Mr. Sean Charland reports

APEX LAUNCHES EXTENSIVE 2025 RE-ANALYSIS OF PRESERVED HISTORICAL DRILL CORE AT RIFT RARE EARTH PROJECT NEAR ELK CREEK, NEBRASKA

Apex Critical Metals Corp. has commenced an extensive 2025 resampling and relogging program of historical drill core from the Rift rare earth project, located near Elk Creek, Neb., United States.

The historical drill programs were completed during the 1970s and 1980s by Molycorp Inc., and a substantial portion of the drill core and sample material have been preserved and are available for modern analysis.

The company has retained Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd. to oversee the program. Dahrouge previously completed similar verification and resampling work for Quantum Rare Earth Developments Corp. in 2010 to 2011, which supported the first modern National Instrument 43-101 technical reports for the Elk Creek district. Apex's 2025 work will include relogging of drill holes and the selection of samples for multielement analysis. All samples will be analyzed by Actlabs using modern Fusion ICP-MS, ICP-OES and XRF (X-ray fluorescence). Initial results are expected during the first quarter of 2026.

Apex chief executive officer Sean Charland stated: "We are grateful to the conservation and survey division, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska -- Lincoln for ensuring the preservation of the historical Molycorp material. Having access to this material is a tremendous resource to draw from and our 2025 relogging and resampling program initiative at Rift will provide a modern analytical foundation for understanding the scale and grade potential of the system."

The results of this work will support Apex's continuing geological interpretation and modelling of the Rift carbonatite system, which is host to significant rare earth element (REE) and niobium mineralization. The Rift project covers a series of carbonatite and related intrusive rocks which form part of the broader Elk Creek district, a region known to contain high-grade REE and niobium mineralization at depth.

Historical drilling by Molycorp identified multiple zones of REE- and niobium-bearing carbonatite within the boundaries of Apex's current holdings at Elk Creek though these results predate NI 43-101 and are therefore non-compliant with current reporting standards. Apex is not treating the historical results or estimates as current mineral resources or reserves.

Qualified person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Nathan Schmidt, PGeo, geologist for Dahrouge Geological Consulting and a qualified person under NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

The results discussed in this document are considered historical. An Apex Critical Metals qualified person has not performed sufficient work or data verification to validate these historical results in accordance with NI 43-101, and, therefore, results should not be relied upon until such time that the company has carried out its own sampling, drilling and modern analysis.

About Apex Critical Metals Corp.

Apex Critical Metals is a Canadian exploration company focused on advancing rare earth element (REE) 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 (rare earth oxide) 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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