Ms. Marcy Kiesman reports

QUANTUM CRITICAL METALS SECURES U.S. DEFENSE CONSORTIUM MEMBERSHIP

Quantum Critical Metals Corp. has been accepted into the U.S. Defence Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC), marking another strategic milestone for the company.

DIBC's mission is to support a resilient U.S. supply chain and work force capable of responding to national security needs without reliance on foreign sources. The consortium provides financing opportunities for small and non-traditional businesses to work with the U.S. government while also offering access to research, prototyping and teaming opportunities. DIBC also fosters collaboration among government, industry and academia to help strengthen the defence industrial base. Through this network, members can pursue rapid research initiatives, commercial defence solutions and innovation-driven partnerships.

Marcy Kiesman, chief executive officer of Quantum, stated: "Acceptance into the DIBC is important for Quantum Critical Minerals as it creates potential access to non-dilutive funding and strategic collaboration opportunities. The United States Department of Defense has repeatedly highlighted the supply shortage of critical minerals, and Quantum aims to help address this deficit by building a pilot plant to demonstrate the recovery of critical metals from muscovite mica. Our team has been working to validate a novel ore type and refining method to meet the demands of a changing world, and we are excited to have achieved this important milestone in this process."

In 2025, Quantum introduced muscovite mica as a source mineral for gallium and rubidium, an approach that remains relatively new within the mining sector. Muscovite has traditionally been used for industrial applications and is commonly treated as a waste product of lithium pegmatite mining. In late 2025, Quantum produced a muscovite concentrate from drill core and used it to complete bench-scale metallurgical testing. The concentrate was refined, yielding recoveries of 93 per cent gallium and 55 per cent rubidium from mineral into solution.

The company is now planning a pilot-scale program and is collaborating with multiple industry and academic partners to address the critical supply chain vulnerabilities for several strategic metals.

The NMX East project offers several strategic advantages, including its location in Quebec, initial refining recovery rates of 93 per cent and the growing shortage of critical minerals across Western supply chains. These factors create a meaningful opportunity for potential access to non-dilutive financing through partnerships and strategic agreements. Accelerating the development of the NMX East project has become a key component of Quantum's 2026 objectives. As a result, the company is actively pursuing grants and other financing opportunities to support the pilot project, which is expected to be undertaken in Quebec.

Strategic alignment with the U.S. defence interests could also help to accelerate development timelines for NMX East through financing and contracting arrangements.

Quantum believes it represents a unique opportunity in the critical minerals sector for several reasons:

• Strong timing and strategic alignment with government and mining industry priorities;
• Technological advancement through sourcing critical metals from new ore types;
• Exposure to critical metals markets with multibillion-dollar growth potential;
• Scarcity of vertically integrated junior explorers;
• Growing security and defence priorities driving demand for critical infrastructure and supply chains.

About Quantum Critical Metals Corp.

Quantum Critical Metals is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on advancing critical metals projects that power next-generation technologies. With a growing portfolio of promising assets -- including the NMX East gallium-rubidium-cesium project in Quebec, the Discovery gallium-rubidium-cesium and polymetallic project in Quebec, the Babine South silver project in British Columbia, and the newly acquired Prophecy germanium-gallium-zinc project in British Columbia, among others, the company is strategically positioned to support the West's transition to a secure and sustainable critical metals supply.

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