Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 31, 2025) - Ridgestone Mining Inc. (TSXV: RMI) (OTCQB: RIGMF) (FSE:4U5) ("Ridgestone" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has acquired via Option Agreement the Las Pilas Project (the "Las Pilas" or "the Project") in southern British Columbia, Canada, for the purpose of exploring for Rare Earth and other Critical Minerals.

Las Pilas Property Option Agreement

In order to acquire a 100% interest in the Project, the Company must pay $20,000 and issue 200,000 common shares to the owners at a deemed price of $0.105 per share upon regulatory approval. The shares will be subject to a four month and one day hold period from issuance. In order to exercise the option, the Company must pay an additional $300,000, issue an additional 300,000 shares, and incur a minimum of $600,000 in exploration expenditures on the Property over three years. The option is subject to a 2% net smelter returns interest in favour of the owners. The Company may purchase half of the 2% NSR royalty for a one-time payment of $1,000,000. The agreement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance for filing.

About the Las Pilas Property

The Las Pilas Project consists of two mineral claims totalling 1,202.02 hectares and an additional seven mineral title applications covering an additional 4,236.81 hectares. The Project is located in the Greenwood-Grand Forks area of south-central British Columbia within the historical Greenwood Mining District. The project encompasses the Rock Candy Creek fluorite occurrence and adjacent structurally permissive terrain. The historically mined fluorite occurrence associated with the Las Pilas Project is hosted along a fault structure that trends through the Rock Candy Creek area and extends northward toward Kennedy Creek and Fluorine Lake. While the historical mine workings are not located directly within the active Rock Candy Creek drainage, they are developed on the same fault system, which is locally offset and variably expressed along strike. The Las Pilas Project captures this structural corridor and adjacent lithologic units considered permissive for hydrothermal mineralization related to Eocene extension and magmatism.

Rock Candy Creek / Fluorine Lake fault system represents a historically mined fluorite occurrence where small-scale operations exploited high-grade mineralization from structurally controlled veins and breccias. Historical production confirms the presence of an effective hydrothermal system.

This news release contains forward-looking statements or information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. In this news release, such statements include, but are not limited to, the Company's potential exercise of the option regarding the Las Pilas Project, regulatory acceptance of the Project, anticipated exploration on the Project, and exploration results. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the Company's regulatory filings available on www.sedarplus.ca. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risks, uncertainties and other factors is not exhaustive. Unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed could also have material adverse effects on forward-looking statements. The impact of any one factor on a particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with certainty as such factors are dependent on other factors, and the Company's course of action would depend on its assessment of the future considering all information then available. All forward-looking statements in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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