Mr. Sean Charland reports

APEX PROVIDES PHASE I DRILLING UPDATE AT THE RIFT RARE EARTH PROJECT IN NEBRASKA, U.S.A.

Apex Critical Metals Corp. has provided an update on the phase 1 drill program at the company's 100-per-cent-controlled Rift rare earth project, located within the Elk Creek carbonatite complex in southeastern Nebraska, United States.

• Six drill holes completed and an additional two in progress totalling 5,175 metres drilled to date:
  • Over 50 per cent of the originally planned phase 1 planned drill metreage has been completed.
• Drilling has consistently intersected the targeted carbonatite host lithology across significant intervals, supporting the current geological model and interpretations for the project.
• Drill core is being systematically logged and sampled, with portable XRF analysis completed during core logging to assist with lithological characterization, sampling and targeting.
• Two sample shipments have been completed to date, with samples submitted to Activation Laboratories for geochemical analysis.
• Select drill holes are undergoing optical and acoustic televiewer surveys conducted by DGI Geoscience, providing detailed structural data to support interpretation of controls on mineralization.
• The phase 1 drill program is expected to conclude in April, after which the company will compile and interpret results to guide the next stage of exploration.

Sean Charland, chief executive officer of Apex Critical Metals, commented: "With drilling now well past the halfway point of our phase 1 program at the Rift project, we are encouraged by the consistency with which the drill holes are intersecting the targeted carbonatite host unit. The program continues to provide valuable geological information that is helping refine our understanding of the scale and structural controls of mineralization at Rift. We look forward to reporting assay results throughout Q2 2026 as we take aim at defining a new domestic rare earth deposit next to Niocorp in the Elk Creek carbonatite complex in Nebraska."

The phase 1 drill program at the Rift rare earth project is designed to test the continuity and extent of carbonatite-hosted rare earth element mineralization identified during previous exploration work while expanding upon significant mineralization intersected in historical drilling. Current drilling is focused on a high-priority area encompassing approximately 850 metres of north-south strike length within the southeastern portion of the project, with drill targeting guided by an integrated data set that includes historical drilling, surface geochemistry and geophysical surveys incorporated into a modern 3-D geological model.

Drilling to date has intersected the targeted carbonatite unit in multiple holes, providing valuable geological information that will assist in refining the exploration model, improving understanding of structural and lithological controls on mineralization, and guiding future drill targeting. Assay results from the first sample shipments are pending and will be released once received and validated.

Management cautions that the interception of carbonatite is not necessarily indicative of mineralization. Assay results are required to confirm the presence, grade and significance of any mineralization. Drill core was logged, sampled and prepared following industry standard procedures and submitted to Activation Laboratories for geochemical analysis. Analytical results are pending, and will be reported once received and validated.

Qualified person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Nathan Schmidt, PGeo, a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 on standards of disclosure for mineral projects. Mr. Schmidt is a geologist with Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., the consulting firm engaged by Apex Critical Metals Corp. to conduct and oversee all of the company's exploration work, including the 2026 drill program.

About Apex Critical Metals Corp.

Apex Critical is a Canadian exploration company focused on advancing rare earth element and niobium projects that support the growing demand for critical and strategic metals across the United States and Canada. The company's flagship Rift project, located within the highly prospective Elk Creek carbonatite complex in Nebraska, United States, hosts extensive rare earth rights surrounding one of North America's most advanced niobium-REE deposits. Historical drilling across the complex has reported broad intervals of high-grade REE mineralization, including intercepts such as 155.5 metres of 2.70 per cent rare earth oxide and 68.2 m of 3.32 per cent REO.

In Canada, Apex continues to advance its 100-per-cent-owned Cap project, located 85 kilometres northeast of Prince George, B.C. The 2025 drill program confirmed a significant niobium discovery with 0.59 per cent Nb2O5 over 36 metres, including 1.08 per cent Nb2O5 over 10 metres, within a 1.8-kilometre-long niobium trend. The Cap project continues to demonstrate strong potential for niobium mineralization within a large and previously unrecognized carbonatite system.

With a growing portfolio of critical mineral projects in both Canada and the United States, Apex Critical Metals is strategically positioned to help strengthen domestic supply chains for the minerals essential to advanced technologies, clean energy and national security. Apex is publicly listed in Canada on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol APXC, and quoted on the OTCQX market in the United States under the symbol APXCF and in Germany on the Borse Frankfurt under the symbol KL9 and/or WKN: A40CCQ.

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