Collective Mining Expands Ramp Zone by Drilling its Highest Grade Intercept Ever at Apollo: 24.80 Metres @ 29.42 g/t Gold Within 63.90 Metres @ 13.46 g/t Gold from 388.25 Metres

On December 16, 2025, Collective Mining announced its highest-grade drill intercept to date from the Ramp Zone at the Apollo project. Hole APC143-D2 intersected 63.90 metres grading 13.46 g/t gold, which included a bonanza-grade sub-interval of 24.80 metres at 29.42 g/t gold.

This step-out hole has expanded the dimensions of the Ramp Zone to approximately 315 metres of strike length by 300 metres of vertical extent. The zone remains open for expansion in all directions. The company also stated it is fully funded with US$135 million in cash as of December 1, 2025, and has contracted two additional deep-capacity drill rigs scheduled to arrive in mid-Q1 2026 to accelerate expansion drilling.

This news is materially positive and represents a significant step forward in defining a world-class, high-grade core at the Apollo project.

Reviewing the historical news flow reveals a consistent pattern of exploration success and strategic execution: - Consistent Drilling Success: Throughout 2025, the company has relentlessly drilled the Apollo system, consistently reporting long intercepts of good-grade mineralization from surface (e.g., July 14: 397.5m @ 2.62 g/t AuEq) and discovering multiple new zones, including tungsten, silver-rich zones, and crucially, the high-grade Ramp Zone at depth. - De-risking and Validation: Early comparisons to the multi-million-ounce Marmato Deeps deposit (1.75 km away) are being validated by drilling. The March 12 discovery of the Ramp Zone (75.8m @ 8.01 g/t AuEq) was a pivotal moment, and today's results not only confirm its potential but demonstrate even higher grades over significant widths. The gram-meter value of this intercept (63.9m x 13.46 g/t = 860 gm) is exceptional and points towards a very robust and high-value system. - Strategic Endorsement & Financial Strength: The company's progress has attracted significant strategic investment. In March 2025, major gold producer Agnico Eagle Mines invested C$63.4 million (at C$11.00/share and warrant exercise). This was followed by a massive, upsized C$140 million financing in October 2025 at C$19.00 per share, which included further participation from Agnico Eagle, solidifying their stake at ~14.6%. This financing, at a premium to the current market price, underscores strong institutional confidence and has left the company fully funded with US$135 million to aggressively pursue its expanded drill programs without near-term dilution risk. - Operational Execution:* Management has successfully expanded the drill program from 40,000m to 70,000m and now to a planned 100,000m for 2026, secured additional deep-capacity rigs, and accelerated its 100% ownership of the key Guayabales mining license.

Today's release is the culmination of this systematic work. It is not just another good drill hole; it is the best hole to date in what the company believes is the "engine" of the entire system. By delivering a bonanza-grade intercept in a step-out hole, the company has materially increased the potential size and, more importantly, the overall grade of the Ramp Zone, which should have a significantly positive impact on the future economics of the project.

Collective Mining is a Canadian-based exploration company focused on Colombia. Its flagship asset is the 100%-owned Guayabales project in the mining-friendly department of Caldas. The key discovery on the project is the Apollo system, a large-scale, outcropping, bulk-tonnage gold-silver-copper-tungsten deposit that has been drilled over a vertical extent of more than 1,200 metres and remains open. The company is also exploring its nearby San Antonio project. The management team has a proven track record, having previously developed and sold Continental Gold to Zijin Mining.