Apex Critical Metals drills 36 m of 0.59% Nb2O5 at Cap

Mr. Sean Charland reports APEX MAKES SIGNIFICANT NIOBIUM DISCOVERY WITH 0.59% NB2O5 OVER 36 M, INCLUDING 1.08% NB2O5 OVER 10 M AT THE CAP PROJECT Apex Critical Metals Corp. has made a major niobium discovery in its second hole from its 2025 diamond drill program at its 100-per-cent-owned Cap critical minerals project in central British Columbia. Highlights Significant niobium discovery in drill hole at the Cap carbonatite starting from only 33.5 metres down hole; Mineralization remains open in all directions; Assays pending for remaining 1,691 metres drilled to date from six drill holes; Drill program extended to test additional targets given the early program successes. Sean Charland, chief executive officer of Apex Critical Metals, comments: "The global niobium supply chain has been dominated by Brazil with a limited number of global producers and developers. The need to secure domestic sources in North America has never been more important, and it's with that backdrop that we are incredibly pleased to see such early returns and a new significant niobium discovery emerging at our Cap project from the recent drilling campaign by Apex. ASX-listed WA1 Resources ($1.39-billion (Australian) market cap) and Nasdaq-listed Niocorp Developments ($320-million (U.S.) market cap) highlight the opportunity to create significant value through the definition of niobium deposits, and these initial results from our 2025 campaign put the Cap project on the map with the potential to emerge as a meaningful source of critical niobium and associated rare-earth elements." Preliminary visual results from drill hole CAP25-006 of the 2025 campaign motivated the company to request a rush order for the results from the upper 72.5 metres (m) from the assay lab. The results confirm strong niobium mineralization starting at 33.5 m down hole with 36 m at 0.59 per cent Nb2O5 (niobium pentoxide), including a higher-grade zone of 10 m averaging 1.08 per cent Nb2O5 (see Table 1). These results validate the strong visual estimates of pyrochlore mineralization reported in the company's Aug. 12 news release and demonstrate the grade potential over significant thickness at depth, where the heart of the mineralized system remains untested. The Cap project, covering approximately 2,500 hectares, hosts carbonatite-associated niobium and rare-earth element (REE) mineralization, with road access only 85 kilometres northeast of Prince George, B.C. The fully financed 2025 exploration program, originally planned for 1,500 metres (m) of diamond drilling, has been expanded in response to the strong early results. To date, six drill holes totalling 1,763 m have been completed, with drilling continuing (Table 2). The analytical results disclosed herein correspond to the first 72.5 m of drill hole CAP25-006 only, with assays for the remaining 1,691 m of drilling yet to be reported. Reported down hole intervals are not necessarily indicative of true thickness, as the true thickness of the mineralized zones has not yet been determined. Mineralization encountered in CAP25-006 remains open in all directions, highlighting the potential for expansion with continued drilling. The persistence of mineralized carbonatite and associated fenite observed in core supports the interpretation of a large and well-developed system. Additional assays are pending for the remainder of CAP25-006 as well as for drill holes completed over the duration of the program. The company eagerly awaits the results to provide further understanding on the continuity, grade distribution and scale of mineralization across the Cap project. Management cautions that comparisons with other companies or projects (that is, WA1 Resources and Niocorp Developments) are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily indicative of the mineralization or economic potential of the Cap project. Sampling, analytical methods and QA/QC (quality assurance/quality control) protocols All drilling was completed using a helicopter-supported diamond drill rig with NQ size core and all drill core samples have been or will be shipped to Activation Laboratories Ltd. preparation facility in Kamloops, B.C., for standard sample preparation (code RX1) which includes drying, crush (less than seven kilograms) up to 80 per cent passing two millimetres, riffle split (250 g) and pulverize (mild steel) to 95 per cent passing 105 micrometres. The samples were subsequently analyzed using Code 8 by XRF Nb2O5, ZrO2 and Ta2O5 (0.003 per cent), Code 8 -- REE Assay (lithium metaborate/tetraborate fusion with subsequent analysis by ICP and ICP/MS). Drill core was saw cut with half core sent for geochemical analysis and half core remaining in the box onsite. In addition to internal laboratory quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) protocols, the company implemented an independent QA/QC program that included the insertion of certified reference materials and silica blanks at a rate of approximately 5 per cent each. To further assess analytical precision, duplicate analyses were performed on both pulp splits and reject splits at a rate of approximately 5 per cent. Qualified person The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Nathan Schmidt, PGeo (EGBC licence 48336), geologist for Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd. (EGBC Permit to Practice 1003035), and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 -- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Schmidt has verified all scientific and technical data disclosed in this news release including the sampling and QA/QC results, and certified analytical data underlying the technical information disclosed. Mr. Schmidt noted no errors or omissions during the data verification process. The company and Mr. Schmidt do not recognize any factors of sampling or recovery that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the assay data disclosed in this news release. About Apex Critical Metals Corp. Apex Critical Metals is a Canadian exploration company specializing in the acquisition and development of properties prospective for carbonatites and alkaline rocks with potential to host economic concentrations of rare-earth elements (REEs), niobium, gold and copper mineralization. Apex's Cap property located 85 kilometres northeast of Prince George, B.C., spans 25 square kilometres and hosts a recently identified promising 1.8-kilometre niobium in soil trend. The company's Bianco carbonatite project encompasses 3,735 hectares covering a large carbonatite complex within an area known for significant niobium mineralization in Northwestern Ontario. The Lac Le Moyne project covers approximately 4,025 hectares and is situated several kilometres to the northwest of commerce Resources Corp.'s Eldor Carbonatite complex located in Quebec, Canada. Carbonatites are extremely rare rock types, with fewer than 600 known worldwide. They are host to rare-earth element (REE) minerals, niobium, tantalum and phosphate, as well as copper and gold. Carbonatites are host to the world's largest and most productive niobium deposits, including Araxa and Catalao in Brazil, and Niobec in Quebec. In addition, they are the primary source of REEs, including Mountain Pass in California, Mount Weld in Australia and Bayan Obo in China. They are also important sources of phosphate (apatite), including Cargill, Ont., while the Palabora mine in South Africa has produced copper, nickel, gold, magnetite and vermiculite. Other carbonatites are known to have produced gold, iron, zirconium, fluorite and other industrial minerals. By acquiring a variety of carbonatite projects, Apex intends to investigate potential high-value opportunities to meet the growing global demand of specialty metals across various industries. Apex is publicly listed in Canada on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) under the symbol APXC and quoted on the OTCQX market in the United States under the symbol APXCF, and in Germany on the Borse Frankfurt under the symbol KL9 and/or WKN: A40CCQ. We seek Safe Harbor.