 2025 SOP. The 2025 SOP requires that the Company obtain disinterested shareholder approval of any decrease in the exercise price of or extensions to any stock options granted to individuals that are insiders at the time of the proposed amendment. In addition, the 2025 SOP clarifies the fact that any option that has an expiry date that occurs within ten (10) Business Days from the end of a Blackout Period shall not be extended and shall expire if unexercised by the original expiry date.

In addition, the amendments to the 2025 SOP provide that both the Company and any Optionee that is an Employee or Consultant are responsible for ensuring that such Optionee is a bone fide Employee or Consultant of the Company and that any adjustments to options, other than pursuant to a stock split or consolidation, are subject to prior acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. Other minor clarifications with respect to the 10% limit applicable to Insiders and limits on options granted to persons providing investor relations services in the event of an acceleration of the Expiry Date are reflected in the 2025 SOP.

About Oreterra Metals Corp.

Oreterra Metals Corp. commenced trading on February 2, 2026, under the new ticker OTMC, following a months-long effort to restructure the former Romios Gold Resources Inc. Management took on the task because it believes the Company’s wholly-owned Trek South porphyry copper-gold prospect represents, based upon the impressive results of the spectrum of geosciences applied to the target area to date, among the finest new targets of its kind in BC’s Golden Triangle. The Company recently released (news, January 22, 2026) a National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report for the Trek property which recommends two initial phases of drilling at Trek South, for execution in the approaching 2026 field season. A copy of the Technical Report is available on the Company’s website at www.oreterra.com, and on the Company’s SEDAR+ issuer profile at www.sedarplus.com.

Additional wholly-owned Company property interests include two former producers in Nevada: the Kinkaid claims in the Walker Lane trend covering numerous shallow Au-Ag-Cu workings over what is believed to be one or more porphyry centres (source: J.Biczok, P.Geo, June 2025, Kinkaid Gold-Copper-Silver Project, www.oreterra.com), and the Scossa mine property in the Sleeper trend which is a former high-grade gold producer (source: J.Biczok, P.Geo, July 2025, Scossa Historic Gold Mine Property, www.oreterra.com). The Company also holds a 100% interest in the large Lundmark-Akow Lake Au-Cu property adjacent to the northwest of the Musselwhite Mine in northwestern Ontario, where drilling by the Company has produced highly encouraging, broad VMS-style Au-Cu intersections.

For further information, visit www.oreterra.com or contact:

Kevin M. Keough
Chief Executive Officer
Tel: 613 622-1916
Email: kkeough@oreterra.com
Stephen Burega
President
Tel: 647 515-3734
Email: sburega@oreterra.com

 

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain ‘forward-looking statements’ which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company’s future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as ‘believes’, ‘anticipates’, ‘expects’, ‘estimates’, ‘may’, ‘could’, ‘would’, ‘will’, or ‘plan’. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management’s expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to failure to identify mineral resources, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate First Nations, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and those risks set out in the Company’s public documents filed on SEDAR+. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION, RELEASE, OR PUBLICATION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/286347

News Provided by TMX Newsfile via QuoteMedia

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

The Justice Department’s endeavor to break up Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s parent company, has officially made its way to the courtroom.

The antitrust case, which began with jury selection Monday, is unfolding in federal court in New York. Opening statements are scheduled to start Tuesday, with the trial expected to last six weeks.

The lawsuit, filed in 2024 by the Justice Department and dozens of state attorneys general, as well as Washington, D.C., alleges that Live Nation has illegally dominated the live concert industry by monopolizing ticketing, concert booking, venues and promotions.

The complaint, which was filed in the Southern District of New York, accuses the company of engaging in ‘anticompetitive conduct’ that leads fans to pay more in fees, artists to get fewer opportunities to play concerts and venues to have limited choices for ticketing services.

Ticketmaster has for years been the target of scrutiny by music fans who reported frustrations with buying tickets through the platform.

Live Nation directly manages more than 400 musical artists and owns or controls more than 265 concert venues in North America. And through Ticketmaster, the lawsuit says, it controls around 80% of major concert venues’ ticketing — as well as a growing share of the resale market.

“Through interconnected agreements associated with Live Nation’s various roles as ticketer, promoter, artist manager, and venue owner,” the complaint says, “Live Nation has created a feedback loop that pushes ticketing and ancillary fees higher while allowing Live Nation to be on all sides of numerous transactions and thereby double-dip from the pockets of fans, artists, and venues.”

Here’s what else to know.

Attempts to advocate for ticketing reform have spanned decades. The rock band Pearl Jam tried to push the issue forward 30 years ago when its members testified before Congress, saying Ticketmaster had refused to agree to low concert ticket prices and fees. The case was dismissed a year later, and Ticketmaster’s dominance has persisted over the decades that followed.

But frustration over Ticketmaster began to boil over when it incurred the wrath of one of the country’s largest fan bases: Swifties, aka followers of Taylor Swift.

In late 2022, overloaded presale queues for the domestic leg of Swift’s 2023 Eras Tour caused the site to crash and led Ticketmaster to cancel the sale. The fiasco even drew the attention of Swift herself, who called it “excruciating” to watch.

Soon afterward, in January 2023, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing examining Ticketmaster’s dominance in the industry. During the bipartisan hearing, which probed whether Ticketmaster’s outsize control has unfairly hurt customers, even senators couldn’t refrain from making references to Swift.

The Swifties also brought their own lawsuits against Ticketmaster in December 2022. One class-action suit was dropped by the end of 2023, while another suit, filed together by 355 individual ticket buyers, still awaits trial.

Live Nation Entertainment has denied that it’s a monopoly.

The company has told NBC News that the Justice Department’s lawsuit “won’t solve the issues fans care about relating to ticket prices, service fees, and access to in-demand shows.”

“Calling Ticketmaster a monopoly may be a PR win for the DOJ in the short term, but it will lose in court because it ignores the basic economics of live entertainment, such as the fact that the bulk of service fees go to venues, and that competition has steadily eroded Ticketmaster’s market share and profit margin,” the company said.

Last week, Live Nation asked U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian to pause the case so it could appeal his decision denying the case’s dismissal.

Subramanian, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, declined to delay the trial and ruled to allow the Justice Department’s claims to proceed.

Potential witnesses for the trial include: musician Kid Rock (whose real name is Robert Ritchie), Minnesota Timberwolves CEO Matthew Caldwell, Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez, Live Nation Entertainment CEO Michael Rapino and Mumford & Sons keyboardist Ben Lovett.

Kid Rock is expected to testify about ‘competitive conditions for concert promotions and primary ticketing, including the impact of Defendants’ actions on artists and fans,’ according to the potential witness list provided by the plaintiffs’ attorneys. In January, he told the Senate Commerce Committee at a hearing that the ticketing industry is ‘full of greedy snakes and scoundrels.’ (It appears Kid Rock is still partnering with Live Nation for his “Freedom 250” tour, with tickets currently being sold exclusively through the platform.)

Lovett’s testimony, meanwhile, would be likely to address ‘artist preferences and competitive dynamics associated with the promotions and amphitheaters markets,’ according to the plaintiffs’ potential witness list document. He’s also listed on the defendants’ potential witness list document.

Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino and former Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff are also expected to take the stand. They were instrumental figures in the 2010 merger.

Azoff, who represents major artists such as Harry Styles, is ‘likely to testify about industry trends, dynamics, and competition, the selection of live event promotion companies, and tour and show routing and venue selection, as well as ticketing provider preferences,’ according to the potential witness list provided by the defendants’ attorneys.

Rapino’s expected testimony would focus on ‘the company’s business, its corporate structure, strategy, and finances, including the different lines of business and how they interact, as well as industry trends, dynamics, and competition.’ The defendants’ attorneys also said he would be likely to ‘rebut the plaintiff’s allegations of misconduct and anticompetitive effects.’

Last year, the Federal Trade Commission separately sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster over allegations of illegal and deceptive business practices that it says caused consumers to pay ‘significantly more’ than the face value of a ticket.

Seven states — Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Nebraska, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia — joined the FTC’s suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

Allied Critical Metals Inc. (CSE: ACM,OTC:ACMIF) (OTCQB: ACMIF) (FSE: 0VJ0) (‘Allied’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce the appointment of the Honourable Marco Mendicino as a Strategic Advisor to the Company. The Honourable Marco Mendicino is Senior Counsel and Strategic Advisor to the firm at Cassels, Brock & Blackwell LLP. A former federal prosecutor, Cabinet Minister, and Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Mark Carney, he brings two decades of leadership in the law, government and public policy.

Mr. Mendicino led the Prime Minister’s Office through a national election and one of the most significant transitions of government in recent decades, advancing major projects legislation, working with Premiers and Indigenous leaders, and closely advising the Prime Minister while at the White House, NATO, and G7.

Elected three times as the Member of Parliament for Eglinton-Lawrence, Mr. Mendicino served in Cabinet as Minister of Immigration and Minister of Public Safety and chaired the Five Eyes on behalf of Canada.

A Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Munk School, he contributes to national conversations on governance and the rule of law and frequently appears in the media as a commentator.

‘We are excited to add Marco Mendicino to our team as a Strategic Advisor. Mr. Mendicino brings decades of business, legal and political expertise to Allied,’ commented Roy Bonnell, CEO & Director of Allied. ‘Tungsten is a strategic asset globally and we will benefit from Mr. Mendicino’s global view on how to best develop our assets for the benefit of all shareholders.’

‘I am very pleased to join the team at Allied. Their tungsten assets in Portugal are strategically located in a NATO member state and have historically been very important assets from a global security perspective. Seeing these past producing mines come back into production will be a major development from a NATO security perspective,’ commented Honourable Marco Mendicino, Strategic Advisor to the Company. ‘We will work closely with all stakeholders to ensure these assets are developed for the benefit of Portugal and its allies.’

Mr. Mendicino joins a team that also includes the appointment of Major General (Ret.) James A. ‘Spider’ Marks and former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen as Directors of Allied’s wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, Allied Critical Metals USA Inc. (‘Allied USA‘). Allied USA is dedicated to the importation, marketing and sales of tungsten into the United States.

About Allied Critical Metals Inc.

Allied Critical Metals Inc. is a Canadian-based mining company focused on the advancement and revitalization of its 100%-owned Borralha Tungsten Project and the Vila Verde Tungsten Project in northern Portugal.

The Borralha Project is one of the largest undeveloped tungsten resources within the European Union and benefits from a favourable Environmental Impact Declaration (DIA), positioning the Project for advancement toward feasibility and development. Vila Verde represents additional exploration upside within the same strategic jurisdiction.

Tungsten has been designated a critical raw material by the United States and the European Union due to its strategic importance in defense, aerospace, manufacturing, automotive, electronics and energy applications. Currently, China, Russia and North Korea account for approximately 87% of global tungsten supply and reserves, highlighting the importance of secure western sources.

Further details regarding the Borralha Project are available in the Company’s NI 43-101 Technical Report dated December 30, 2025, filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company’s website at www.alliedcritical.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
‘Roy Bonnell’

Roy Bonnell
CEO and Director

For further information or investor relations inquiries, please contact:

Dave Burwell
Vice President, Corporate Development
Email: daveb@alliedcritical.com
Tel: 403-410-7907
Toll Free: 1-888-221-0915

Please also visit our website at www.alliedcritical.com.

Also visit us at:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allied-critical-metals-inc/
X: https://x.com/@alliedcritical/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alliedcriticalmetals/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alliedcriticalmetals/

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains ‘forward-looking statements’, including with respect to the use of proceeds. Wherever possible, words such as ‘may’, ‘would’, ‘could’, ‘should’, ‘will’, ‘anticipate’, ‘believe’, ‘plan’, ‘expect’, ‘intend’, ‘estimate’, ‘potential for’ and similar expressions have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations of the Company’s management for future growth, results of operations, performance and business prospects and opportunities, and involve significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, without limitation, those listed in the Company’s filings with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities (which may be viewed under the Company’s profile at www.sedarplus.ca). Examples of forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the proposed timeline and use of proceeds for exploration and development of the Company’s mineral projects as described in the Company’s news releases, and corporate presentations. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. These factors should be considered carefully, and prospective investors should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company’s forward-looking statements and reference should also be made to the Company’s most recently filed management’s discussion and analysis, all as filed under its SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca for a description of additional risk factors. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/286145

News Provided by TMX Newsfile via QuoteMedia

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Blackrock Silver Corp. (TSXV: BRC,OTC:BKRRF) (OTCQX: BKRRF) (FSE: AHZ0) (‘Blackrock’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce the appointment of Bernard Poznanski and Susan Mathieu as independent directors to the Board of Directors of the Company (the ‘Board of Directors’).

In conjunction with the appointments, Daniel Vickerman, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, has stepped down as a director of Blackrock. We sincerely thank Mr. Vickerman for his dedicated service and valuable contributions to the Board of Directors during his tenure, and look forward to his continued service in his role as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development of Blackrock.

Andrew Pollard, Blackrock’s President and CEO, commented: ‘We are honored to welcome Susan Mathieu and Bernard Poznanski to our Board at this pivotal stage as we advance Tonopah West toward development. Bernie’s extensive experience advising public companies on complex capital markets transactions, M&A and governance matters, together with Susan’s more than 30 years of global mining leadership spanning development, operations and sustainability, bring valuable and complementary expertise to the Company. With their appointments as independent directors, we continue to enhance the strength, independence and overall effectiveness of our Board as we position Blackrock for its next phase of growth. I would also like to sincerely thank Daniel Vickerman for his dedicated service as a director, and we are pleased that he will continue to play a key leadership role as our Senior Vice President, Corporate Development.’

About Bernard Poznanski

Bernard Poznanski, our former external legal counsel, is a highly experienced corporate and securities lawyer with more than 40 years of distinguished practice advising public companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the TSX Venture Exchange, the NYSE American and NASDAQ on complex securities, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and mining law matters. He brings strategic legal insight to transactions across a broad range of industries, particularly in natural resources, technology and capital markets.

Mr. Poznanski’s experience encompasses all aspects of corporate and securities law. He has acted on major financings and strategic transactions, including cross-border offerings and bought deal prospectus financings for mining issuers, take-over bids and issuer bids, and a number of proxy contests. He has also played a pivotal role in significant mergers and acquisitions in complex public company transactions and in mineral property acquisitions. He has regularly represented boards of directors and special committees and advised on sophisticated corporate governance matters.

Mr. Poznanski holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) (cum laude) from the University of Ottawa, a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Commercial Law from McGill University, and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of Guelph. He is admitted to practice in British Columbia and is recognized as a leading practitioner in securities and corporate law.

About Susan Mathieu

Susan Mathieu has over thirty years of international mining experience through exploration, project development, permitting, construction and operations. She has experience from mine-site to corporate leadership roles, with a proven ability to affect change in diverse organizational cultures through building relationships, leadership in executing work, and integrating compliance functions into governance systems and business processes. Her mining career has been built in several different commodity businesses, including precious and base metals, diamonds, potash and uranium.

Ms. Mathieu served on the MAG Silver Corp. board for 5 years prior to its acquisition, where she Chaired the Technical Committee, and was a member of the Compensation and the Sustainability/HSEC Committees.

In previous VP roles, Ms. Mathieu led the corporate environmental, safety and sustainability efforts for NexGen Energy (Saskatchewan), Centerra Gold (Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Turkey) and NovaGold (Canada and Alaska). As a senior mining consultant at Golder Associates, she led technical teams dealing with a tailings incident in Brazil, as well as large-scale mining development projects in Canada’s north. Ms. Mathieu gained solid technical grounding in mining during the early stages of her career with Placer Dome, Falconbridge and BHP in Canada, South Africa, Peru and Tanzania.

Ms. Mathieu holds a BSc. (Honours) and a MSc. in Biology from the University of Saskatchewan, and an Executive MBA from the Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University. She has also achieved her ICD.D designation.

About Blackrock Silver Corp.

Blackrock Silver Corp. is an American-focused emerging primary silver developer systematically advancing the high-grade Tonopah West Project, situated in the historic ‘Queen of the Silver Camps’ in a jurisdiction consistently ranked as one of the top mining regions globally. The Company is backstopped by a veteran board and technical team with a proven track record of discovering, financing, and building major precious metal mines in Nevada and globally. Blackrock is committed to establishing a secure, high-margin, domestic supply of silver and gold.

Additional information on Blackrock Silver Corp. can be found on its website at www.blackrocksilver.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information, please contact:

Andrew Pollard, President & Chief Executive Officer
Blackrock Silver Corp.
Phone: 604 817-6044
Email: info@blackrocksilver.com

Sean Thompson, Head of Investor Relations
Blackrock Silver Corp.
Email: sean@blackrocksilver.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/286174

News Provided by TMX Newsfile via QuoteMedia

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Private credit is cracking just as AI infrastructure spend surges into the trillions.

The tremor is fueled by software and IT companies seeing sharp drops in valuation as fears mount that AI advancements will render their core products obsolete.

Blue Owl Capital set off alarms in the private credit market, which has extended billions in financing, by selling assets across three funds and tweaking redemptions amid withdrawals tied to AI-threatened tech loans and stalled data centers. As UBS strategists recently noted, the worst-case default rate for private credit could climb as high as 15 percent as AI disrupts traditional software companies.

In the race to secure GPUs, neo-clouds – specialized providers that focus almost exclusively on high-performance AI compute – are ready to deploy the hardware powering the next generation of LLMs, but are being sidelined by underwriting processes that take months to move and equity models that demand too much control.

The financing bottleneck and the asset-backed solution

With global AI capital expenditures projected to reach trillions this decade, the mechanisms used to fund that growth cause delays that create supply bottlenecks.

Filichkin, Compute Labs’ chief business officer, described the dynamic clearly: operators are currently caught between slow banks and the limitations of venture capital.

Under the traditional model, a neo-cloud must raise massive venture rounds just to afford the down payments required by banks, forcing founders to give up control of their companies simply to buy the hardware needed to operate.

Zhang added that underwriting processes and capital structuring take several months, delaying off-take customers and forcing them to go elsewhere simply because they need capacity now. “Many AI customers… will simply go to some other providers, or they will just go to the market and then buy the capacity at a very high spot price,” he explained.

Capital inefficiencies also increase computing costs. When neo-clouds cannot deploy on time, demand pressure builds on existing providers, which allows them to charge more.

To bypass these delays, Compute Labs, a fintech that bridges neo-clouds and investors, packages GPU clusters for asset-backed deals. The company vets partners, secures senior debt and fundraises the missing 20-30 percent cash slice from investors to complete each deal. This lets neo-clouds deploy without equity dilution, while investors gain direct hardware yield from the contracts.

GPUs: The yield-generating asset class

A whitepaper co-published by the team at Compute Labs and The Family Office Association in December 2025 pitched GPUs as a new yield-generating asset class for family offices, like digital power plants producing steady cash from AI rentals for training and inference.

“When we work with these partners, one of the first things that they worry about is diluting their equity, and we know of an interesting business model that allows an investor just direct exposure to the most fundamental asset, which is the hardware,” explained Filichkin.

He noted the dual value points this structure serves: the neo-cloud avoids dilution, and the investor gains the raw hardware component without worrying about the volatility of the equity markets.

“More fundamentally,” added Hosseinion, “when we refer to a venture bet, we’re talking about VCs…betting on the founders to find product market fit, whereas (Compute Labs is) allowing investors direct access to the actual chips that power AI.”

These assets are secured by three- to five-year off-take contracts, a structure where end-users pre-commit to buying the compute power before it is even deployed. “The financial profile is a lot more similar to project finance… high upfront capex, the deployment phase, and then just a long tail of predictable yield.”

However, much AI infrastructure funding still relies on venture-style equity, despite the fact that typical VC rounds are often too small for major hardware buys.

‘Carfax for GPUs’

For GPUs to mature into a genuine asset class, the market requires a level of transparency that traditional tech lending has historically lacked. The current hesitation in private credit often stems from a “visibility gap” that prevents lenders from easily verifying the health, location or even the existence of the hardware they are financing.

Solving this requires what the Compute Labs team described as a “Carfax for GPUs” that employs a registry system that tracks the provenance, thermal history and real-time utilization of a chip, which would provide lenders the same level of auditability found in real estate or aviation.

While this strategy provides technical transparency, Compute Labs’ “revenue haircut” – where the 20 to 30 percent revenue share is the first to be sacrificed if performance targets are missed – provides financial safeguards that protect lenders from operational failures. This ensures that even if a neo-cloud struggles, the investors remain at the front of the repayment line.

Operational buffers are also becoming a benchmark for these deals; the team stressed that daily running costs, specifically electricity and maintenance, must typically remain under a quarter of the total income produced by the chips in order to maximize returns.

While concerns about technical obsolescence persist, the current supply-chain reality offers a natural hedge. Zhang noted that while new chips are announced frequently, it often takes up to 24 months for them to reach the market in significant volume at a reasonable price, providing a predictable “useful life” window for current-generation hardware.

Infrastructure before innovation

Ultimately, the shift toward asset-backed GPU financing is about unblocking what the team calls the “innovation funnel.” At the top of this funnel sit the thousands of AI applications and agents that promise to reshape the global economy. However, these innovations are entirely dependent on the physical infrastructure at the base.

By moving away from the slow, small financing models of the past and treating GPUs as a stable, bankable utility, the industry can finally provide the consistent power required to sustain the AI revolution.

However, if the bottom of the funnel remains choked by inefficient capital, the intelligence at the top will inevitably stall.

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com