Mr. Sean Charland reports

APEX SECURES DRILL CONTRACTOR AND SETS PLANNED MOBILIZATION FOR DRILLING AT RIFT

Boart Longyear has been secured as the drilling contractor at Apex Critical Metals Corp.'s flagship Rift rare earth project, located within the Elk Creek carbonatite complex in southeastern Nebraska, United States.

Boart Longyear is a globally recognized drilling services provider with extensive mineral exploration experience and has recently completed drilling at NioCorp's adjacent and contiguous Elk Creek critical minerals project using Boart's LF160 diamond drill rigs. Boart Longyear has been contracted to complete approximately 8,000 metres across 10 to 15 drill holes. With permitting now finalized, the company is focused on the remaining operational preparations to support mobilization with drilling expected to commence before the end of the month.

Apex chief executive officer Sean Charland, stated: "We are rapidly advancing towards our first phase of drilling at Rift with the support of Dahrouge Geological Consulting and Boart Longyear, both having extensive local knowledge and experience to ensure this program is executed successfully. We look forward to taking aim at verifying and expanding on the significant rare earth mineralization previously defined and will provide more updates as mobilization and drilling commences."

The Rift project now covers approximately 3,500 acres across the Elk Creek carbonatite complex -- an area with extensive historical drilling by previous operators, including Molycorp (1973 to 1986) and Quantum Rare Earth Developments (2010 to 2011). Historical programs reported broad, high-grade REE-mineralized (rare earth element) intervals, including:

• 155.5 metres of 2.70 per cent REO (rare earth oxide), including 54.9 metres at 3.30 per cent REO (EC-93);
• 236.2 metres of 2.10 per cent REO, including 68.2 m of 3.32 per cent REO (NEC11-004).

Qualified person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Nathan Schmidt, PGeo, a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Schmidt is a geologist with Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., the consulting firm engaged by Apex Critical Metals to conduct and oversee all of the company's exploration work, including the 2026 drill program.

About Apex Critical Metals Corp.

Apex Critical Metals is a Canadian exploration company focused on advancing rare earth element and niobium projects that support the growing demand for critical and strategic metals across the United States and Canada. The company's flagship Rift project, located within the highly prospective Elk Creek carbonatite complex in Nebraska, United States, hosts extensive rare earth rights surrounding one of North America's most advanced niobium/REE deposits. Historical drilling across the complex has reported broad intervals of high-grade REE mineralization, including intercepts such as 155.5 metres of 2.70 per cent REO and 68.2 m of 3.32 per cent REO.

In Canada, Apex continues to advance its 100-per-cent-owned Cap project, located 85 kilometres northeast of Prince George, B.C. The 2025 drill program confirmed a significant niobium discovery with 0.59 per cent Nb2O5 (niobium pentoxide) over 36 metres, including 1.08 per cent Nb2O5 over 10 metres, within a 1.8-kilometre-long niobium trend. The Cap project continues to demonstrate strong potential for niobium mineralization within a large and previously unrecognized carbonatite system.

With a growing portfolio of critical mineral projects in both Canada and the United States, Apex Critical Metals is strategically positioned to help strengthen domestic supply chains for the minerals essential to advanced technologies, clean energy and national security. Apex is publicly listed in Canada on the Canadian Securities Exchange 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.

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