Mr. Sean Charland reports

APEX RECEIVES EXPLORATION PERMIT FOR RIFT REE PROJECT, NEBRASKA; DRILL PROGRAM PREPARATION UNDERWAY

Apex Critical Metals Corp. has received approval from the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment (NDEE) for its mineral exploration permit (drill permit) at the company's flagship Rift rare earth project, located within the Elk Creek carbonatite complex in southeastern Nebraska, United States.

Apex chief executive officer Sean Charland, stated: "We have been very active expanding and consolidating our property position and completing historical relogging, reassaying and 3-D modelling work in preparation for our inaugural drill campaign at the Rift rare earth project. We are very pleased to receive our drill permit, which marks a significant step forward as we transition from planning and preparation to drill program execution. We are eager to begin verifying and expanding upon the excellent historical results, which we believe can rapidly position the Rift project as one of the premier rare earth projects in North America."

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 Corp. (2010 to 2011). Historical programs reported broad, high-grade rare-earth-element-mineralized intervals, including:

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

Drill program preparations

With a permit now in hand, Apex has begun advancing all predrilling activities, with drilling expected to commence during the first half of Q1 2026. Continuing preparations include:

• Finalizing discussions with contractors;
• Securing drill mobilization schedules and support services;
• Establishing access routes and planned drill pad locations;
• Completing logistical planning for core handling, sampling and on-site operations;
• Target refinement based on historical data and detailed geological review.

A detailed summary of the drill hole locations and planned metreage will be released as the program commences.

Management cautions that drill hole EC-93 is historical and was originally completed by Molycorp between 1984 and 1986, with reanalysis performed by Quantum Rare Earth Development in 2010. The EC-93 results presented herein are from the 2010 reanalysis.

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 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 m 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 exchange under the symbol KL9 and/or WKN: A40CCQ.

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