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NEW YORK , Oct. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- October 20, 2025 - A major sector rotation is beginning to unfold. After years of capital crowding into overvalued growth sectors such as technology and AI, investors are increasingly turning to real assets, specifically looking at producers and near-producers in precious metals, as the next destination for capital flows. What makes this moment unique is that gold and silver are reaching new all-time highs even as equity markets rally, creating a rare environment of rising hard-asset values alongside broad market strength. While speculative exploration has long defined the junior mining space, a new class of companies is emerging: fully funded, fully permitted projects on the cusp of production, with tangible near-term cash flow potential. An example of this type of opportunity is ESGold Corp.(CSE: ESAU) (OTCQB: ESAUF) (Profile), which exemplifies the shift toward juniors that can deliver value now, not just promise tomorrow. ESGold is advancing two complementary projects: its Montauban Gold-Silver Project in Quebec is under construction with production targeted for 2026 while, in Colombia, the company is in the process of validating its Planta Magdalena joint venture (JV), where historical data and early sampling suggest district-scale upside. This combination of cash-flow potential and exploration optionality is rare among juniors that still trade at preproduction valuations, making ESGold an option worth considering among other precious mineral operators in the space, including BHP Group Ltd. (NYSE: BHP), Barrick Mining Corp. (NYSE: B), Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (NYSE: AEM) and Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (NYSE: WPM).

• At Montauban, ESGold's fully funded, fully permitted tailings processing is structured to begin generating cash flow before full-scale exploration ramps up.
• The company has a binding MOU with Planta Magdalena S.A.S. in Colombia, to jointly reprocess permitted gold- and silver-rich tailings, now moving through validation phase.
• To support its dual-track strategy, ESGold has in place its critical financing and sales arrangement with Ocean Partners UK for the Montauban project.
• Multiple catalysts lie ahead as the company transitions from buildout to production.
  ESGold's dual-track approach, combining a low-capex, high-margin tailings production model with systematic exploration upside, is designed for replication across legacy districts in the Americas.

Click here to view the custom infographic of theESGold Corp.editorial.

Gold's Defensive Strength Before Downturns

Historically, gold has served as a safe haven during recessions and periods of financial stress. Yet in this cycle, gold (and often silver) is rising before a downturn arrives, reflecting investor anticipation rather than reaction. The rotation toward safety is not retroactive; it is unfolding in real time, as more capital seeks stable, de-risked exposure.

Because many investors are already hedging against inflation, debt and instability, precious metals are poised to become one of the largest beneficiaries of global capital realignment. Juniors with production capability are especially attractive in this environment, offering both leverage to a rising metals price and the potential for cash flow even in volatile markets.

Within the junior space, speculative explorers have long outnumbered real operators. But the new paradigm is different: Companies with high potential for success may be those with low-capital intensity models, high margins and the discipline to fund exploration from operating cash rather than constant dilution. These are the operators rewriting the traditional model.

ESGold represents a clear evolution in that theme. The company is fully funded and permitted, advancing its Montauban project toward production while simultaneously validating its Colombian joint venture. Montauban's fully permitted tailings and remaining near-surface mineralization provide a clear path to near-term revenue. Few juniors reach this dual status — permitted, financed, diversified — while still trading with upside potential rather than execution risk.

Cash Flow First, Discovery Second

ESGold isn't focused on speculative dreams alone. The company's strategy is rooted in delivering cash flow first, then expanding. At Montauban, its fully funded, fully permitted tailings processing is structured to begin generating revenue even before full-scale exploration ramps up.

Tailings reprocessing is a lower-risk, lower-capex pathway to production. Because the material is already mined, the infrastructure burden is reduced, enabling earlier cash flows. ESGold's model aims to use those returns to partially or fully fund future exploration without continual capital raises. This means limited dilution moving forward and increased shareholder value over the long run.

The company's partnership with Ocean Partners further reinforces that strategy. In a binding term sheet worth up to C$9 million, Ocean Partners will provide a prepayment and working capital facility to support Montauban's build-out and flowing gold/silver, with offtake rights for 100% of doré output. This structure helps reduce dilution risk while aligning capital support with production.

By putting operating margins and near-term production first, ESGold flips the conventional order in junior mining. Rather than exploration first, dilution second, it gives investors a tangible earnings foundation, then layers exploration and discovery potential on top.

Validation in Colombia: The Next Growth Chapter

In August 2025, ESGold announced a binding MOU with Planta Magdalena S.A.S. in Bolívar, Colombia, to jointly reprocess permitted gold- and silver-rich tailings. The goal? To expand its tailings-to-cash model to a new jurisdiction with historical precedent and exploration upside.

The MOU provides ESGold with a 50% joint venture interest for a C$1.5 million contribution and a first right of refusal on the remaining 50%. ESGold's technical team is already on the ground in Colombia, where initial sampling and bench-scale testing have confirmed strong gold recoveries. Further optimization and validation work are now underway to refine the process, confirm scalability, and advance due diligence and site logistics.

Most recently, ESGold's geological and engineering team has mobilized to the Planta Magdalena site to validate grade, tonnage, infrastructure and processing parameters. Bench samples from both Colombia and Quebec have been sent to ALS Global for independent metallurgical analysis, with results from Montauban expected shortly following the recently announced positive findings from Colombia. The results will be critical in converting the MOU into a definitive JV and scaling operations.

Bolívar's regional geology supports significant upside. The zone includes at least one mineralized corridor measuring 3.4 km by 400–800 meters from historical reports, giving ESGold a strong foundation for systematic exploration once the JV is formalized.

Fully Funded and Executing Projects

To support its dual-track strategy, ESGold has in place its critical financing arrangement with Ocean Partners UK. The C$9 million facility is nondilutive and tied directly to Montauban's production, with repayment through doré deliveries rather than equity issuance.

Because this funding aligns with production, ESGold reduces reliance on share issuance and retains shareholder leverage. Moreover, the offtake agreement ensures Ocean Partners will purchase 100% of Montauban's gold and silver output, subject to delivery minimums of 50,000 ounces of gold and 1,000,000 ounces of silver, providing certainty of demand for its production stream.

The company's September 2025 update confirmed Montauban is fully funded and construction is progressing toward a mid-Q4 2025 completion target of the building. With that in place, ESGold can simultaneously advance the Colombia validation program without external dilution. This financial and operational positioning gives the company optionality, stability and execution capacity, rare traits in juniors evolving out of the exploration phase and toward real asset conversion.

Near-Term Catalysts to Watch

Multiple catalysts lie ahead as ESGold transitions from build to deliver. Bulk sample results from both Montauban and Planta Magdalena are currently in lab testing, with assays expected in the coming weeks. These results will validate metallurgical recoveries and feed into final processing circuit design.

Meanwhile, Montauban construction updates are expected regularly, culminating in the building completion by mid-Q4 2025. As each piece of infrastructure comes online, the project moves closer to its 2026 production goal. In Colombia, on-site validation, further due diligence and exploration planning will follow the site visit by the geological and engineering team, with announcements anticipated through Q4 2025.

The side-by-side updates in Quebec and Colombia should reinforce momentum and investor interest. Continuous news flow — from assay updates to construction milestones to JV agreements — will help maintain visibility and support valuation as ESGold proves its execution capabilities across jurisdictions.

A Scalable, Clean Mining Model

ESGold's dual-track approach, combining a low-capex, high-margin tailings production model with systematic exploration upside, is designed for replication across legacy districts in the Americas. This replicable framework aligns well with investor demand for sustainability, capital efficiency and returns without dilution.

By focusing first on tailings recovery, ESGold minimizes environmental disruption and capital intensity. Then, as cash flow builds, the company can fund exploration across its land packages or new acquisitions. This model is well suited for jurisdictions with established mining infrastructure.

As the broader market continues to rotate into hard assets, the advantage will go to juniors that already have de-risked, funded and scalable operating models. ESGold's combination of permitted projects, secured financing and exploration optionality positions it as a flexible, modern junior poised to capture upside in this new cycle.

The current capital rotation favors real assets — not speculative promises — and junior producers that can bridge the gap between exploration and production stand to benefit disproportionately. ESGold's strategy exemplifies this evolution: it is fully financed, fully permitted, and operating across two jurisdictions with near-term cash flow catalysts and long-term discovery potential.

Mining Leaders Advance Growth Through Strategic Moves

Across the global mining sector, a series of recent announcements highlight how leading companies are taking decisive steps to position themselves for long-term growth. The sector continues to evolve as companies pursue strategies that balance innovation, sustainability and resource development in an increasingly competitive global landscape.

BHP Group Ltd. announced the explorers selected for its BHP Xplor critical minerals accelerator program. The company named eight early-stage mineral exploration companies chosen from hundreds around the world to participate in the Xplor accelerator program. For BHP, the program provides an opportunity to access some of the most exciting exploration prospects globally, enhancing the pipeline of opportunities that could shape the company's future asset portfolio. Over the course of the program, each of the companies will work collaboratively with BHP Xplor to expedite their geological concepts and position the projects for potential follow-on investment and partnership with BHP.  

Barrick Mining Corp.  has announced that updated studies confirm that its Fourmile project in Nevada is one of this century's most significant gold finds. Backed by ongoing 2025 evaluation results and the 2024 mineral resource, the new preliminary economic assessment (PEA) underscores Fourmile's rare combination of grade, scale and exploration upside, confirming its potential to become one of the world's leading gold producers. According to the company, its studies are progressing and continue to confirm the attributes that make this orebody so valuable.

Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.  has acquired 5,000,000 subscription receipts issued by 1555489 B.C. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuerte Metals Corporation. The investment in Fuerte is consistent with Agnico Eagle's historical practice of strategic equity investments in projects with high geological potential. Agnico Eagle continues to focus on its portfolio of high-quality internal growth projects, and complements its pipeline of projects with a strategy of acquiring strategic positions in prospective opportunities with high geological potential.

Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. has committed financing to Carcetti Capital Corporation to support Carcetti's proposed acquisition of the Hemlo Mine from Barrick Mining Corporation. Carcetti's financing package for the acquisition is expected to include up to $400 million Wheaton gold stream; concurrent equity financing with estimated proceeds of approximately $415 million; and $200 million in bank debt. According to the company, the investment reflects its commitment to disciplined capital deployment and long-term value creation as well as its continued focus on investing in assets with strong geological potential and responsible stewardship.

Together, these developments demonstrate the mining industry's resilience and adaptability in a shifting economic environment. As demand for critical and precious minerals continues to rise, companies are positioning themselves to meet both present and future needs through strategic steps that keeps the mining sector dynamic.

For further information about ESGold Corporation, please visit ESGold Profile.

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