VANCOUVER, BC , July 17, 2025 /CNW/ - Finlay Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: FYL) (OTCQB: FYMNF), the "Company", is pleased to announce that the approved budget under the Earn-In Agreements with Freeport-McMoRan Mineral Properties Canada Inc. ("Freeport")¹ for both the PIL and ATTY Projects, has been increased to a total of $3.6 million.

Both projects are situated in the highly prospective Toodoggone District of British Columbia, which continues to develop as an important copper-gold (Cu-Au) district with significant potential for further discoveries.

Initially, the 2025 budget was set at a minimum of $750,000 for the PIL property and $500,000 for the ATTY property. However, these amounts have now been revised to up to $2.6 million for the PIL project and up to $1.0 million for the ATTY project. Both programs are fully funded under the Earn-In Agreements with Freeport. According to these agreements, Freeport may earn an 80% interest in each property by investing a total of $35 million in exploration expenditures and making cash payments totaling $4.1 million over/up to six years.² Until the Finlay-Freeport Earn-In Agreements complete, Finlay owns 100% of both properties.

The PILProperty lies in the heart of the Toodoggone region and features several porphyry copper-gold (Cu-Au) targets, along with associated epithermal gold-silver (Au-Ag) mineralization.  To date, 18 porphyry Cu ± Mo ± Au and porphyry-related low- and high-sulphidation epithermal Au-Ag occurrences have been outlined on the PIL Property. The PIL property is adjacent to Amarc Resources and Freeport-McMoRan's JOY Project, as well as TDG Gold Corp.'s Shasta/Baker and Sofia Properties. It is also situated 25 kilometres ("km") northwest of Centerra Gold's former Kemess South Mine and 15 km east of Thesis Gold's Lawyers Project.

The ATTY Property covers 3,875 hectares of sub-alpine terrain in the southern Toodoggone region, an area known for significant porphyry copper-gold (Cu-Au) and epithermal gold-silver (Au-Ag) deposits. It is located between Centerra Gold's Kemess Project and the JOY Project, held by Amarc Resources and Freeport-McMoRan. The KEM target on the ATTY Property resembles the Kemess North Trend, which is home to the Kemess Underground and Kemess East deposits. Exploration will focus on the Wrich target, located near the copper geochemical anomaly at the SWT target on the JOY Property. This anomaly extends over 2 km and continues onto the ATTY Property for an additional 1.2 km to the southeast.

The 2025 programs at the PIL and ATTY are well underway with:

• Detailed property-wide, 100 metre line-spaced airborne magnetic surveys completed on both properties;
  
  
• Detailed geological and alteration mapping and expanded rock and soil sampling on up to 8 target areas on the PIL underway, with the ATTY expected to start by the end of July;
  
  
• 53 line-km of induced polarization ("IP") geophysical surveys planned on the PIL and 16 line-km on the ATTY, and
  
  
• Finlay acting as the Operator on both properties.

Finlay's President and CEO, Ilona Lindsay, states: 

"We are very pleased with the substantial increase in approved funding for both the PIL and the ATTY. This additional funding will allow us to identify and prioritize as many targets as possible for drilling in 2026."

References:

1. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) is a leading international metals company focused on copper, with major operations in the Americas and Indonesia and significant reserves of copper, gold, and molybdenum.
   
   
2. Finlay news releases NR 03-25 dated April 17, 2025 entitled: "Finlay Minerals Enters into Earn-In Agreements with Freeport for its PIL & ATTY Properties" and NR 05-25 dated May 2, 2025 and entitled: "Finlay Minerals Receives TSX Venture Exchange Approval for PIL Earn-In Agreement."

Qualified Person:

Wade Barnes, P. Geo. and Vice President, Exploration for Finlay Minerals and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has approved the technical content of this news release.

About Finlay Minerals Ltd.

Finlay is a TSXV company focused on exploration for base and precious metal deposits with five properties in northern British Columbia:

Finlay trades under the symbol "FYL" on the TSXV and under the symbol "FYMNF" on the OTCQB. For further information and details, please visit the Company's website at www.finlayminerals.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Robert F. Brown,
Executive Chairman of the Board

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

Forward-Looking Information:  This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding, among others, the exploration plans for the PIL & ATTY Properties. Although Finlay believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. These forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other things, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions, the timing and receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals, the ability of Finlay and other parties to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner, the availability of financing for Finlay's proposed transactions and programs on reasonable terms, and the ability of third-party service providers to deliver services in a timely manner. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Finlay does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE Finlay Minerals Ltd.