VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coppernico Metals Inc. (TSX: COPR, OTCQB: CPPMF, FSE: 9I3) (“Coppernico” or the “Company”), is pleased to share a year-end corporate update, highlighting a productive and transformative year advancing key exploration initiatives through drilling, permitting, target generation, and meaningful community engagement at its Sombrero Project in Peru. Coppernico is well positioned for a catalyst-rich 2026, with a key focus on advancing drill-ready targets and pursuing the potential for significant copper discoveries.

2025 Key Accomplishments

• Completed the final 8 holes of the Company’s inaugural 20-hole diamond drill program at its Ccascabamba target area, validating the Company’s geological thesis by confirming the presence of a large and mineralized skarn system.
• Announced robust channel sampling results at the high-priority Nioc target area, including 52 metres (“m”) of 1.06% copper (“Cu”) and 93.5 m of 0.87% Cu¹, complemented by a higher-grade interval grading 6 m of 2.98% Cu, highlighting the strength and continuity of the skarn mineralization.
• Identified a multi-kilometre porphyry target at Tipicancha, an area where exploration access is limited due to cover, through systematic surface exploration, including channel sampling which returned intervals including 22 m of 0.65% Cu and 0.77 g/t silver (“Ag”) including 10 m of 1.14% Cu and 0.20 g/t Ag².
• Optimized the Sombrero land position through acquiring new claims where outcropping mineralization was identified and by dropping areas that were considered non-core relative to the Company’s evolving geological model.
• Filed an expanded EIA-Sd drill permit application for 181 platforms (increasing from 38 platforms in the existing permits) and additional drill rigs, representing a major step toward advancing priority targets.
• Initiated a large-scale geophysical program to refine structural interpretation, prioritize drill targets, identify potential new targets, and support the next phase of exploration.
• Continued community engagement supporting the structuring of additional AGROIDEAS programs to enhance sustainable local economic growth, providing employment for members of the local communities and advancing discussions towards additional surface agreements.
• Maintained a Total Recorded Incident Frequency Rate of zero across all employees and contractors, demonstrating a strong safety culture and operational discipline.

2026 Outlook

2026 goals include the continued alignment of community partnerships and agreements, with a growing pipeline of significant targets supported by improved geologic understanding and integrated datasets. This foundation positions the Company to systematically advance key targets across the exploration portfolio.

The exploration strategy is to maintain a disciplined, methodical approach, prioritizing the most prospective opportunities and progressing them toward drill validation. Early 2026 activities are expected to emphasize refined drill targeting, and the establishment of multiple credible drilling opportunities, any one of which represents meaningful exploration potential for the Company. This is supported by ongoing community engagement, and the advancement of drill permits in multiple communities, which together provide the groundwork required to move forward multiple targets in parallel.

2026 Catalysts Include:

• Channel sampling and mapping results over the Nioc and Antapampa targets.
• Advance drill targeting incorporating latest geologic interpretations and IP data with new magnetic and gravity survey data.
• Obtain governmental approval of the expanded EIA-Sd drill permit.
• Continue advancing the exploration pipeline across the 56,000-hectare land position, systematically progressing early-stage targets towards drill readiness.
• Expand community development initiatives, including additional AGROIDEAS efforts to support sustainable local economic growth and advancement of additional community agreements.
• Enhance capital markets and marketing initiatives in parallel with key 2026 catalysts to broaden investor awareness and engagement.
• Continue reviewing additional high-quality projects for potential acquisition to complement and diversify the Company’s asset portfolio.
  

Ivan Bebek, Chair and CEO of Coppernico, commented, “Coppernico enters 2026 with strong technical momentum, a growing target pipeline of high-quality targets, and a clear pathway toward drilling the most prospective areas of the Sombrero mineralized system. 2025 was a highly productive and transformative year, setting the stage for what we believe will be an exciting and promising 2026 focused on making significant copper discoveries.

Initial drilling at Sombrero has confirmed the presence of a large skarn system, providing important early evidence that aligns with our expectations of a major skarn discovery. Our talented technical team is actively developing several large-scale, high-priority drill targets for early 2026, and our efforts to expand permits will enhance our initial findings, positioning us to explore multiple new potential discoveries across several advanced, drill-ready areas of the project amidst rising copper prices.

Our continued exploration efforts have allowed us to create numerous employment and training opportunities for members of the surrounding communities, and we are also proud to have maintained a perfect safety record to date. As we gear up for a catalyst-rich year with exceptional opportunities for major copper discoveries in Peru, Coppernico expresses its gratitude to its shareholders, employees, contractors, and community partners for their support throughout 2025. We look forward to an exciting and productive 2026.”

Upcoming Conferences

Coppernico plans to maintain an active presence at key industry conferences in early 2026 to support investor engagement and market visibility.

• Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) – January 25-26, 2026, Vancouver, BC.
  • Coppernico will be exhibiting at VRIC 2026 Booth #124. Management will be available for investor meetings throughout the conference.
• Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) – March 2-5, 2026, Toronto, ON.
  • Coppernico will be exhibiting at PDAC 2026 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC), Investors Exchange, Booth #2413B on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 3-4. Management will be available for meetings with investors and industry stakeholders.
  • CEO Presentation: Ivan Bebek will speak as part of the Sustainability and Capital Markets Program in the session “The Business of Sustainability: Financing Mining’s Next Chapter” on Monday, March 2, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. in Room 714, Trade Show South, Level 700.
  • Exhibitor Spotlight: Coppernico will participate in a 15-minute “Exhibitor Spotlight” session on March 4 from 10:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. in the Northern Lights Learning Hub, Trade Show North, Level 300.
• Swiss Mining Institute (SMI) Zurich Conference – March 18-19, 2026, Zurich, Switzerland.
  • Chair and CEO Ivan Bebek will be available for meetings with institutional investors and industry participants at the Dolder Grand Hotel.
• Capital Event (CEM) Scottsdale Conference – April 10-12, 2026, Scottsdale, AZ.
  • CEO will attend the conference and will be available for one-on-one meetings with investors and sector peers.

Technical Disclosure and Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release was reviewed and approved by Tim Kingsley, M.Sc., CPG, Coppernico’s VP of Exploration, who is a “Qualified Person” (as defined in NI 43-101).

Quality Control

Analytical samples were taken by chisel and hammer in continuous horizontal lines, typically samples were composited over up to 2 metre lengths per sample, however this may be reduced to 0.5 metres where lithological or significant mineralogical changes were observed in order to accurately reflect the apparent width of mineralisation. Typical sample weights were 1 kg per metre. Samples were collected in plastic bags and given a unique reference number. Approximately 2-3 kg of material per sample was collected for analysis and sent to the ALS Lab in Lima, Peru for preparation and analysis. Preparation included crushing the sample to 90% < 2mm and pulverizing 1,000 g of crushed material to better than 95% < 106 microns. All samples are assayed using 30 g nominal weight fire assay with atomic absorption finish (Au-AA23) and multi-element using four acid digest ICP-AES/ICP-MS method (ME-MS61). Where MS61 results were greater or near 10,000 ppm Cu, or 10,000 ppm Zn the assays were repeated with ore grade four acid digest method (Cu-OG62). QA/QC programs for 2025 channel samples using internal standard samples, blanks, and duplicates, lab duplicates, lab standards, and lab blanks indicate good overall accuracy and precision.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ivan Bebek
Chair & CEO

For further information, please contact:

Coppernico Metals Inc.

Phone: +1 778 729 0600

Email: info@coppernicometals.com

Website: www.coppernicometals.com

Twitter: @CoppernicoMetal

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/coppernico-metals/

About Coppernico

Coppernico is a mineral exploration company focused on creating value for shareholders and stakeholders through diligent project evaluation and exploration, in pursuit of the discovery of large-scale high-grade copper-gold deposits in the Americas. The Company’s management and technical teams have a successful track record of raising capital, discovery and the monetization of exploration successes. The Company’s objective is to become a leading advanced copper and gold explorer, and through its wholly owned Peruvian subsidiary Sombrero Minerales S.A.C., is currently focused on the Ccascabamba (previously referred to as Sombrero Main) and Nioc target areas within the Sombrero Project in Peru, its flagship project, while regularly reviewing additional premium projects to consider for acquisition.

The Sombrero Project is a land package of approximately 56,400 hectares (564 square kilometres) located in the north-western margins of the world-renowned Andahuaylas-Yauri trend in Peru. It consists of a number of prospective exploration targets characterized by copper-gold skarn and porphyry systems and precious metal epithermal systems. The Company’s NI 43-101 technical report, with an effective date of April 17, 2024, and as filed on SEDAR+ on May 23, 2024, focuses on the Ccascabamba and Nioc target areas of the Sombrero Project.

Coppernico Metals Inc. is currently listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “COPR”, trades on the OTCQB Venture Market under symbol “CPPMF” and is quoted over the counter by certain dealers in the Unofficial Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol “9I3”. More information about Coppernico can be found on the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca).

Cautionary Note

No regulatory organization has approved the contents hereof.

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (collectively, “forward-looking statements”). Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as “may”, “should”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “intend” and similar expressions and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the interpretation of geological mapping and sampling results, the prospective nature of identified targets for future exploration, the potential of the interpreted mineralized systems, the progress and approval of permits, and the Company’s drill plans. No certainty can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be heavily relied upon. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers should refer to the risks discussed in the Company’s 2024 Annual Information Form and other continuous disclosure filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators, available at www.sedarplus.ca. These factors are not, and should not be construed as being, exhaustive. Accordingly, readers should not place heavy reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this new release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Any forward-looking information and the assumptions made with respect thereto speaks only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information after the date of this news release to conform such information to actual results or to changes in the Company’s expectations except as otherwise required by applicable legislation.

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¹ See Company press release dated September 4, 2025
² See Company press release dated May 21, 2025