Star Metro - NiobiumX Mining Inc. Commences Trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange Under the Symbol "NIOX", Completing Its Transition to a Niobium and Rare Earth Exploration Company Focused on Quebec's Saguenay Region

The name change completes the Company's strategic repositioning from lithium exploration in the James Bay region to niobium and rare earth element ("REE") exploration in the Saguenay region of Quebec, following the Company's acquisition of the Shipshaw Property earlier this year.

The Company's shares continue to trade on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol "AFXLF" and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "O5K".

Key Highlights

• New Symbol Live on the CSE: Common shares trade under "NIOX" effective July 17, 2026, completing the Company's repositioning from lithium to niobium and rare earth elements.

• District-Scale Land Position: The Company's activity is now directed at the Shipshaw Property, a 48-claim, 2,686-hectare niobium and rare earth property in Quebec's Saint-Honore carbonatite district.

• Immediately Adjacent to a Producing District: The Property's nearest claim boundary lies less than two kilometres from the producing Niobec mine, North America's only operating niobium producer

• A Concentrated Global Supply Picture: Niobium is a designated critical mineral in Canada, the United States, the European Union and Australia, and the substantial majority of world supply is produced in a single country^{. 1}

• Government of Quebec Characterization: The Shipshaw carbonatite is one of only five niobium-rare earth carbonatite systems characterized by Geologie Quebec in metallogenic bulletin BM 2024-02.²

• Marketing Services Agreements: The Company has engaged Altura Media Co Inc. and Connect 4 Marketing Ltd. to provide digital marketing and investor awareness services under six-month agreements.

"The new name states plainly where we are putting our capital," said Kirby Renton, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Shipshaw sits in one of very few districts in North America with a demonstrated niobium endowment, next to the only producing niobium mine on the continent. Our near-term priority is to get modern geophysics over ground that has not been properly surveyed in fifteen years."

Why Now: A Critical-Minerals Story

Niobium is a designated critical mineral in Canada, the United States, the European Union and Australia, valued for the strength it adds to steel and the superalloys used in pipelines, transport, energy and defence.³ Global supply is among the most concentrated of any strategic metal: the substantial majority of the world's niobium is produced in a single country, Brazil, and the Niobec mine in Quebec is the only significant primary niobium producer outside it¹. That is the backdrop against which NiobiumX is advancing Shipshaw.

The Niobec mine has been in commercial production since 1976 and was acquired by a consortium led by Magris Resources Inc. from IAMGOLD Corporation in January 2015 for total consideration of approximately US$530 million⁴.

The Shipshaw Property

The Shipshaw Property, which the Company acquired under an asset purchase agreement that closed on February 19, 2026, comprises 48 mineral claims totalling 2,685.73 hectares in the Saguenay region of Quebec, in the Saint-Honore carbonatite district that also hosts the producing Niobec mine. The Shipshaw carbonatite was recently selected by the Government of Quebec, in metallogenic bulletin BM 2024-02, as one of only five niobium-rare earth carbonatite systems characterized along the Waswanipi-Saguenay corridor.² The Property does not host a mineral resource or mineral reserve estimate. The Company will provide a detailed overview of the Property, the Government of Quebec characterization, and its planned exploration program in a series of forthcoming news releases.

Marketing Services Agreements

The Company has entered into a digital marketing services agreement with Altura Media Co Inc. ("Altura").

Under the agreement, Altura will provide comprehensive digital marketing and investor awareness services, including onboarding and campaign set-up, the establishment and management of digital advertising accounts and channels, interactive article-based landing pages hosted on Altura's owned financial media websites, custom video and graphic creative, video and media content produced with selected finance-focused content creators on a defined posting schedule, and targeted digital advertising campaigns directed to those landing pages and content.

The agreement has a term of six months commencing July 24, 2026, and may be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, subject to applicable regulatory approvals. As consideration for the services, the Company will pay Altura a one-time fee of CAD $250,000 plus applicable GST, payable upon execution. The agreement remains subject to CSE approval.

To the knowledge of the Company, Altura does not own any securities of the Company. Altura and its principal are arm's length to the Company.

Altura Media Co Inc. is located at 1055 West Georgia Street, Suite 1500, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6E 4N7. Altura may be contacted by email at [email protected] or by telephone at +1 (778) 988-5503. The principal of Altura is Luis Matthias Campos.

The Company has also entered into a digital marketing services agreement with Connect 4 Marketing Ltd. ("Connect 4").

Under the agreement, Connect 4 will provide comprehensive digital marketing services, including onboarding and campaign set-up, the establishment of the required advertising accounts and channels, influencer marketing, and a fully built-out interactive landing page to host advertising traffic.

The agreement has a term of six months commencing July 28, 2026, and may be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, subject to applicable regulatory approvals. As consideration for the services, the Company has committed to a marketing budget of CAD $75,000 plus applicable GST, payable upon execution, inclusive of a 20% service fee for campaign management, optimization, reporting and content creation. The agreement remains subject to CSE approval.

Connect 4 currently owns 62,000 common shares and 42,000 common share purchase warrants of the Company. Connect 4 and its principal are arm's length to the Company.

Connect 4 Marketing Ltd. is located at 702-5505 Boulevard du Quartier, Brossard, Quebec, J4Z 0R9. Connect 4 may be contacted by email at [email protected] or by telephone at +1 (514) 970-1316. The principal of Connect 4 is Louis-Carlos Vargas Rocheleau.

No securities of the Company are issuable as compensation under either agreement. Both engagements are non-exclusive.

Grant of Restricted Share Units

The Company has granted an aggregate of 955,000 restricted share units ("RSUs") to certain consultants of the Company. Each RSU entitles the holder to receive one common share of the Company upon vesting, for no additional consideration. The RSUs were granted on July 28, 2026 and vest in full on the later of: (i) the date that is four months and one day from the date of grant; and (ii) the date on which certain objective business milestones described in the RSU certificates are achieved. No RSUs were granted to insiders of the Company. The grant of the RSUs is subject to the terms of the Company's equity incentive plan and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange.

About NiobiumX Mining Inc.

NiobiumX Mining Inc. (CSE:NIOX)(FSE:O5K)(OTCQB:AFXLF) is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on niobium and rare earth elements. The Company's principal asset is the Shipshaw Property, a package of 48 mineral claims totalling approximately 2,686 hectares in the Saguenay region of Quebec, situated within the Saguenay Graben of the Grenville Geological Province and characterized by a swarm of carbonatite and lamprophyre dykes. The Shipshaw carbonatite is one of five niobium-rare earth carbonatite systems characterized by Geologie Quebec in metallogenic bulletin BM 2024-02.²

Niobium is designated a critical mineral by Canada, the United States, the European Union and Australia.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Babak V. Azar, M.Sc., P.Geo. (OGQ #10876), a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Azar is independent of the Company.

The current technical report on the Shipshaw Property, with an effective date of February 17, 2026, was prepared by Bertrand Brassard, M.Sc., P.Geo. (OGQ #1067), an independent Qualified Person, and is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR+. That report covers 9 of the Company's claims, totalling approximately 513 hectares; the Company has since expanded its footprint to the current 48-claim package. The Shipshaw Property does not host a mineral resource or mineral reserve estimate.

This news release contains information concerning neighbouring properties in which the Company has no interest. Such information was obtained from public disclosure by the owners or operators of those properties. The Company's Qualified Person has not verified that information, and readers are cautioned that mineralization on a neighbouring property is not necessarily indicative of mineralization on the Company's property.

For Further Information

Kirby Renton, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Telephone: (604) 689-2646 | Email: [email protected] | Website: niobiumx.com

On behalf of the Board of Directors, Kirby Renton, President and Chief Executive Officer, NiobiumX Mining Inc.

Notes

1. U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025, Niobium.

2. Legros, H., Beauchamp, A.-M. and Moukhsil, A., 2024. Caracterisation des carbonatites a Nb-ETR de la zone Waswanipi-Saguenay, Province de Grenville, Quebec, Canada. Ministere des Ressources naturelles et des Forets, BM 2024-02.

3. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Critical Minerals List; U.S. Geological Survey, 2025 List of Critical Minerals; European Union Critical Raw Materials Act; Geoscience Australia, Critical Minerals List.

4. IAMGOLD Corporation, news release dated January 22, 2015, "IAMGOLD Completes Sale of Niobec for a Total Consideration of US$530 Million".

Forward-Looking Information

Except for statements of historic fact this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated benefits, scope and term of the services to be provided under the marketing services agreements; the receipt of CSE acceptance of those agreements; the vesting of the RSUs and the issuance of common shares thereunder; the Company's exploration plans and programs; the design, scheduling, acquisition, processing and interpretation of geophysical surveys; the interpretation and prospectivity of the Shipshaw Property for niobium and rare earth elements; the content and timing of forthcoming news releases; the niobium market and critical-minerals supply dynamics described herein; the maintenance and registration of mineral title; and the Company's business plans generally. Forward-looking information is based on assumptions management considers reasonable as of the date hereof, and is subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including that the marketing services may not achieve the intended awareness; that the CSE may not accept the marketing services agreements; that the RSUs may not vest as described; that geophysical or model-derived anomalies may not reflect mineralization; that interpreted targets may not be confirmed by drilling; that no mineral resource estimate exists for the Property and none may ever be established; that historical results may not be verified or replicated; that the Company may be unable to obtain financing, permits or title on acceptable terms; and changes in commodity prices, demand and critical minerals policy. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by law. Additional information on risks is available in the Company's filings at www.sedarplus.ca.

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

NiobiumX Mining Inc. | #905 - 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 2Y3 | niobiumx.com | [email protected]

SOURCE: NiobiumX Mining Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

S.Belanger--SMC