Mr. Sean Charland reports

APEX CRITICAL METALS RECEIVES MULTI-YEAR PERMIT AND PREPS DRILL PROGRAM AT CAP PROJECT, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Apex Critical Metals Corp. has received a five-year multiyear area-based exploration permit (MYAB) and has advanced plans for a 2025 summer diamond drill program at its Cap project located in east-central British Columbia. Drilling is expected to commence in mid-July, with approximately 1,000 to 1,500 metres of core drilling anticipated.

The 2025 campaign marks the company's inaugural drill program at Cap, and the first program on the project since 2017, when mineralized carbonatite was intersected in drill hole CAP17-004. The 2025 drilling program will target the 1.8-kilometre-long niobium-in-soil anomaly and mineralized carbonatite outcrops identified by the company in 2024 (see news release dated Nov. 12, 2024). These areas remain untested by previous drilling.

Cap project highlights from 2024 exploration include:

• A total of 3.33 per cent Nb2O5 returned in outcrop with four additional outcrop samples assaying between 0.16 per cent to 0.50 per cent Nb2O5. Two mineralized carbonatite outcrops discovered are separated by approximately 250 metres.
• A total of 1.79 per cent Nb2O5 and 1.45 per cent Nb2O5 returned in carbonatite boulders.
• A single drill hole along the southeast margins of the anomaly from 2017 returned 0.35 per cent Nb2O5 over 10.4 m (drill hole CAP17-004).
• Distinct niobium anomaly discovered from soil sampling, situated along interpreted trend of known mineralized carbonatite outcrops and overlying radiometric anomaly:
  • Elevated rare-earth oxide (REO) values also identified with one soil sample assaying 1.21 per cent REO and three additional samples assaying between 0.33 per cent and 0.34 per cent REO.

"We are eager to advance the Cap project to the drill stage," notes Sean Charland, chief executive officer of Apex Critical Metals. "The 2025 program is designed to evaluate the scale and depth potential of the newly discovered carbonatite-hosted niobium and REO mineralization. With a strong foundation from our 2024 work, we're looking forward to testing some of the most compelling targets identified to date."

Apex received a five-year multiyear area-based exploration permit (permit No. MX-11-251, the MYAB permit), effective Nov. 6, 2024, encompasses most of the Cap project.

The MYAB permit allows for Apex to complete the following key exploration activities:

• Conduct up to 60 diamond drill holes;
• Perform targeted drilling along the niobium trend to determine its continuity and width.

Quality assurance/quality control

All 2024 rock samples were collected in the field using a hammer and chisel. Soil samples were collected from the presumed B horizon using a hand auger and/or geotool. Stream concentrate samples were collected by fill approximately three-fourths of a 12- by 20-centimetre sample bag with stream sediment. The material was first passed through a one-eighth-inch sieve yielding a fine fraction that was then processed using both 14-inch LeTrap plastic pans to concentrate the heavy fraction, resulting in approximately tens of grams per sample. The concentrate was then carefully transferred to a prelabelled zip-lock sample bag with a corresponding sample book tag and sample number locations for all sample types were obtained using a handheld GPS or tablet with samples placed in prelabelled sample bags. Metal tags with the sample numbers and flagging tape were left at each sample location.

Samples were shipped using Manitoulin Transport to Actlabs Laboratory in Kamloops, B.C. Rock samples were prepped via RX1, dry, crush (less than seven kilograms) up to 80 per cent passing two mm, riffle split (250 g) and pulverize (mild steel) to 95 per cent passing 105 micrometres. Analysis consisted of Code 8 by XRF Nb2O5, ZrO2 and Ta2O5 (0.003 per cent), Code 8 -- REE assay, and 1A2 Au fire assay -- AA, 30 g weight, five to 5,000 ppb (parts per billion). Soil and stream concentrate samples were prepped using code S1-230, which requires drying (60 degrees Celsius) and sieving (negative 63 micrometres). Analysis consisted of packages 4B2-STD, lithium borate fusion/ICP-MS trace element package and 1A2 Au fire assay -- AA, 30 g weight, five to 5,000 ppb.

A quality assurance/quality control protocol was incorporated into the rock sampling program and included the insertion of two certified reference material (CRMs) and one quartz blank representing approximately 9 per cent of submitted samples. For the soil sampling and stream concentrate sampling, a total of five CRMs were inserted into the sample stream representing approximately 1 per cent of the submitted samples, with the company also relying on the internal QA/QC procedures of Actlabs.

Management cautions that prospecting surface rock samples, soil samples, stream concentrate samples and associated assays, as discussed herein, are selective by nature and represent a point location, and therefore may not necessarily be fully representative of the mineralized horizon sampled.

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 on 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 ha, 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 multitude 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 OTCQB 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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