Gladiator Announces BlackRock Led C$35M Fully Allocated Institutional Private Placement

On June 22, 2026, Gladiator Metals Corp. announced a C$35.04 million non-brokered private placement led by a cornerstone commitment from BlackRock World Mining Trust, a premier institutional resource investor. The placement includes 7 million charity flow-through shares at C$3.87 and 3 million non-flow-through shares at C$2.65. Upon closing (expected by July 15, 2026), the company’s treasury will increase to approximately $50 million, enabling it to fully fund and aggressively accelerate the 2026–2027 exploration campaign at the flagship Whitehorse Copper Project in Yukon.

The proceeds will immediately ramp up drilling from 3 to 6 rigs by late summer, focusing on: - Cub East – high-grade copper-gold discovery with exceptional recent hits (e.g., 22m @ 4.24% Cu + 2.16 g/t Au) - Cowley – near-surface high-grade copper-gold-silver-molybdenum prospect where Class 3 resource delineation drilling is underway, targeting a maiden NI 43‑101 inferred resource by end‑2026.

The financing also grants 1,000,000 RSUs and 1,000,000 options (strike $3.00) to directors, officers, and consultants, subject to TSXV approval.

This news is material and game-changing. BlackRock World Mining Trust – one of the world’s most influential natural resource institutional investors – is investing for the first time, validating Gladiator’s project and exploration strategy. The C$35 M raise is substantial relative to the company’s ~C$327 M market cap (and even larger relative to the C$200 M market cap cited in the June investor presentation). Crucially, it increases cash to ~$50 M, which fully funds two years of aggressive drilling and eliminates near‑term dilution or financing risk.

The premium flow‑through price ($3.87) signals strong institutional demand. With six drill rigs, the company can rapidly define a maiden resource at Cowley and expand the high‑grade Cub East discovery, which remains open in all directions and now has a geophysical footprint exceeding 900 m strike. BlackRock’s presence also likely broadens the shareholder base and increases liquidity, making the stock more attractive to other institutional investors. In the context of a soaring copper price environment and global supply concerns, this financing positions Gladiator as one of the most advanced and well‑funded junior copper explorers globally. The combination of a first‑time strategic investment from a tier‑one institution, full funding through to resource delivery, and a massive acceleration in drilling capacity makes this a game‑changer for the company.

Gladiator Metals Corp. (TSXV:GLAD) is a junior explorer advancing the Whitehorse Copper Project in the Yukon Territory, Canada. The project spans a 35 km × 5 km belt of high‑grade copper‑gold‑silver‑molybdenum skarn occurrences, with extensive historical production (1967–1982: 267.5 M lbs Cu, 225 k oz Au, 2.84 M oz Ag from 10.5 Mt at ∼1.5% Cu). The company’s primary focus is on:

• Cowley prospect – a near‑surface, high‑grade Cu‑Mo‑Au‑Ag skarn system with >1,200 m strike, 450 m width, and open at depth. Recent intercepts include 92 m @ 1.03% Cu from 2 m depth and 8.3 m @ 4.99% Cu. Resource definition drilling under a Class 3 permit aims at a maiden inferred resource by end‑2026.
• Cub East – a 2026 high‑grade copper‑gold discovery only 2.5 km west of Cowley. All five maiden holes hit mineralization; headline intercept of 44.2 m @ 1.69% Cu + 0.93 g/t Au, including 27 m @ 2.56% Cu + 1.44 g/t Au. The system is open in all directions with geophysical strike extending >900 m.
• Other targets – Chiefs Trend, Arctic Chief/Best Chance, and the large Great Southern gravity anomaly.

The project benefits from excellent infrastructure (highways, power grid) and a strong relationship with local First Nations.