Mr. Michael Rowley reports

STILLWATER CRITICAL MINERALS UPGRADES TO OTCQX BEST MARKET, EXPANDING U.S. MARKET PRESENCE

Stillwater Critical Minerals Corp. has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market, upgrading from the OTCQB Venture Market.

Stillwater Critical Minerals begins trading today on the OTCQX under its existing United States ticker symbol PGEZF and will also continue to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol PGE.

Michael Rowley, president and chief executive officer of Stillwater Critical Minerals, commented: "We are pleased to begin trading on the OTCQX Best Market, marking an important step in strengthening Stillwater's presence in the U.S. capital markets. This upgrade is expected to broaden our reach with U.S. investors, improve accessibility, and enhance the company's visibility and liquidity. The timing is particularly important as we continue to advance large-scale resources of ten minerals listed as critical at our flagship Stillwater West project in a historic and actively producing American mining district."

The OTCQX Market is designed for established, investor-focused U.S. and international companies. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. Graduating to the OTCQX Market marks an important milestone for companies, enabling them to demonstrate their qualifications and build visibility among U.S. investors.

Trading in non-U.S. North American securities on OTC Markets reached $23.4-billion in the second quarter of 2026, representing an 88.25-per-cent increase over Q2 2025. OTC Markets recorded $453.34-billion in total dollar volume in the first half of the year. Canada ranked among the top home markets by trading volume during the quarter, highlighting sustained U.S. investor demand for internationally listed names.

President and chief executive officer Michael Rowley will be presenting at the Precious Metals & Critical Minerals Virtual Investor Conference, hosted by OTC Markets, on Oct. 15, 2026, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The presentation will provide an update on the company's flagship Stillwater West project and upcoming catalysts.

Upcoming events

Company representatives will be attending the following events and look forward to discussing the 2026 MRE and upcoming catalysts:

1. Precious Metals & Critical Minerals -- Virtual Investor Conference, Oct. 13 to Oct. 15, 2026;
2. AEMA Annual Meeting -- Sparks, Nev., United States, Dec. 6 to Dec. 11, 2026;
3. Montana Mining Association Winter Meeting -- Billings, Mon., U.S., Dec. 8 to Dec. 9, 2026;
4. VRIC 2027 -- Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Jan. 24 to Jan. 25, 2027;
5. AME Roundup -- Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Jan. 25 to Jan. 28, 2027;
6. 121 Events -- Cape Town, South Africa, Feb. 8 to Feb. 9, 2027;
7. PDAC 2027 -- Toronto, Ont., Canada, March 7 to March 10, 2027;
8. Swiss Mining Institute -- Zurich, Switzerland, March 18 to March 19, 2027.

About Stillwater Critical Minerals Corp.

Stillwater Critical Minerals is a mineral exploration and development company advancing its 100-per-cent-owned Stillwater West Ni-PGE-Cu-Co-Cr (nickel-platinum group elements-copper-cobalt-chromium) plus Au (gold) project in the Stillwater mining district of Montana, U.S. Stillwater West is directly adjacent to Sibanye-Stillwater's operating Stillwater mines and processing infrastructure, the only primary platinum group element-producing complex in the United States. A National Instrument 43-101 mineral resource estimate released in August, 2026, positions Stillwater West as one of the largest nickel and platinum group element resources in the United States and includes 10 minerals currently listed as critical. With strategic investments by Glencore and an experienced technical team with expertise in Bushveld- and Platreef-style systems, the company is advancing Stillwater West through ongoing resource expansion, resource upgrades and technical studies.

Stillwater also holds a 49-per-cent interest in the high-grade Drayton-Black Lake gold project adjacent to Nexgold Mining's development-stage Goliath gold complex in Northwestern Ontario, currently under an earn-in agreement with Heritage Mining, and the Kluane PGE-Ni-Cu-Co critical minerals project on trend with Nickel Creek Platinum's Wellgreen deposit in Canada's Yukon Territory. The company also holds the Duke Island Cu-Ni-PGE property in Alaska and maintains a back-in right on the high-grade past-producing Yankee-Dundee in B.C., following its sale in 2013.

We seek Safe Harbor.