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What’s Next for the Silver Price After $100 Per Ounce?

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First Majestic Silver (TSX:AG,NYSE:AG) CEO Keith Neumeyer’s silver price prediction of over US$100 per ounce came true in 2026. When will silver prices make a more lasting hold in triple digit territory?

The silver price was up over 189 percent year-on-year as of March 2, 2026, on the back of economic uncertainty and ongoing geopolitical tensions, as well as support from long-term demand fundamentals.

The silver price broke through its previous all-time high in October 2025, blasting through the US$50 per ounce mark. From then, it rallied to new highs again and again.

Only a few weeks into 2026, the price of silver finally hit triple digits when it overtook the US$100 level. It went on to rise to its latest all-time high of US$121.62, which it set on January 29, 2026.

The catalysts for silver’s price surge above the critical US$100 level included the trade tensions between the US and Europe following US President Donald Trump’s renewed bid for Greenland; Trump’s public statements about possible military airstrikes on Iran; and a significant structural supply deficit exacerbated by increased institutional investment demand.

Well-known figure Keith Neumeyer, CEO of First Majestic, had frequently said he believes the white metal could hit the US$100 mark or even reach as high as US$130 per ounce.

Neumeyer has voiced this opinion often over the past decade. He put up a US$130 price target in a November 2017 interview with Palisade Radio, when silver was just US$17 per ounce. He reiterated his triple-digit silver price forecast in multiple interviews with Kitco over the years, including one in March 2023.

In 2024, Neumeyer made his US$100 silver call in a conversation with ITM Trading’s Daniela Cambone at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention, and in April of that year he acknowledged his reputation as the ‘triple-digit silver guy’ on the Todd Ault Podcast.

Speaking with Chris Marcus of Arcadia Economics on January 16, 2026, a day after the price of silver had broken through US$93 per ounce for the first time, Neumeyer stated that “triple digits is definitely on its way.” He was finally proven right less than two weeks later.

At times Neumeyer has been even bolder, suggesting in 2016 that silver could reach US$1,000 if gold were to hit US$10,000.

In order to better understand where Neumeyer’s opinion comes from and why a triple-digit silver price finally materialized, it’s important to take a look at the factors that affect the metal’s movements, as well as where prices have been in the past and where other industry insiders think silver could be headed.

First, let’s dive a little deeper into Neumeyer’s US$100 silver prediction.

In this article

    Why has Neumeyer called for a US$100 silver price?

    Neumeyer’s belief that silver could hit US$100 is based on a variety of factors, including its consistent deficit, its industrial demand and how undervalued it is compared to gold.

    When he first made the prediction more than a decade ago, there was significant distance for silver to go before it could reach the success Neumeyer had boldly predicted.

    Neumeyer expected a triple-digit silver price in part because he believed the market cycle could be compared to the year 2000, when investors were sailing high on the dot-com bubble and the mining sector was down. He believed it was only a matter of time before the market corrected, like it did in 2001 and 2002, and commodities would see a big rebound in pricing. It was during 2000 that Neumeyer himself invested heavily in mining stocks and came out on top.

    “I’ve been calling for triple-digit silver for a few years now, and I’m more enthused now,” Neumeyer said at an event in January 2020, noting that there are multiple factors behind his reasoning. “But I’m cautiously enthused because, you know, I thought it would have happened sooner than it currently is happening.”

    Another factor driving Neumeyer’s position is his belief that the silver market is in a deficit at a time when demand is rising from new industrial sectors. In a December 2023 interview with Kitco, Neumeyer stressed that silver is more than just a poor man’s gold and he spoke to silver’s important role in electric vehicles and solar cells.

    In line with this view on silver, First Majestic is a member of a consortium of silver producers that in January 2024 sent a letter to the Canadian government urging that silver be recognized as a critical mineral.

    Silver’s inclusion on the list would allow silver producers to accelerate the development of strategic projects with financial and administrative assistance from the government.

    In this 2024 PDAC interview, Neumeyer once again highlighted what he says is a sizable imbalance in the silver’s supply-demand picture. “We’re six years into this deficit. The deficit in 2024 looks like it’s gonna be bigger than 2023, and why is that? Because miners aren’t producing enough silver for the needs of the human race,” he said.

    More controversially, Neumeyer is of the opinion that the white metal will eventually become uncoupled from its sister metal gold, and should be seen as a strategic metal due to its necessity in many everyday appliances, from computers to electronics, as well as the technologies mentioned above. He has also stated that silver production has gone down in recent years, meaning that contrary to popular belief, he believes the metal is actually a rare commodity.

    Neumeyer’s March 2023 triple-digit silver call was a long-term call, and he explained that while he believed gold would break US$3,000 that year, he thought silver will only reach US$30. However, once the gold-silver ratio is that unbalanced, he believes that silver will begin to take off, and it would just need a catalyst.

    ‘It could be Elon Musk taking a position in the silver space,’ Neumeyer said. ‘There’s going to be a catalyst at some time, and headlines in the Wall Street Journal might talk about the silver supply deficit … I don’t know what the catalyst will be, but investors and institutions will wake up to the fundamentals of the metal, and that’s when it will start to move.’

    In 2024, gold experienced a resurgence in investor attention as the potential for US Federal Reserve interest rate cuts came into view. In an interview with Cambone at PDAC 2024, Neumeyer countered that perception, stating, “There’s a rush into gold because of the de-dollarization of the world. It has nothing to do with the interest rates.”

    In an April 2025 Money Metals podcast, Neumeyer reiterated his belief that silver is in an extreme supply deficit and that eventually silver prices will have to rise in order to incentivize silver miners to dig up more of the metal.

    ‘You need triple-digit silver just to motivate the mining companies to start investing again because the mining companies aren’t going to make the investment because there’s just so much risk in it,’ he said.

    After the price of silver surged from the US$50 level up into more than US$70 per ounce in late December 2025, Neumeyer actually cautioned investors not to get too excited about a potential quick run to US$100 during an interview with The Deep Dive.

    “I’m crossing my fingers that it doesn’t go to US$100 on this move. I don’t think that would be particularly healthy at all. I would prefer to see it start to slow down here and chalk a little bit sideways for two to three months and find a level that people can get use to. It’s going to take sometime for people to get used to US$70 silver,” he advised.

    While he admitted high silver prices are great for silver producers such as First Majestic and their shareholders, he said “personally, I’d rather see some stability,” and have silver reach triple digits in 12 to 24 months out so that the mining sector has more time to react and better take advantage of higher silver prices.

    A month later, when silver was above US$100 per ounce, during an interview with Kitco at the 2026 Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC), Neumeyer said, “calling triple digit silver and it’s actually happening is pretty interesting,” but he believes it’s still early stages in this new bull market and he’s done predicting metals prices.

    “What we do know is that we’ve created a new pricing paradigm, we’re not going back to the old pricing that we’re all used to over the past 20 or 30 years,” he added.

    What factors affect the silver price?

    In order to glean a better understanding of the precious metal’s chances of breaching the US$100 range again, it’s important to examine the elements that could push it to that level or pull it further away.

    The strength of the US dollar and Fed rate changes are factors that will continue to affect the precious metal, as are geopolitical issues and supply and demand dynamics.

    Although Neumeyer believes that the ties that bind silver to gold need to be broken, the reality is that most of the same factors that shape the price of gold also move silver.

    For that reason, it’s helpful to look at gold price drivers when trying to understand silver’s price action. Silver is, of course, the more volatile of the two precious metals, but nevertheless it often trades in relative tandem with gold.

    First, it’s useful to understand that higher interest rates are generally negative for gold and silver, while lower rates tend to be positive. That’s because when rates are higher, investment demand shifts to products that can accrue interest.

    The Fed’s rate moves have played a key role in pumping up silver prices over the past year. However, Trump doesn’t think Fed Chair Jerome Powell is lowering rates fast enough.

    Trump’s feud with the Fed over interest rates escalated in early January 2026 when the US Department of Justice served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas targeting Powell with a criminal indictment. The uncertainty over Fed independence is driving gold prices higher as investors expect a weaker dollar.

    While central bank actions are important for gold, and by extension silver, another key price driver lately has been geopolitical uncertainty. The past decade has been filled with major geopolitical events such as the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Russia-Ukraine war, and rising tensions between the US and other countries including Russia, China and Iran, and more recently Venezuela, Canada and Denmark.

    Trump’s tariffs have also rattled stock markets and ratcheted up the level of economic uncertainty pervading the landscape in 2025 and continuing into this year. This has proved price positive for gold and silver, with silver outperforming gold in the last year.

    However, silver’s industrial side can not be ignored. In an economically uncertain environment, the industrial case of silver could weaken in the short term, but in the longer term silver’s demand side is still highly prospective for larger gains.

    Samuelson explained in March 2025 that silver is particularly vulnerable to a supply shock as the London Bullion Market Association’s physical silver supplies had already decreased by 30 to 40 percent, while gold had only lost 3 to 4 percent.

    The next month, Smirnova explained that silver has been in a supply deficit of 150 million to 200 million ounces annually, but production has been stagnant or declining over the past decade.

    Looking at the runup in silver prices into the triple digits that occurred in late 2025 to early 2026, this structural supply-demand deficit, magnified by an explosion in industrial demand for solar energy and AI data centers, played an outsized role. Further adding fuel to the fire was record-low physical inventory levels in COMEX and Shanghai vaults, which caused a shift from ‘paper’ silver to physical hoarding.

    Higher industrial demand from emerging sectors due to factors like the transition to renewable energy and the emergence of AI technology will be highly supportive for the metal over the next few years. Solar panels are an especially exciting sector as manufacturers have found increasing the silver content increases energy efficiency.

    Frank Holmes of US Global Investors (NASDAQ:GROW) said in a December interview that silver’s “ability to be a transformative part of renewable energy,” particularly in solar panels, is an outsized factor in the latest run in the silver price. “And I don’t think that is going to go away,” he added.

    Could silver hit US$100 per ounce again?

    It seems likely that we will reach a US$100 per ounce silver price again in 2026 as there is plenty of support for Neumeyer’s belief that the metal is undervalued and that “ideal conditions are present for silver prices to rise.”

    For much of 2025, silver and gold rose higher on factors including persistent inflationary pressures brought on by Trump’s aggressive tariff announcements and the ongoing geopolitical risks in the Middle East. The commodity’s price uptick also came on the back of very strong silver investment demand.

    In the fourth quarter, silver rapidly outpaced gold’s gains, and by early January silver reached US$95, more than doubling in value from its Q3 close of US$46. It continued higher to breach US$120 by the end of the month.

    While silver and gold prices both pulled back significantly over the following days, silver spent February consolidating and stabilized above the US$80 mark in the second half of the month.

    On March 1, the silver price once again approached the US$100 mark as the US started a war with Iran, peaking at US$96.40 before seeing a smaller pull back.

    As silver’s momentum continues upwards and the price stabilizes at these higher values, silver market experts are agreeing with Neumeyer’s triple-digit silver hypothesis that the price of silver still has further room to grow.

    “You know, whether in the short term or the long term, one way or another, we’re going to run into a supply demand brick wall. And when that day happens, we could see triple-digit silver prices in a very, very short period of time,” he said. “I figure it’s going to be US$200 to US$400 an ounce, at least, before this is all over.”

    This set up bodes well for those not only invested in physical silver, but in silver mining stocks as well.

    “I have to be honest, I was not necessarily expecting triple-digit silver this quite this fast,” he said. “I was saying, if and when we break through US$54 silver, then the path of least resistance becomes a conservative, measured move target of US$96 or within a few pennies … So, I’m not really surprised at all, and in fact, I think we’re headed higher in the fullness of time.’

    Penny sees Fed policy actions as a potential catalyst for silver’s next leg up.

    “I think it’ll be the Fed’s response to the next crisis that causes the big move, the 1979 moment where you go up,” he explained, noting that in 1979, the price of silver went up 700 percent in 12 months. “I think that that moment still lies ahead. It’ll be the Fed’s response to the next crisis that is the catalyst for that huge move.”

    Eugenia Mykuliak, founder and executive director of B2PRIME Group, shared another reason she believes Fed rate cuts are bullish for silver.

    In late January, Citigroup (NYSE:C) analysts upgraded their silver forecast to US$150 per ounce in the second quarter of 2026. ‘We expect the bullish factors to stay intact in the very near term, supporting strong investment/speculation demand and likely leading to further physical tightening in major ex-US trading hubs,’ said the firm.

    FAQs for silver

    Why is silver so cheap?

    The primary reason that silver is sold at a significant discount to gold is supply and demand, with more silver being mined annually. While silver does have both investment and industrial demand, the global focus on gold as an investment vehicle, including countries stockpiling gold, can overshadow silver.

    Additionally, jewelry alone is a massive force for gold demand.

    There is an abundance of silver — according to the US Geological Survey, to date 1,740,000 metric tons (MT) of silver have been discovered, while only 244,000 MT of gold have been found, a ratio of about 1 ounce of gold to 7.1 ounces of silver. In terms of output, 26,000 MT of silver were mined in 2025 compared to 3,300 MT for gold.

    Looking at these numbers, that puts gold and silver production at about a 1:7.88 ratio last year, while the price ratio on March 3, 2026, was around 1:62 — a huge disparity.

    Can silver hit $1,000 per ounce?

    As things are now, it seems unlikely, and at the same time almost a possibility, that silver will ever reach highs of US$1,000 per ounce, which Keith Neumeyer predicted in 2016 could happen if gold ever climbed to US$10,000 per ounce.

    This is related to the gold to silver production ratio discussed above. At the time of the 2016 prediction, this ratio was around 1 ounce of gold to 9 ounces of silver, or 1:9.

    If silver was priced according to production ratio today, when gold is at US$5,000 per ounce, then silver should be around US$555. However, the gold to silver pricing ratio today is around 1:62, although that’s a bit lower than the typical range of 1:70 to 1:90. In early March 2026, gold is trading around US$5,100 per ounce and silver is about US$82 per ounce.

    Is silver really undervalued?

    Many experts believe that silver is undervalued compared to fellow currency metal gold. As discussed, their production and price ratios are currently incredibly disparate.

    While investment demand is higher for gold, silver has seen increasing time in the limelight in recent years, including a 2021 silver squeeze that saw new entrants to the market join in.

    Another factor that lends more intrinsic value to silver is that it’s an industrial metal as well as a precious metal. It has applications in technology and batteries — both growing sectors that will drive demand higher.

    Silver’s two sides have remained prominent as the market navigates persistent supply shortages and shifting investor sentiment. Following a record high in 2022, according to data from the Silver Institute, silver demand reached 1.16 billion ounces in 2024, supported by a fourth consecutive year of record industrial fabrication at 680.5 million ounces. However, total 2024 demand saw a 3 percent decline due to a 22 percent drop in physical investment, which hit a five-year low as Western investors took profits at higher prices.

    Is silver better than gold?

    There are merits for both metals, especially as part of a well-balanced portfolio. As many analysts point out, silver has been known to outperform its sister metal gold during times of economic prosperity and expansion.

    On the other hand, during economic uncertainty silver values are impacted by declines in fabrication demand.

    Silver’s duality as a precious and industrial metal also provides price support. As a report from the CPM Group notes, “it can be seen that silver in fact almost always (but not always) out-performs gold during a gold bull market.”

    At what price did Warren Buffet buy silver?

    Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.A) bought up 37 percent of global silver supply between 1997 and 2006. Silver ranged from US$4 to US$10 during that period.

    In fact, between July 1997 and January 1998 alone, the company bought about 129 million ounces of the metal, much of which was for under US$5. Adjusted for inflation, the company’s purchases in that window cost about US$8.50 to US$11.50.

    How to invest in silver?

    There are a variety of ways to get into the silver market. For example, investors may choose to put their money into silver-focused stocks by buying shares of companies focused on silver mining and exploration, or even precious metals royalty stocks. As a by-product metal, investors can also gain exposure to silver through some gold companies.

    There are also silver exchange-traded funds that give broad exposure to silver companies and the metal itself, while more experienced traders may be interested in silver futures. And of course, for those who prefer a more tangible investment, purchasing physical bullion in silver bar and silver coin form is also an option.

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

    This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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    Sranan Provides Update on Late Filing of Financial Statements; Extends MCTO

    Investing

    Sranan Gold Corp. (CSE: SRAN,OTC:SRANF) (OTCQB: SRANF) (‘Sranan’ or the ‘Company’) continues to work towards the filing of its annual audited financial statements, management’s discussion and analysis, and CEO and CFO certifications for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 (the ‘Required Filings’). The Company has obtained approval from the Alberta Securities Commission to extend the Management Cease Trade Order (‘MCTO’) under National Policy 12-203 Management Cease Trade Orders (‘NP 12-203’) until March 15, 2026.

    The additional delay in filing is attributable to the timing of certain outstanding third-party confirmations, including from an international vendor and the Company’s bank in Suriname, which were received later than anticipated. As a result, completion of the audit was deferred by approximately one week. The audit is now in its final stages, with only minor outstanding items remaining. Sranan remains in ongoing communication with its auditor to confirm any remaining documentation requirements and has committed to providing any outstanding materials promptly upon request. Sranan anticipates that the Required Filings will be completed on or before March 13, 2026. The interim first-quarter financial statements are expected to be filed within 48 hours thereafter, and in any event no later than March 15, 2026.

    The Required Filings were due to be filed by January 28, 2026. In connection with the anticipated delays in making the Required Filings, the Company made an application for a Management Cease Trade Order (‘MCTO‘) under National Policy 12-203 Management Cease Trade Orders (‘NP 12-203‘) to the Alberta Securities Commission, as principal regulator for the Company, and the MCTO was issued on January 29, 2026. The MCTO restricts all trading by the Company’s CEO and CFO in securities of the Company, whether direct or indirect. The issuance of the MCTO does not affect the ability of persons who are not directors, officers or insiders of the Company to trade their securities. The MCTO will remain in effect until the Required Filings are filed or until it is revoked or varied.

    Both the Company and its auditors are working diligently towards the completion and filing of the Required Filings, and the Company will provide additional updates.

    The Company confirms that it intends to satisfy the provisions of the alternative information guidelines described in NP 12-203 by issuing bi-weekly default status reports in the form of a news release until it meets the Required Filings requirement. The Company has not taken any steps towards any insolvency proceeding and the Company has no material information relating to its affairs that has not been generally disclosed.

    For further information with respect to the MCTO, please refer to the Company’s news releases dated January 21, 2026, February 4, 2026, and February 18, 2026, available for viewing on the Company’s SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

    About Sranan Gold
    Sranan is engaged in the business of mineral exploration and the acquisition of mineral property assets in Suriname. The Company’s flagship Tapanahony Project covers 29,000 hectares in one of Suriname’s most prolific artisanal gold mining districts and Sranan recently announced the acquisition of the 18,468-hectare Lawatino Project situated in southeastern Suriname along the Central Guiana Shear Zone.

    For more information, please visit http://www.sranangold.com.

    For further information, please contact:
    Oscar Louzada, CEO
    +31 6 25438975

    THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE HAS NOT APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENT OF THIS PRESS RELEASE.

    Forward-looking statements
    Certain statements made and information contained herein may constitute ‘forward-looking information’ and ‘forward-looking statements’ within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These statements and information are based on facts currently available to Sranan and there is no assurance that the actual results will meet management’s expectations. Forward-looking statements and information may be identified by such terms as ‘anticipates,’ ‘believes,’ ‘targets,’ ‘estimates,’ ‘plans,’ ‘expects,’ ‘may,’ ‘will,’ ‘could’ or ‘would.’

    This news release contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding management’s expectations about obtaining the MCTO and completing the Required Filings within the anticipated timeline. Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Sranan does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements or information, except as required by applicable securities laws. For more information on the Company, investors should review the Company’s continuous disclosure filings that are available at www.sedarplus.ca.

    To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/286289

    News Provided by TMX Newsfile via QuoteMedia

    This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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    BHP: Targeted AI Platforms Boost Efficiency, Safety and More

    Investing

    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

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    DOJ takes Live Nation-Ticketmaster to court for antitrust trial

    Business

    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

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    Terra Clean Provides Corporate Update

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    Terra Clean Energy CORP. (‘Terra’ or the ‘Company’) (CSE: TCEC,OTC:TCEFF, OTCQB: TCEFF, FSE: C9O0) announces that it has received the resignation of Alex Klenman as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company effective immediately. The Company thanks Mr. Klenman for his services to the Company and wishes him best wishes for his future endeavors.About Terra Clean Energy Corp.Terra Clean Energy Corp. is a Canadian-based uranium exploration and development company. The Company is currently developing the South Falcon East uranium project, which holds a 6.96M pound inferred uranium resource* within the Fraser Lakes B Deposit, located in the Athabasca Basin region, Saskatchewan, Canada as well as past producing uranium mines in Utah and uranium exploration properties in Wyoming, United States.

    ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF Terra Clean Energy CORP.

    ‘Greg Cameron’
    Greg Cameron, CEO

    Qualified Person

    The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101, reviewed and approved on behalf of the company by C. Trevor Perkins, P.Geo., the Company’s Vice President, Exploration, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

    *The historical resource is described in the Technical Report on the South Falcon East Property, filed on sedarplus.ca on February 9, 2023. The Company is not treating the resource as current and has not completed sufficient work to classify the resource as a current mineral resource. While the Company is not treating the historical resource as current, it does believe the work conducted is reliable and the information may be of assistance to readers.

    Forward-Looking Information

    This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed ‘forward-looking statements’. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words ‘expects’, ‘plans’, ‘anticipates’, ‘believes’, ‘intends’, ‘estimates’, ‘projects’, ‘potential’ and similar expressions, or that events or conditions ‘will’, ‘would’, ‘may’, ‘could’ or ‘should’ occur. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements relating to the Company’s planned exploration activities on properties and the potential development of mineral resources and mineral reserves which may or may not occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results or realities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such material risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: competition within the industry; actual results of current exploration activities; environmental risks; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; future price of commodities; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining approvals or financing; risks related to indebtedness and the service of such indebtedness; as well as those factors, risks and uncertainties identified and reported in the Company’s public filings under the Company’s SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. 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 unless required by law.

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

    For further information please contact:

    Greg Cameron, CEO
    info@tcec.energy
    416-277-6174

    Terra Clean Energy Corp
    1133 Melville Street, Suite 2700
    Vancouver, BC V6E 4E5
    www.tcec.energy

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    This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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    Fortune Bay Drills Multiple Gold Zones at Goldfields including 6.61 g/t over 5.0 m within 2.54 g/t over 17.0 m

    Investing

    Drilling at the Box deposit continues to demonstrate wide-open mineralization beyond the PEA open-pit

    Fortune Bay Corp. (TSXV: FOR,OTC:FTBYF) (FWB: 5QN) (OTCQB: FTBYF) (‘Fortune Bay’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce assay results for the initial three drill holes from the ongoing exploration drilling program at its 100% owned Goldfields Gold Project (‘Goldfields’ or the ‘Project’) in Saskatchewan, one of Canada’s top mining jurisdictions.

    The three drill holes were designed to test substantial down-dip gaps in previous drill coverage at the Box deposit (up to 170 m) targeting resource expansion beyond the open-pit limits defined in the Updated Preliminary Economic Assessment (‘Updated PEA’).

    The results confirm the continuation of structurally-controlled, higher-grade mineralization at depth.

    Assay Highlights:

    • Hole B25-346
      • 2.54 g/t over 17.0 m, including
      • 6.61 g/t over 5.0 m
    • Hole B25-347
      • 6.95 g/t over 2.0 m
      • 3.72 g/t over 3.0 m
      • 4.55 g/t over 3.0 m
      • 2.76 g/t over 7.0 m, including
      • 5.63 g/t over 3.0 m
      • 8.72 g/t over 2.0 m
    • Hole B25-348
      • 2.29 g/t over 9.3 m, including
      • 4.68 g/t over 3.0 m

    Gareth Garlick, VP Technical Services, commented, ‘These results add to a growing inventory of strong assays down dip at Box, reinforcing potential for resource growth through additional delineation drilling. Gold mineralization remains wide open down dip at Box, and we are looking forward to additional assays from larger step-out holes that have recently been completed’.

    Dale Verran, CEO, added, ‘While PFS-level development is advancing for an open-pit mine at Goldfields, we believe the broader gold resource base has meaningful growth potential through continued expansion and exploration drilling at numerous targets. With nearly all the PEA open-pit resources already classified in the Indicated category, we are uniquely positioned to direct our drill budget toward expansion and discovery rather than resource delineation infill. This provides an opportunity to unlock additional near-mine ounces that could further enhance Goldfields’ already robust economics and strengthen the long-term development profile of the Project.’

    Box Deposit – Down-Dip Expansion

    As illustrated in Figure 1, the results from B25-346, B25-347 and B25-348 contribute to an expanding dataset of strong down-dip assay intercepts at Box, supporting the potential for delineation of additional mineral resources.

    Drill Hole Details and Assay Results

    The initial three drill holes at Box were designed to test significant gaps in down-dip drill coverage (up to 170 metres), extending down-dip up to 300 metres beyond the open-pit designed in the Updated PEA. All three holes successfully intersected the mineralized Box Mine Granite (‘BMG’) at or near the depths predicted by the geological model. Observed mineralization characteristics – including quartz vein orientation, thickness, and vein density – are consistent with those documented elsewhere within the deposit.

    Higher gold grades at the Box deposit are typically associated with discrete north-south trending structural zones exhibiting increased quartz vein intensity. These higher-grade zones, extending below the Updated PEA open-pit base, present attractive targets for delineation drilling focused on expanding the mineral resources.

    The current drilling at Box is oriented towards the east, with dips as shallow as practically achievable (approximately -55° to -60°) to intersect structural zones at the highest angle possible (closest to true thickness) and to maximise the internal coverage of the BMG for each drill hole.

    Table 1: Assay results for drill holes B25-346, B25-347 and B25-348.

    Hole ID

    From (m)

    To (m)

    Length (m)

    Au (g/t)

    Collar
    Location

    Azimuth /

    Dip

    B25-346

    228

    245

    17.0

    2.54

    X 640436

    Y 6593101

    070 / -60

    incl.

    228

    233

    5.0

    6.61

    254

    273

    19.0

    1.42

    B25-347

    297

    312

    15.0

    1.91

    X 640362

    Y 6593025

    083 / -56

    incl.

    297

    299

    2.0

    6.95

    and

    305

    308

    3.0

    3.72

    355

    374

    19.0

    1.86

    incl.

    357

    360

    3.0

    4.55

    and

    367

    374

    7.0

    2.76

    incl.

    371

    374

    3.0

    5.63

    432

    434

    2.0

    8.72

    B25-348

    273.68

    283

    9.3

    2.29

    X 640309

    Y 6592953

    085 / -62

    incl.

    275

    278

    3.0

    4.68

    294

    298

    4.0

    1.60

    309

    319

    10.0

    1.26

    Notes:

    1.

    Additional assay results for B25-348 are pending (from 448 to 480 metres)

    2.

    Results shown are assays from 1 metre samples composited into longer intervals with a minimum lower cut-off of 0.5 g/t Au, and maximum 5 metres of consecutive waste defined as < 0.3 g/t Au.

    3.

    Lengths shown represent core length. True thickness of the mineralized intercepts is expected to be approximately 80% of the core length based on the dominant mineralized quartz vein orientations at Box, however this may vary on an individual sample basis.

    4.

    Sample locations are provided in NAD83 UTM Zone 12N. Hole azimuths are true north.

    2025-2026 Exploration Drilling Program

    The assay results from the three drill holes reported herein form part of a broader exploration drilling program initiated in late 2025, comprising approximately 3,250 metres of planned drilling. The program is designed to evaluate opportunities for mineral resource expansion at the Box and Athona deposits, as well as the potential to define new mineral resources at underexplored historical occurrences including Frontier, Golden Pond, and Triangle. All targets are located within two kilometres of past-producing and anticipated future mine infrastructure (Figure 2).

    Technical Disclosure & Qualified Person

    All drilling is being carried out with NQ diameter. Core trays are transported directly from the drill rig to the Company’s logging facility in Uranium City. Sample intervals are selected for assay based on observations of lithology type, presence of quartz veins and sulphides. These intervals are marked up for continuous sampling with one metre sample increments (adjusted where necessary to not cross lithological boundaries). Core is sawn in half along the core axis for sampling, with the remaining half preserved and stored in the core box. Samples are bagged and placed in plastic pails sealed with security tags for export by air freight to Saskatoon (CA).

    All sample processing is being carried out by SRC Geoanalytical Laboratories in Saskatoon using their screened metallics sample process method, which includes; (1) crushing and homogenization of the entire sample; (2) split off a representative 1 kg split for analysis; (3) pulverizing the split with 95 % passing 150 mesh; (3) screening the split at 150 mesh; (4) assay the entire +150 mesh fraction; (5) duplicate assay of two 30 g splits of the -150 mesh fraction; and (6) calculation of the weighted average gold content (in g/t) for the entire sample. All assay is carried out by fire assay with a gravimetric finish.

    Certified reference blank and standard material is being used by the Company for independent QAQC of assay results. QAQC samples are inserted into assay sample sequences and results are reviewed to assess for any potential laboratory contamination and to verify assay accuracy and precision. A selected suite of samples will also be sent to another laboratory for additional ‘umpire’ assay testing to further verify the results.

    Details for the Updated PEA for Goldfields are provided in the technical report titled ‘Goldfields Project Updated NI 43-101 Technical Report & Preliminary Economic Assessment, Saskatchewan, Canada’, dated October 20, 2025, prepared by Kevin Murray, P.Eng.; Scott C. Elfen, P.E.; James Millard, P.Geo.; Jonathan Cooper, P.Eng.; Marc Schulte, P.Eng.; Cliff Revering, P.Eng.; and Ron Uken, Pr.Sci.Nat. for Fortune Bay Corp. The technical report is available under the Company’s issuer profile on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and on the Company’s website at www.fortunebaycorp.com.

    The technical and scientific information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Gareth Garlick P.Geo., Vice-President Technical Services of the Company, who is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Garlick is an employee of Fortune Bay and is not independent of the Company under NI 43‑101.

    About Fortune Bay

    Fortune Bay Corp. (TSXV:FOR,OTC:FTBYF; FWB:5QN; OTCQB:FTBYF) is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company with assets in Canada and Mexico. The Company’s primary focus is advancing the Goldfields Gold Project in Saskatchewan, Canada. Fortune Bay also holds the Poma Rosa Gold-Copper Project in Chiapas, Mexico, as well as an optioned uranium project portfolio in the Athabasca Basin of Saskatchewan. Fortune Bay continues to evaluate and advance its portfolio in a disciplined manner while maintaining a strong technical foundation and prudent capital management. For more information, please visit www.fortunebaycorp.com or contact info@fortunebaycorp.com.

    On behalf of Fortune Bay Corp.

    ‘Dale Verran’
    Chief Executive Officer
    902-334-1919

    Cautionary Statement

    Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management’s current estimates, beliefs, intentions, and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Words such as ‘expects’, ‘aims’, ‘anticipates’, ‘targets’, ‘goals’, ‘projects’, ‘intends’, ‘plans’, ‘believes’, ‘seeks’, ‘estimates’, ‘continues’, ‘may’, variations of such words, and similar expressions and references to future periods, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the results of the Updated PEA, including future Project opportunities, future operating and capital costs, closure costs, AISC, the projected NPV, IRR, timelines, permit timelines, and the ability to obtain the requisite permits, economics and associated returns of the Project, the technical viability of the Project, the market and future price of and demand for gold, the environmental impact of the Project, and the ongoing ability to work cooperatively with stakeholders, including Indigenous Nations, local Municipalities and local levels of government. 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. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company’s objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. 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, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate Indigenous Nations and local Municipalities, 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. For more information on Fortune Bay, readers should refer to Fortune Bay’s website at www.fortunebaycorp.com.

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

    SOURCE Fortune Bay Corp.

    View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2026/03/c6817.html

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    Sankamap Announces $5.0M Private Placement

    Investing

    Sankamap Metals Inc. (CSE: SCU) (‘Sankamap’ or the ‘Company’) proposes to complete a non-brokered private placement financing of up to 14,285,715 units (‘Units’) at a price of $0.35 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $5 million (the ‘Offering’). Each Unit will consist of one (1) common share (a ‘Share’) and one-half (12) of a common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a ‘Warrant’). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one (1) additional common share of Sankamap at an exercise price of $0.55 for a period of twenty-four (24) months from the date of issuance. The gross proceeds from the sale of the Units will be used to advance exploration and development of Sankamap’s projects, including the acquisition of a drilling rig to be installed at the Fauro property, which will enable the simultaneous drilling of both the Kuma and Fauro properties, as well as for general working capital purposes.

    Sankamap may pay finder’s fees to arm’s length finders (each a ‘Finder‘) in connection with this placement, which are expected to be up to 6.0% of the gross proceeds raised by such Finder, in cash, and share purchase warrants (each a ‘Finder’s Warrant‘) to acquire common shares of Sankamap of up to 6.0% of the number of Units sold to a purchaser or purchasers introduced by the Finder(s). Each Finder’s Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one (1) common share of Sankamap at an exercise price of $0.35 for a period of twenty-four (24) months from the date of issuance.

    The Offering is subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange (‘CSE‘) and any finder’s fees payable will be issued in accordance with the policies of the CSE and applicable securities laws. All securities issued will be subject to a four-month and one day hold period.

    About Sankamap Metals Inc.

    Sankamap Metals Inc. (CSE: SCU) is a Canadian mineral exploration company dedicated to the discovery and development of high-grade copper and gold deposits through its flagship Oceania Project, located in the South Pacific. The Company’s fully permitted assets are strategically positioned in the Solomon Islands, along a prolific geological trend that hosts major copper-gold deposits; including Newmont’s Lihir Mine, with a resource of 71.9 million ounces of gold¹ (310 Mt containing 23 Moz Au at 2.3 g/t P+P, 520 Mt containing 39 Moz Au at 2.3 g/t indicated, 81 Mt containing 5 Moz Au at 1.9 g/t measured, 61 Mt containing 4.9 Moz Au at 2.3 g/t Inferred).

    Exploration is actively advancing at both the Kuma and Fauro properties, part of Sankamap’s Oceania Project in the Solomon Islands. Historical work has already highlighted the mineral potential of both sites, which lie along a highly prospective copper and gold-bearing trend, suggesting the possibility of further, yet-to-be-discovered deposits.

    At Kuma, the property is believed to host an underexplored and largely untested porphyry copper-gold (Cu-Au) system. Historical rock chip sampling has returned consistently elevated gold values above 0.5 g/t Au, including a standout sample assaying 11.7% Cu and 13.5 g/t Au3; underscoring the area’s significant potential.

    At Fauro, particularly at the Meriguna Target, historical trenching has returned highly encouraging results, including 8.0 meters at 27.95 g/t Au and 14.0 meters at 8.94 g/t Au4. Complementing these results are exceptional grab sample assays, including historical values of up to 173 g/t Au4, along with recent sampling by Sankamap at the Kiovakase Target, which returned numerous high-grade copper values, reaching up to 4.09% Cu. In addition, limited historical shallow drilling intersected 35.0 meters at 2.08 g/t Au4, further underscoring the property’s strong mineral potential and the merit for continued exploration. With a commitment to systematic exploration and a team of experienced professionals, Sankamap aims to unlock the untapped potential of underexplored regions and create substantial value for its shareholders. For more information, please refer to SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca), under Sankamap’s profile.

    1.Newcrest Technical Report, 2020 (Lihir: 310 Mt containing 23 Moz Au at 2.3 g/t P+P, 520 Mt containing 39 Moz Au at 2.3 g/t indicated, 81 Mt containing 5 Moz Au at 1.9 g/t measured, 61 Mt containing 4.9 Moz Au at 2.3 g/t Inferred)

    2. Bougainville Copper Ltd. Annual Report, 2016 (1.5 Mt containing 16.1 Moz Au at 0.33 g/t and 4.6 Mt Cu at 0.3 % Indicated, 300 Mt containing 3.2 Moz Au 0.4 g/t and 0.7 Mt Cu Inferred)

    3. Historical grab, soil and BLEG samples from SolGold Kuma Review June 2015, and SolGold plc Annual Report 2013/2012

    4. September 2010-June 2012 press releases from Solomon Gold Ltd. and SolGold Fauro Island Summary Technical Info 2012

    QP Disclosure

    The technical content for the Oceania Project in this news release has been reviewed and approved by John Florek, M.Sc., P.Geol., a Qualified Person in accordance with CIM guidelines. Mr. John Florek is in good standing with the Professional Geoscientists of Ontario (Member ID:1228) and a director and officer of the Company.

    ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

    s/ ‘John Florek’
    John Florek, M.Sc., P.Geol
    Chief Executive Officer
    Sankamap Metals Inc.

    Contact:
    John Florek, CEO
    T: (807) 228-3531
    E: johnf@sankamap.com

    The Canadian Securities Exchange has not approved nor disapproved this press release.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this release constitute ‘forward-looking statements’ or ‘forward-looking information’ within the meaning of applicable securities laws including, without limitation, the timing, nature, scope and details regarding the Company’s exploration plans and results at its projects. Such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, its projects, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as ‘may’, ‘would’, ‘could’, ‘will’, ‘intend’, ‘expect’, ‘believe’, ‘plan’, ‘anticipate’, ‘estimate’, ‘scheduled’, ‘forecast’, ‘predict’ and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results ‘may’, ‘could’, ‘would’, ‘might’ or ‘will’ be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect the Company’s current expectations regarding future events, performance and results and speak only as of the date of this release.

    Forward-looking statements in this press release but are not limited to, statements with respect to the expectations of management regarding the Offering, the expectations of management regarding the use of proceeds of the Offering, closing conditions for the Offering, and no objection from the CSE in respect of the Offering. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Risks that could change or prevent these statements from coming to fruition include the CSE objecting to the Offering; the proceeds of the Offering may not be used as stated in this news release; Sankamap may be unable to satisfy all of the conditions to the closing required by the CSE. Sankamap does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or information except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

    Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States.

    To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/286173

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    Top 10 Copper Producers by Country

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    In 2025, supply disruptions highlighted a growing concern as copper mines in the top copper-producing countries were aging without new mines to replace them.

    Additionally, copper demand from electrification is expected to rise significantly in the coming years.

    The competing forces of the global macroeconomic situation and a tightening supply and demand situation caused major swings in the copper price last year, and the red metal set a new all-time high in January 2026 as it moved above the US$6 per pound mark on the COMEX for the first time.

    Despite a tight supply situation, demand from the energy transition has largely been muted as China, traditionally the largest consumer of copper for its infrastructure, works to stimulate its flagging economy.

    The forecast for copper over the next few years is that supply deficits will continue to widen, which in turn should provide more tailwinds for the price of copper and greater upside to company balance sheets.

    For investors interested in copper, it’s worth looking at copper production by country. According to the latest US Geological Survey data, global copper production reached 23 million metric tons (MT) in 2025.

    Chile again took the crown to become the top copper producing country last year, but some of the others on the list may surprise you. Read on to find out the top 10 copper countries and what mines are driving each country’s copper output.

    1. Chile

    Copper production: 5.3 million metric tons

    In 2025, Chile produced 5.3 million metric tons of copper, making it the world’s largest copper producing country with about 23 percent of the total global copper output. Its copper production dropped 210,000 MT in 2025 compared to its 2024 output. Chile also takes first place for copper reserves with 180 million MT.

    Naturally, many of the world’s leading copper miners have substantial operations in Chile, including the state-owned Codelco, Anglo American (LSE:AAL,OTCQX:AAUKF), Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF) and Antofagasta (LSE:ANTO,OTC Pink:ANFGF).

    Chile is also home to BHP’s (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) Escondida, the largest copper mine in the world with an annual output in the 2 million metric ton range. BHP owns a 57.5 percent stake in the operation, with Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO,NYSE:RIO,LSE:RIO) owning 30 percent and Jeco holding the remaining stake.

    According to BHP’s 2025 annual report, the company’s portion of Escondida production came in at 1.13 million MT of copper in 2025.

    Despite production disruptions at Codelco’s El Teniente, Chile’s copper production is expected to grow to 5.61 million MT in 2026, according to Chile’s copper industry watchdog Cochilco.

    2. Democratic Republic of Congo

    Copper production: 3.2 million metric tons

    In 2025, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) produced 3.2 million metric tons of copper, accounting for nearly 14 percent of global copper output.

    The DRC has rapidly increased its copper production in recent years, and its 2025 output marked a continuation of the trend, rising from 2.99 million MT the previous year.

    One of the country’s largest copper operations is the Kamoa-Kakula copper complex, a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines (TSX:IVN,OTCQX:IVPAF) and Zijin Mining Group (HKEX:2899,SHA:601899,OTCPL:ZIJMF). The operation’s Phase 3 expansion commenced commercial production in August 2024.

    In 2025, Kamoa-Kakula produced 388,838 MT of copper, a significant decrease from the 437,061 MT produced in 2024. While its copper output was supported by Phase 3, it was impacted by a temporary shutdown of sections of the mine in May 2025 after seismic activity and flooding occurred at the complex. On January 2, 2026, the company announced that it was proceeding to stage 3 dewatering as it works to ramp up production at the affected areas of the mine.

    3. Peru

    Copper production: 2.7 million metric tons

    In 2025, Peru produced 2.7 million metric tons of copper, accounting for just below 12 percent of the world’s copper output. Its total is down a slight 40,000 MT from its copper output in 2024.

    Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) operates Cerro Verde, the largest copper mine in Peru. In its Q4 2025 report, the company reported that the mine produced 863 million pounds of copper, equivalent to 391,450 MT. This was down from 949 million pounds in 2024.

    Other significant copper operations in Peru include Anglo American’s (LSE:AAL,OTCQX:NGLOY) Quellaveco mine and Southern Copper’s (NYSE:SCCO) Tia Maria mine. The majority of copper produced in Peru is shipped to China and Japan, and South Korea and Germany are other top export destinations.

    4. China

    Copper production: 1.8 million metric tons

    In 2025, China mined 1.8 million metric tons of copper, marginally lower than the 1.84 million metric tons produced in 2024. The country’s production hit a peak of 1.94 million MT in 2022.

    While the country is fourth place for mine production, when it comes to refined copper production, China is by far the winner. In 2025, China’s refined copper production totaled 14 million metric tons, representing more than 48 percent of global refined copper production and six times the production of the DRC, the second highest refined copper producer.

    Zijin Mining Group, a leading metal producer in China, owns a majority stake in the Qulong copper-molybdenum-silver-gold mine in Tibet, the largest copper mine in China.

    Zijin reported the Qulong mine produced over 190,000 MT of copper in 2025. Phase 2 started production in January 2026, and is expected to raise its copper output to 300,000 MT in 2026.

    5. Russia

    Copper production: 1.3 million metric tons

    Russia produced 1.3 metric tons of copper in 2025, a sizable increase from the 1.02 million MT produced the previous year.

    One of the key contributions to the rise in Russian copper output is the ramp up of Phase 1 production at Udokan Copper’s Udokan mine in Siberia, which entered production in 2023. Phase 1 is expected to produce up to 135,000 MT of copper per year once fully online. This is expected to grow to 450,000 MT if Phase 2 enters production.

    Although the copper hydrometallurgical plant at Udokan was delayed by fires in late 2023, copper mining was reported to be unaffected. Udokan pivoted to exporting its copper concentrate instead of refining it domestically, and in a September 2025 release, the company reported it had cumulatively exported 160,000 MT of copper equivalent since the start of production.

    6. United States

    Copper production: 1 million metric tons

    The United States produced 1 million metric tons of copper in 2025. This was down slightly from 1.04 million MT of copper the prior year, and continued a downward trend from the 1.23 million MT the country produced in 2022.

    The majority of US copper comes from Arizona, which accounts for 70 percent of domestic supply. Other states with significant copper output include Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada and New Mexico. Overall, 17 mines are responsible for 99 percent of copper production in the United States.

    Freeport McMoRan’s Morenci mine in Arizona, a joint venture with Sumitomo (OTC Pink:SSUMF,TSE:8053), is the largest copper mine in the US. According to Freeport’s Q4 2025 report, its combined US operations produced 1.3 billion pounds of copper over the course of the year, equivalent to 591,484 MT.

    Other significant operations include Freeport’s Safford and Sierrita mines, at which copper production totaled 249 million MT and 165 million MT respectively.

    7. Zambia

    Copper production: 940,000 metric tons

    In 2025, Zambia produced 940,000 metric tons of copper, up significantly from 823,000 MT in 2024. Production fell to 712,000 MT in 2023 after reaching 840,000 MT in 2021; however, over the last two years, production has rebounded.

    There are four major mines that dominate the country’s copper production, including Barrick’s (TSX:ABX,NYSE:B) Lumwana and First Quantum Minerals’ (TSX:FM,OTCPL:FQVLF) Kansanshi.

    According to First Quantum’s fourth quarter report, Kansanshi produced 181,183 MT of copper during 2025, up from 170,929 MT the prior year.

    Mopani Copper Mines is another major copper producer in the country. While the company was previously owned by a joint venture between Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTCPL:GLCNF) and First Quantum, the Zambian government, which previously held a 10 percent stake, acquired full ownership in 2021.

    8. Australia

    Copper production: 730,000 metric tons

    In 2025, Australia produced 730,000 metric tons of copper, a slight decrease from the 765,000 MT produced in 2024.

    The country’s largest copper operation is BHP’s Olympic Dam mine in South Australia. According to BHP’s annual report, its Australian operations produced 101,900 MT of copper in 2025, down from 106,300 MT in 2024.

    The state of Queensland is home to the Mount Isa complex, run by a subsidiary of Glencore. While it was one of Australia’s largest copper producers, the operation was shuttered in July 2025 after a 70 year mine life.

    Although it may have modest output compared to those at the top of the list, Australia holds the second highest copper reserves in the world at 100 million metric tons.

    9. Indonesia

    Copper production: 710,00 metric tons

    In 2025, Indonesia produced 710,000 metric tons of copper. While the country’s output had been rising steadily in recent years, it plummeted last year from 1.01 million MT in 2024 due to an accident at the Grasberg copper-gold complex, the country’s largest copper mine.

    Grasberg is a 51/48 joint venture between the Indonesian state-owned PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium and Freeport-McMoRan.

    On September 8, 2025, a sudden ingress of wet materials at the mine’s primary Grasberg Block Cave killed seven workers. While Freeport was able to restart operations at unaffected portions of Grasberg during Q4 2025, the mine is unlikely to see full production return until sometime in 2027, with the companies projecting a 600,000 MT loss of contained copper by the end of 2026.

    Another of the country’s largest operations is PT Amman Mineral’s (OTCPK:AMMNF,IDX:AMMN) Batu Hijau copper-gold mine. During the first nine months of 2025, the mine produced 145 million pounds of copper in concentrate, equivalent to about 65,770 MT. This marked a 51 percent decline from the same period in 2024 as Amman’s activities transitioned to Phase 8 of the operation. The company set full year 2025 copper guidance at 103,400 MT, and projected a significant increase to 220,000 MT in 2026.

    10. Kazakhstan

    Copper production: 710,000 metric tons

    In 2025, Kazakhstan produced 710,000 metric tons of copper, slightly lower than the 724,000 MT produced in 2024. Still, Kazakhstan’s copper output has climbed substantially in recent years; it produced just 510,000 MT in 2021.

    The nation plans to continue that trend, releasing a National Development Plan in February 2024 that aims to increase mineral production by 40 percent by 2029. The plan will involve increased exploration, project co-financing and tax incentives for investment.

    Among the country’s largest mining companies is private firm KAZ Minerals, which owns the Aktogay mine. According to the company’s Q3 2025 production report, the mine produced 171,600 MT of copper during the first nine months of the year, in line with the 172,200 MT produced in 2024.

    10. Mexico

    Copper production: 690,000 metric tons

    Rounding out our list of top copper producers, Mexico produced 690,000 metric tons of copper in 2025, a decrease from 2024’s 717,000 MT.

    The country’s Sonora state holds Mexico’s two largest copper mines, Buenavista mine and La Caridad. Both mines are owned by Southern Copper (NYSE:SCCO), a subsidiary of Grupo Mexico (OTC Pink:GMBXF,BMV:GMEXICOB).

    According to the company’s Q4 2025 report, Buenavista produced 332,710 MT during the year, down from 348,960 MT in 2024.

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

    This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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