Finlay announces expanded 2026 PIL Drill Program with increase to 4,400 meters

VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 28, 2026 /CNW/ -- Finlay Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: FYL | OTCQB: FYMNF) ("Finlay" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the 2026 drill program at its PIL Property has been increased by 1,600 meters, bringing the planned program to 4,400 meters, with the additional drilling funded by Freeport-McMoRan Mineral Properties Canada Inc. ("Freeport") under the PIL Earn-In Agreement. Freeport is also funding exploration at Finlay's ATTY Property under a separate Earn-In Agreement; both Earn-In Agreements are now in Year 2 of their six-year terms.⁽¹⁾

The 2026 PIL program is progressing rapidly, with over 2,700 meters drilled at the Gold and Reef targets, located north and northwest of Freeport and Amarc's JOY Project (AuRORA Cu-Au-Ag porphyry discovery). (Refer to Figure 1 PIL Property Map with drill collar locations).

At Gold, drilling is testing a 900 meter by 1,400 meter chargeability-high and resistivity-low anomaly coincident with a 900 meter by 1,800 meter copper-gold-molybdenum-selenium-bismuth soil signature, an elemental suite commonly associated with a porphyry source.

At Reef, drilling is testing a 2,000 meter by 1,200 meter chargeability-high and resistivity-high anomaly 500 to 2,000 meters north-northeast of AuRORA. 

To date, three holes have been completed: one at Gold and two at Reef; a fourth hole has been collared at Reef. With the increase in the size of the program, an additional 1,600 meters are planned.

The laboratory has received drill core from the first two holes, and assay results will be released once they have been reviewed and confirmed through Finlay's quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures.

Surface sampling and mapping has been focused on the Gold, Reef, Spruce, Silver Ridge and GWP target areas. Induced Polarization ("IP") Surveys have been completed on the Gold and Spruce targets with more IP work in progress at the Reef and PIL South Targets. 

Current highlights from the 2026 PIL exploration program include:

• Expansion of the program from the planned 2,800 meters to 4,400 meters.
• Completion of three drill holes totaling 2,300 meters at the Gold and Reef targets.
• A fourth drill hole is nearing completion at the Reef Target.
• Completion of 7.9 line-kilometers of IP over four lines at the Gold Target and one line completed at the Spruce Target.
• Collection of 505 soil samples, 204 rock samples, and 96 talus fine samples.

At Finlay's ATTY Property, the 2026 work program is nearing completion, with IP surveys in the final stages and scheduled to finish by the end of August. ATTY is strategically positioned between the Freeport and Amarc Resources Ltd. joint venture JOY Project and Centerra Gold's Kemess Project, which is undergoing a pre-feasibility study following a preliminary economic assessment announced in early 2026.⁽²⁾ 

Current highlights from the 2026 ATTY exploration program include:

• 17.7 line-kilometers of IP over 6 lines completed at the Wrich and Pyramid targets.
• 134 soil samples and 97 rock samples collected from the Valley and Attycelley East targets.

The PIL and ATTY properties are located in the heart of British Columbia's prolific Toodoggone District in north-central British Columbia and flank the JOY Project, a 60% - 40% joint venture between Freeport and Amarc Resources Ltd., respectively. Both the PIL and ATTY Properties are under a 6-year Earn-In Agreement with Freeport wherein Freeport may earn an 80% interest in the properties by paying $4.1 Million cash and funding $35 Million of exploration work.⁽¹⁾

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-listed mineral exploration company advancing a portfolio of copper-gold porphyry and gold-silver epithermal projects in northern and central British Columbia, including ATTY, PIL, JJB, SAY and Silver Hope. The Company's properties are located in highly prospective mineral districts marked by recent exploration success, infrastructure development and strong potential for discoveries.

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

References:

1. Finlay news releases NR 03-25 dated April 17, 2025, titled: "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."
2. Centerra Gold's news release dated January 19, 2026, titled: "Centerra Gold's Kemess Preliminary Economic Assessment Highlights Strong Economics that Support the Company's Long-Term Growth Pipeline."

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 several 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, and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. 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.

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