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LOS ANGELES — The world’s biggest social media companies face several landmark trials this year that seek to hold them responsible for harms to children who use their platforms. Opening statements for the first, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, begin this week.

Instagram’s parent company Meta and Google’s YouTube will face claims that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children. TikTok and Snap, which were originally named in the lawsuit, settled for undisclosed sums.

“This was only the first case — there are hundreds of parents and school districts in the social media addiction trials that start today, and sadly, new families every day who are speaking out and bringing Big Tech to court for its deliberately harmful products,” said Sacha Haworth, executive director of the nonprofit Tech Oversight Project.

At the core of the case is a 19-year-old identified only by the initials “KGM,” whose case could determine how thousands of other, similar lawsuits against social media companies will play out. She and two other plaintiffs have been selected for bellwether trials — essentially test cases for both sides to see how their arguments play out before a jury and what damages, if any, may be awarded, said Clay Calvert, a nonresident senior fellow of technology policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

It’s the first time the companies will argue their case before a jury, and the outcome could have profound effects on their businesses and how they will handle children using their platforms.

KGM claims that her use of social media from an early age addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts. Importantly, the lawsuit claims that this was done through deliberate design choices made by companies that sought to make their platforms more addictive to children to boost profits. This argument, if successful, could sidestep the companies’ First Amendment shield and Section 230, which protects tech companies from liability for material posted on their platforms.

“Borrowing heavily from the behavioral and neurobiological techniques used by slot machines and exploited by the cigarette industry, Defendants deliberately embedded in their products an array of design features aimed at maximizing youth engagement to drive advertising revenue,” the lawsuit says.

Executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are expected to testify at the trial, which will last six to eight weeks. Experts have drawn similarities to the Big Tobacco trials that led to a 1998 settlement requiring cigarette companies to pay billions in health care costs and restrict marketing targeting minors.

“Plaintiffs are not merely the collateral damage of Defendants’ products,” the lawsuit says. “They are the direct victims of the intentional product design choices made by each Defendant. They are the intended targets of the harmful features that pushed them into self-destructive feedback loops.”

The tech companies dispute the claims that their products deliberately harm children, citing a bevy of safeguards they have added over the years and arguing that they are not liable for content posted on their sites by third parties.

“Recently, a number of lawsuits have attempted to place the blame for teen mental health struggles squarely on social media companies,” Meta said in a recent blog post. “But this oversimplifies a serious issue. Clinicians and researchers find that mental health is a deeply complex and multifaceted issue, and trends regarding teens’ well-being aren’t clear-cut or universal. Narrowing the challenges faced by teens to a single factor ignores the scientific research and the many stressors impacting young people today, like academic pressure, school safety, socio-economic challenges and substance abuse.”

A Meta spokesperson said in a recent statement that the company strongly disagrees with the allegations outlined in the lawsuit and that it’s “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.”

José Castañeda, a Google Spokesperson, said that the allegations against YouTube are “simply not true.” In a statement, he said, “Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work.”

The case will be the first in a slew of cases beginning this year that seek to hold social media companies responsible for harming children’s mental well-being.

In New Mexico, opening statements begin Monday for trial on allegations that Meta and its social media platforms have failed to protect young users from sexual exploitation, following an undercover online investigation. Attorney General Raúl Torrez in late 2023 sued Meta and Zuckerberg, who was later dropped from the suit.

Prosecutors have said that New Mexico is not seeking to hold Meta accountable for its content but rather its role in pushing out that content through complex algorithms that proliferate material that can be harmful, saying they uncovered internal documents in which Meta employees estimate that about 100,000 children every day are subjected to sexual harassment on the company’s platforms.

Meta denies the civil charges while accusing Torrez of cherry-picking select documents and making “sensationalist” arguments. The company says it has consulted with parents and law enforcement to introduce built-in protections to social media accounts, along with settings and tools for parents.

A federal bellwether trial beginning in June in Oakland, California, will be the first to represent school districts that have sued social media platforms over harms to children.

In addition, more than 40 state attorneys general have filed lawsuits against Meta, claiming it is harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms. The majority of cases filed their lawsuits in federal court, but some sued in their respective states.

TikTok also faces similar lawsuits in more than a dozen states.

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/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/

NextSource Materials Inc. (‘NextSource’ or the ‘Company’) (TSX:NEXT,OTC:NSRCF) is pleased to announce that it has engaged Stifel Canada as lead agent and sole bookrunner and Maxim Group LLC as co-agent in connection with a ‘best-efforts’ private placement of 58,823,500 units of the Company (the ‘Units’) at a price of $0.425 per Unit (the ‘Offering Price’) for aggregate gross proceeds of C$24,999,987.50 (the ‘Offering’). 

Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (a ‘Common Share‘) and one-half (½) of one Common Share purchase warrant of the Company (each whole warrant, a ‘Warrant‘). Each Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price of C$0.55 per Common Share for a period beginning 61 days following the Closing Date (as defined below) and expiring 3 years following the Closing Date.

The net proceeds from the Offering are expected to be used to advance the UAE Battery Anode Facility, update the Molo technical report and for general corporate purposes as disclosed in the offering document.

Subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and in accordance with National Instrument 45-106 – Prospectus Exemptions (‘NI 45-106‘), the Units will be offered for sale to purchasers resident in each of the provinces of Canada, except Québec, and/or other jurisdictions outside of Canada pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of NI 45-106, as amended by Coordinated Blanket Order 45-935 – Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (the ‘Listed Issuer Financing Exemption‘). As the Offering is being completed pursuant to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption, the Units issued pursuant to the Offering will not be subject to a hold period pursuant to applicable Canadian securities laws. There is an offering document related to the Offering that can be accessed under the Company’s issuer profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company’s website at www.nextsourcematerials.com. Prospective investors should read the offering document before making an investment decision.

The Company is party to an investment agreement with Vision Blue Resources Limited (‘Vision Blue‘) pursuant to which, among other things, the Company granted Vision Blue a contractual right to participate in equity financings on the same terms as such financings to maintain its ownership percentage in the Company. The Company will provide the necessary notice to Vision Blue in accordance with the terms of the investment agreement.  Although no assurance can be provided, the Company anticipates that Vision Blue will participate in the Offering to maintain their pro-rata equity interest in the Company.

The Company has also entered into an amended and restated loan facility with Vision Blue (the ‘Amended Facility‘) which increased the maximum capacity under the existing facility from US$30,000,000 to US$50,000,000. Drawdowns remain at the discretion of Vision Blue and there is no assurance that additional advances will be available to the Company under the Amended Facility.  However, the Company expects that, at closing of the Offering, the Company and Vision Blue will enter into a consent agreement under which Vision Blue will commit to advancing US$5,000,000 under the Amended Facility subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions precedent and will extend the maturity date under the Amended Facility to the date that is 12 months following the Closing Date. 

The Offering is scheduled to close on or about February 24, 2026 (the ‘Closing Date‘) and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The securities referred to in this news release have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ‘U.S. Securities Act‘), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, ‘U.S. Persons’ (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) absent such registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act. This news release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities for sale, nor a solicitation for offers to buy any securities.

Related Party Transaction

Vision Blue holds 47.5% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares (47.5% on a partially diluted basis). Accordingly, the Amended Facility constitutes a ‘related party transaction’ as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (‘MI 61-101‘).

The Company is not required to obtain a formal valuation in respect of the Amended Facility.  The Company is exempt from the need to obtain minority shareholder approval per subsection 5.7(1)(f) of MI 61-101, as the Amended Facility is on reasonable commercial terms that are not less advantageous to the Company than if the Amended Facility were obtained from a person dealing at arm’s length with the Company and the Amended Facility is not convertible, directly or indirectly into equity of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company. The Board of Directors of NextSource, with the exception of Sir Mick Davis (being a Director of Vision Blue) who declared his interest and recused himself, unanimously approved the Amended Facility.

About NextSource Materials Inc.

NextSource Materials Inc. is a battery materials company based in Toronto, Canada that is intent on becoming a vertically integrated global supplier of battery materials through the mining and value-added processing of graphite and other minerals.

The Company’s Molo graphite project in Madagascar is one of the largest known and highest-quality graphite resources globally, and the only one with SuperFlake® graphite. The Molo mine has begun production through Phase 1 mine operations.

The Company is also developing a significant downstream graphite value-add business through the staged rollout of Battery Anode Facilities (BAF) capable of large-scale production of coated, spheronized and purified graphite for direct delivery to battery and automotive customers, in a fully transparent and traceable manner. The Company is now in the process of developing its first BAF in the UAE.

NextSource Materials is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ‘NEXT’ and on the OTCQB under the symbol ‘NSRCF’.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains statements that may constitute ‘forward-looking information’ or ‘forward-looking statements’ within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. Forward looking statements and information are frequently characterized by words such as ‘plan’, ‘expect’, ‘project’, ‘intend’, ‘believe’, ‘anticipate’, ‘estimate’, ‘potential’, ‘possible’ and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions ‘may’, ‘will’, ‘could’, or ‘should’ occur. Forward- looking statements include any statements regarding,

among others: receipt of approvals related to the Offering; the size of the Offering; timing of closing of the Offering; and the intended use of proceeds from the Offering; the execution of the consent agreement (including the additional advance and the extension of the maturity date of the Amended Facility); and availability of the additional advances under the Amended Facility. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and assumptions that involve a number of risks, which could cause actual results to vary and, in some instances, to differ materially from those anticipated by the Company and described in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur or, if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive there from. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based on what management believes are reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with them. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

SOURCE NextSource Materials Inc.

View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2026/09/c8992.html

News Provided by Canada Newswire via QuoteMedia

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The collapse of merger talks between Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO,NYSE:RIO,LSE:RIO) and Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTCPL:GLCNF) has ended what would have been the mining industry’s largest-ever deal.

The two companies confirmed last week that discussions over a potential US$260 billion combination have been abandoned after they failed to agree on terms that would deliver shareholder value. The deal, revived late last year, would have created the world’s largest diversified miner with dominant positions in copper, iron ore, lithium and cobalt.

Rio Tinto said it is no longer considering a merger or other business combination with Glencore after determining it could not reach an agreement that meets its shareholder objectives.

Glencore, for its part, said the proposed terms significantly undervalued its contribution to a combined group, particularly its copper portfolio and growth pipeline. Shares of Glencore fell sharply following the announcement, briefly dropping more than 10 percent in London trading, while Rio Tinto shares also declined.

Under UK takeover rules, Rio Tinto is now barred from making another approach for six months unless granted special permission. The breakdown marks at least the third failed attempt to combine the two mining giants over the past two decades — talks were previously explored in 2008 and again in 2014, with another round briefly surfacing in 2024.

This latest effort gained momentum amid a broader wave of consolidation driven by long-term expectations of copper shortages tied to electrification, artificial intelligence infrastructure and energy transition spending.

A combined Rio Tinto-Glencore would have reshaped the global mining landscape, pairing Rio Tinto’s operational scale and project development expertise with Glencore’s trading arm and exposure to copper and cobalt.

Despite the failed mega-merger, dealmaking across the mining sector has continued at pace in early 2026, reflecting sustained pressure on producers to replenish reserves and secure long-life assets.

In January, Zijin Gold International (HKEX:2259,OTCPL:ZJNGF) agreed to acquire Allied Gold (TSX:AAUC,NYSE:AAUC) in an all-cash transaction valued at roughly US$4 billion. The deal gives Zijin expanded exposure to gold assets in Ethiopia, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire, fitting its strategy of international expansion through large-scale, long-life projects.

Elsewhere, Eldorado Gold (TSX:ELD,NYSE:EGO) and Foran Mining (TSX:FOM,OTCQX:FMCXF) agreed to combine in a share-based transaction that will create a larger gold and copper producer with two development projects scheduled to enter production in 2026. The deal brings together Eldorado’s Skouries project in Greece and Foran’s McIlvenna Bay project in Saskatchewan, with the combined group targeting output of roughly 900,000 gold equivalent ounces by 2027.

Glencore itself has remained active on the divestment side.

In Australia, Austral Resources Australia (ASX:AR1) agreed to acquire the Lady Loretta copper mine from Glencore, marking another step in the Swiss-based miner’s ongoing portfolio optimization. The transaction includes a royalty structure and allows Glencore to retain some upside exposure while exiting a non-core asset.

Rare earths have also featured prominently in this year’s deal flow. Energy Fuels (TSX:EFR,NYSEAMERICAN:UUUU) moved to acquire Australian Strategic Materials (ASX:ASM,OTCPL:ASMMF), a transaction aimed at creating a vertically integrated rare earths producer spanning mining, processing and alloy production.

The deal includes Australian Strategic’s Dubbo project in Australia and its Korean metals plant.

Analysts say the failure of the Rio Tinto-Glencore talks does little to dampen the broader consolidation narrative. Copper remains a central focus among producers as long-term supply deficits are widely forecast despite recent price volatility.

Lithium, rare earths and other critical minerals are also attracting sustained interest as governments and manufacturers seek to secure non-Chinese supply chains.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Statistics Canada released January’s jobs report on Friday (February 6). The data showed that the Canadian workforce shrank by 25,000, or 0.1 percent.

Manufacturing experienced the largest decline, losing 28,000 workers, followed by education with 24,000, and the public sector, which decreased by 10,000. These declines were balanced by increases of 17,000 across information, culture, and recreation; 14,000 in business, building and support services; and 11,000 in agriculture.

Despite the declines, the unemployment rate fell 0.3 percentage points to 6.5 percent. While the rate was the lowest since September 2024, the agency notes that the decrease was driven by fewer people looking for work through the month, and coincided with a 0.4 percent drop in the labor force participation rate, which came in at 65 percent.

The release came just a day after the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its job opening report on Thursday (February 5) that showed that labor demand had decreased to its lowest level since September 2020, as December’s figures fell by 386,000 openings.

The report differs from the employment situation summary, which is typically released on the first Friday of each month. The report has been delayed due to the extended US government shutdown in late 2025 and will be released next Wednesday, February 11.

Employment data is an important metric for assessing the overall health of the Canadian and US economies and plays a significant role in helping central banks set interest rate policy.

For more on what’s moving markets this week, check out our top market news round-up.

Markets and commodities react

Canadian equity markets were mixed this week.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) gained 1 percent over the week to close Friday at 32,470.98, while the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) shed 5.38 percent to 1,015.34. The CSE Composite Index (CSE:CSECOMP) dropped 1.22 percent to 167.56.

The gold price gained 4.84 percent to close at US$4,951.69 per ounce on Friday at 4:00 p.m. EST. The silver price didn’t fare as well, closing the week down 1.78 percent at US$77.32 on Friday.

In base metals, the Comex copper price recorded a 0.85 percent rise this week to US$5.93.

On the other hand, the S&P Goldman Sachs Commodities Index (INDEXSP:SPGSCI) was down 3.7 percent to end Friday at 587.55.

Top Canadian mining stocks this week

How did mining stocks perform against this backdrop?

Take a look at this week’s five best-performing Canadian mining stocks below.

Stocks data for this article was retrieved at 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies trading on the TSX, TSXV and CSE with market caps greater than C$10 million are included. Mineral companies within the non-energy minerals, energy minerals, process industry and producer manufacturing sectors were considered.

1. Giant Mining (CSE:BFG)

Weekly gain: 69.57 percent
Market cap: C$27.51 million
Share price: C$0.39

Giant Mining is an exploration company working to advance its Majuba Hill District copper, silver and gold project north of Reno in Nevada, US.

The site consists of 403 federal lode mining claims and four private property parcels that cover an area of 3,919 hectares. Mining at the property took place between 1900 and 1950, resulting in the production of 2.8 million pounds of copper, 184,000 ounces of silver and 5,800 ounces of gold.

Extensive exploration work has been carried out at Majuba Hill, with 89,930 feet being drilled since 2007.

The most recent news from Giant came on January 30, when it reported that it planned to drill up to 10,000 feet in a multi-phase drill program at Majuba Hill, targeting three breccia zones.

Following the first phase of 5,000 feet of drilling, the program will include underground and surface sampling to support follow-up drill targeting for the remaining holes.

2. CGX Energy (TSXV:OYL)

Weekly gain: 64.71 percent
Market cap: C$66.02 million
Share price: C$0.28

CGX Energy is an oil and gas exploration company with 27.48 percent ownership of a portfolio of wells in the Corentyne block off the coast of Guyana. Frontera Energy (TSX:FEC) is the company’s joint venture partner in the Corentyne block and also holds 76.05 percent interest in CGX.

The Kawa-1 exploration well was drilled in 2021 and 2022 and encountered an active hydrocarbon system extending to a depth of 6,000 feet, mirroring trends in the Guyana-Suriname Basin. CGX’s Wei-1 well was drilled in late 2022 and is located on-trend between the Kawa-1 well and Exxon’s (NYSE:XOM) Pluma discovery.

CGX and Frontera are currently in a legal dispute with the government of Guyana, which believes the petroleum prospecting license for Corentyne expired in 2024, a stance the joint venture disagrees with. The most recent update on the matter mentioned plans to meet and discuss the situation, with potential dates in November or December of last year.

Shares in CGX posted gains this week, but the company has not released news since November 13, when it announced its third-quarter financial statements. However, Frontera announced on January 30 that it divested its producing Colombian assets while retaining its interests in Guyana, news that may signal that the Corentyne block permitting situation could still be resolved.

3. Saba Energy (TSXV:SABA)

Weekly gain: 61.11 percent
Market cap: C$12.07 million
Share price: C$0.29

Saba Energy is an oil and gas exploration company with operations in British Columbia, Canada, as well as the Philippines.

The company’s primary Canadian operations consist of the producing Boundary Lake and Laprise oil and gas fields, which have a net present value of C$43 million as of its September quarterly report.

The most recent news from Saba came on January 27, when it announced a heads-of-agreement with Nido Petroleum for a farm-in arrangement on a pair of offshore assets in the Philippines.

Saba will earn 60 percent of Service Contract 54 (SC54). SC54 covers an area of 550 square kilometers to depths of 50 to 110 meters and hosts three discovery wells and one production well, which previously produced 270,000 barrels at 19,000 barrels per day before it was closed due to water encroachment.

The company will also earn a 52.73 percent share in the DPPSC Cadlao, which covers an area of 914 square kilometers to depths of 93 meters. The site has 6.8 million barrels in reserves and produced 11.1 million barrels between 1982 and 1992.

If the transaction is completed, Saba will become the operator of both assets. The company plans to open a US$7.5 million convertible debenture private placement to achieve the requirement of raising US$7 million by mid-April.

4. Copper Giant Resources (TSXV:CGNT)

Weekly gain: 60.66 percent
Market cap: C$157.77 million
Share price: C$0.98

Copper Giant Resources is an exploration company advancing its Mocoa copper-molybdenum project in Southern Colombia. It changed its name from Libero Copper and Gold last year.

The property covers 1,324 square kilometers and hosts a copper porphyry system originally discovered in 1973.

A November 2025 mineral resource estimate significantly increased its resource. Mocoa now holds an inferred resource of 7.6 billion pounds of copper and 1 billion pounds of molybdenum, at 0.31 percent copper and 0.039 percent molybdenum, from 1.12 billion metric tons of ore. The upgrade made the project South America’s largest undeveloped molybdenum deposit.

The most recent news from Copper Giant came on January 29, when it reported results from the first drill hole at the La Estrella target. While assays returned low-grade mineralization, the company noted that the significance was geological, as it confirmed continuity of the porphyry system beyond the established deposit.

The release also reported results from a second hole at the southern edge of the Mocoa footprint, which the company said were stronger than previously interpreted at the southern margin of the deposits. Grades in the hole were 0.13 percent copper and 0.01 percent molybdenum over 804 meters starting from surface, which included an intersection of 0.44 percent copper and 0.05 percent molybdenum over 33 meters.

5. Benz Mining (TSXV:BZ)

Weekly gain: 50.46 percent
Market cap: C$749.9 million
Share price: C$3.25

Benz Mining is a gold exploration company that is focused on advancing projects in Québec, Canada, as well as Western Australia.

Its Eastmain project consists of an 8,000 hectare property located in Central Québec within the Upper Eastmain Greenstone belt. The most recent resource estimate from May 2023 reported an indicated resource of 384,000 ounces of gold from 1.3 metric tons of ore grading 9 g/t gold, and an inferred resource of 621,000 ounces of gold from 3.8 metric tons grading 5.1 g/t.

In 2025, Benz acquired the Glenburgh and Mount Egerton gold projects in Western Australia from Spartan Resources (ASX:SPR). It spent much of 2025 exploring Glenburgh, which covers an area of 786 square kilometers and features 50 kilometers of strike. The site hosts six priority extension targets and 5 kilometers of exploration trend with over 100 parts per billion gold.

A November 2024 resource estimate for Glenburgh showed an indicated and inferred resource of 510,000 ounces of gold from 16.3 million metric tons of ore with an average grade of 1 g/t gold.

On January 28, the company announced a shallow, high-grade discovery at the Glenburgh project’s Icon trend. Assays returned grades including 29 g/t gold over 13 meters starting at a depth of 60 meters. Additionally, results showed wide mineralization as well, including 200 meters grading 1 g/t gold starting at 76 meters.

The most recent news from Benz came the next day, when it announced it received firm commitments for a AU$75 million bought deal placement, which it said was led by strong demand from two global institutional fund. The company said the investment increases its pro forma cash position to AU$94 million, which will be allocated across its portfolio, particularly focused on the Glenburgh project.

FAQs for Canadian mining stocks

What is the difference between the TSX and TSXV?

The TSX, or Toronto Stock Exchange, is used by senior companies with larger market caps, and the TSXV, or TSX Venture Exchange, is used by smaller-cap companies. Companies listed on the TSXV can graduate to the senior exchange.

How many mining companies are listed on the TSX and TSXV?

As of December 2025, 898 mining companies and 71 oil and gas companies are listed on the TSXV, combining for more than 60 percent of the 1,531 total companies listed on the exchange.

As for the TSX, it is home to 175 mining companies and 51 oil and gas companies. The exchange has 2,089 companies listed on it in total.

Together, the TSX and TSXV host around 40 percent of the world’s public mining companies.

How much does it cost to list on the TSXV?

There are a variety of different fees that companies must pay to list on the TSXV, and according to the exchange, they can vary based on the transaction’s nature and complexity. The listing fee alone will most likely cost between C$10,000 to C$70,000. Accounting and auditing fees could rack up between C$25,000 and C$100,000, while legal fees are expected to be over C$75,000 and an underwriters’ commission may hit up to 12 percent.

The exchange lists a handful of other fees and expenses companies can expect, including but not limited to security commission and transfer agency fees, investor relations costs and director and officer liability insurance.

These are all just for the initial listing, of course. There are ongoing expenses once companies are trading, such as sustaining fees and additional listing fees, plus the costs associated with filing regular reports.

How do you trade on the TSXV?

Investors can trade on the TSXV the way they would trade stocks on any exchange. This means they can use a stock broker or an individual investment account to buy and sell shares of TSXV-listed companies during the exchange’s trading hours.

Article by Dean Belder; FAQs by Lauren Kelly.

Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Securities Disclosure: I, Lauren Kelly, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

For years, blockchain had promise in the finance industry, but lacked the liquidity and connectivity to scale.

Yuval Rooz, CEO and co-founder of Canton Network, believes that era is now ending.

The problem: Legacy friction

Traditional banking still depends on millions of costly, slow and error-prone messages as institutions attempt to reconcile fragmented records across systems.

Repurchase agreement (repo) trades highlight the problem. Moving cash and collateral typically requires multiple intermediaries, manual checks and settlement delays that can stretch for days.

Public blockchains such as Ethereum offer speed, but their full transparency creates a different obstacle, exposing sensitive transaction data that banks cannot legally or competitively disclose.

At the heart of the issue is a structural trade off. Banks need shared networks to scale efficiency, yet legacy infrastructure and open ledgers force a choice between operating in isolation or revealing too much information. The result has been a patchwork of private systems that protect data sovereignty, but sacrifice interoperability and efficiency.

Explaining how Canton’s technology removes that trade off, Rooz said:

“Banks built walled gardens because there was no way to share infrastructure without giving up control or privacy. What we’re seeing now is a gradual shift away from isolated systems toward shared rails where institutions retain sovereignty over their data, while still achieving interoperability.

‘That doesn’t mean internal systems disappear overnight, but it does mean the center of gravity shifts toward networks where counterparties can transact in real time.”

Canton’s solution: Privacy-enabled synchronization

Canton has created a shared ledger where institutions maintain private blockchains, yet synchronize seamlessly.

“I think critics misunderstand what financial institutions actually need,” Rooz explained. “Banks don’t want a system where everything is hidden, and they don’t want one where everything is public. They need a way to work together on shared processes, while keeping sensitive details private. That’s what Canton was designed for.”

In practice, JPMorgan keeps its ledger sovereign, while plugging into LSEG for atomic delivery-versus-payment (DvP) settlements, all without revealing private data. Sub-transaction privacy ensures only trade participants see details; to others, it’s invisible. This network of networks lets banks achieve interoperability without sacrificing control.

“(This) gives institutions a shared record they can trust, with configurable privacy at the protocol level to divulge transactional information only with involved parties. And because it’s built to connect different applications, firms can link markets and workflows together without sacrificing confidentiality,’ said Rooz.

“This combination is something traditional systems cannot offer and is why you’re seeing institutions move from pilots into production onchain,’ the expert added.

Live momentum: JPM Coin and tokenized repos

JPM Coin’s native integration is a strong signal that the market is maturing.

JPMorgan’s blockchain rail, with over US$1 trillion in processed volume, has fueled settlements across Canton’s ecosystem. Paired with LSEG’s tokenized deposits, which power live repo activity, there are now synchronized markets where DvP happens in seconds, not days.

Rooz highlighted the deeper impact, commenting, “Everyone notices the speed, but the collateral mobility is the substance beyond the headline. In legacy markets, collateral spends most of its life idle because moving it safely across systems requires messaging, reconciliation and time. Atomic settlement collapses those steps into a single transaction.’

He added, ‘When repos settle in seconds, collateral stops being static and becomes reusable. That improves liquidity, balance sheet efficiency and risk management.”

2026 outlook

JPM Coin and LSEG repos demonstrate Canton’s shift from pilots to production.

“We measure success by utilization,” said Rooz, adding, “Having Canton be the network where real transactions are taking place, and regulated assets are moving.’

He envisions steady expansion powering this transformation. Indeed, similar efforts are already live elsewhere, such as BlackRock’s BUIDL fund, which has tokenized US$1.7 billion in treasuries for 24/7 yields, and DRW Cumberland’s weekend repos, which use tokenized collateral with instant DvP settlements.

“I’d like to see more asset classes brought on to Canton, and the corresponding transaction volume we’re already seeing will continue to grow in the year ahead,’ said Rooz.

He sees this convergence accelerating across markets.

“Our ‘North Star’ is to drive the convergence of TradFi and DeFi onchain to create a new AllFi reality,’ he said.

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

It’s been a wild couple of weeks for gold and silver.

After surging to record highs at the end of January, prices for both precious metals saw significant corrections, creating turmoil for market participants.

This week brought some relief, with gold bouncing back from its low point and even trading above US$5,000 per ounce for a brief period of time.

Silver, which is known for outperforming gold on both the upside and the downside, was more volatile, but seems to have found support around the US$70 per ounce level.

Why did gold and silver drop, and more importantly, what’s next? As always, there are a variety of different factors at play, but I’ll give you a rundown of what I’ve been hearing.

Starting with the pullback, I spoke with Joe Cavatoni of the World Gold Council, who pointed to speculative players as a key reason for gold’s price decline. Here’s how he explained it:

‘At the end of this, you’re looking at a lot of people who were pushing the price higher — speculative in nature — pulling back and taking money off the table. That’s why I think we’re seeing a correction in the price. I don’t think that we have an issue with, fundamentally, what’s going on in the gold market.’

Gary Savage of the Smart Money Tracker newsletter made a similar comment, saying that there are times when sentiment gets so bullish that eventually there’s no one left to buy.

However, on the silver side he saw signs of market manipulation as well:

‘Some of it is just (that) we got way too bullish, ran out of buyers. We were due for some kind of correction anyway, and I think the banks took advantage of that and coordinated a huge overnight attack that dropped silver … I think it was almost 30 percent, or maybe it was 30 percent, almost overnight. That allowed them to get out of their shorts, because a lot of those contracts were going to stand for delivery, and they were going to have to buy physical silver at US$120 an ounce to to deliver.’

Adding more nuance to the silver story this week was the news that billionaire Chinese trader Bian Ximing has reportedly established the largest net short position on the Shanghai Futures Exchange, with his bet against the white metal clocking in at US$300 million.

Bloomberg analysis of exchange data shows he started ‘ramping up silver shorts’ in the last week of January, although he initially began shifting from a long silver stance this past November.

Aside from silver, Bian is known for his moves in gold and copper.

There’s also been commentary suggesting that the nomination of Kevin Warsh for the US Federal Reserve chair position has weighed on gold and silver prices.

President Donald Trump announced his choice on January 30, with market watchers quickly pointing to Warsh’s hawkish reputation and questioning whether he will fall in line with Trump’s calls for lower interest rates. Rates have been a sticking point between Trump and current Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

However, in the days since the news broke, the tone has shifted, with Trump himself saying that Warsh wouldn’t have gotten the job if he said he wanted to raise rates.

Taking a step back from what’s happening now, I want to emphasize that the majority of the experts I’ve been speaking with recently don’t believe gold and silver are topping.

In a January 25 interview, Adrian Day of Adrian Day Asset Management said exactly that, pointing to previous bull markets where both metals moved steeply down before continuing up. This quote is from before last week’s correction, but I think you’ll see why it’s still relevant:

‘A pullback is always in the cards. And people forget, everybody talks about … 1974 to 1975, when gold dropped almost 50 percent. But people forget, the same thing happened in 2006. Halfway through the bull market, you had a 30 percent correction in gold, which of course means a much bigger correction for gold stocks.

‘So a pullback at some point is always not just a possibility, but it’s almost a certainty. But if we rephrase the question to, ‘Is this a top?’ You know, absolutely not. In my view, we are absolutely nowhere near a top.’

With that said, a point that’s come up repeatedly in my interviews lately is personalization — while it’s valuable to listen to other people’s views, what’s really important is to form your own opinions and understand why you own the assets in your portfolio. If you can do that, you’ll be better equipped to weather any storms, and to buy and sell when it’s time.

Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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AFDG, now Copper Intelligence, has successfully entered a binding contract for the transaction closing of the Butembo mining concession in Eastern DRC. In conjunction with the SPA, AFDG shares have been issued to the license holders, with ownership of the mining interest now held by the US domiciled entity, thus completing the Reverse Takeover transaction (RTO).

The transaction was signed in parallel with a Strategic Minerals roundtable held in Washington DC in conjunction with the launch of Project Vault by US President Trump, and the attendance by His Excellency, President Felix Tshisekedi of DRC, Aldo Cesano, Director of Copper Intelligence, and the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Department of State in Washington, D.C.

Copper Intelligence, Inc is now the first stand-alone DRC company to be publicly traded in the United States.

Andrew Groves, Chairman of Copper Intelligence stated, ‘ We are delighted to hold this status as a dedicated US company operating in Africa, aggregating assets in the DRC’s highest grade copper deposits in the world. The geology, and DRC’s prospective superlative yields, affords us the opportunity to create a unique, and dedicated copper exploration company. The Technical Team will now drive shareholder value through a methodical exploration program, asset addition, and validation of results.’

Aldo Cesano, Director added, ‘We believe Copper Intelligence will make a significant contribution to the people and communities of the DRC in which we work.’

Alan Kessler, Director and Founder concluded, ‘We are confident Copper Intelligence holds the resources, timing and execution capability to embrace the global copper shortage, and create shareholder value as a pioneering African company.’

About the Butembo Copper Project

Butembo is a near surface, low strip, Tier one exploration opportunity, located near the Ruwenzori mountain location of Uganda’s biggest copper mine (Kilembe with 4 million tons of verified reserves), located only 50km from the Ugandan border with verified access to rail. The High-grade copper samples thus far have returned 18% Copper assays, which if maintained at production would rank amongst the highest globally.

Industry and DRC positioning

According to The Washington Post, projected demand scenarios suggest that annual copper deficits could reach or exceed 6 million tons by 2035. The U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimates that closing this gap would require opening around 80 major new mines by 2030.

Click here to continue reading.

Media Contact:

www.copperintelligence.com
Maxine Gordon
mg@africandiscoverygroup.com
(917) 478-0406

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SOURCE African Discovery Group

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