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Vancouver, British Columbia, February 5, 2026 - TheNewswire - FinEx Metals Ltd. (TSX-V: FINX) ("FinEx" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has been granted the Kero mineral exploration license by the Finnish Mining Authority ("TUKES"). The 100%-owned Kero gold project is located in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt ("CLGB") of northern Finland, approximately 15 km southeast of Agnico Eagle's Kittilä gold mine, Europe's largest primary gold operation and approximately 20 km northwest of Rupert Resources' multi-million-ounce Ikkari discovery (Figure 2)1.
Highlights:
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Strategic Location:Kero is a 100%-owned, royalty-free orogenic gold prospect within the Paleoproterozoic CLGB, the same belt that hosts Agnico Eagle's Kittilä gold mine and Rupert Resources' Ikkari discovery, two of Europe's most significant gold deposits.
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Gold Endowment: Historical drilling and trenching completed by the Geological Survey of Finland ("GTK") outlined multiple gold-bearing zones, including drill intercepts up to 9.05 m grading 1.95 g/t Au (including 12.6 g/t Au over 1.05 m) and 2.3 g/t Au over 3.3 m and 1.1 g/t Au + 1.34 g/t Pd + 0.37 g/t Pt over 1 m. Continuous channel sampling returned 6.2 m grading 7.5 g/t Au, including 1 m grading 16.4 g/t Au and 1 m grading 25.6 g/t Au.
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District-Scale Gold System: Gold-bearing trends extend for more than one km along strike, with multiple high-grade surface targets untested by drilling and gold mineralization associated with shear and fault zones, hydrothermal alteration (carbonate, sericite, chlorite and albite) and iron-formation host rocks, features generally consistent with orogenic gold systems.
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Drill-Ready with Modern Exploration Upside:Historical work has defined multiple areas for drill testing and highlighted the potential for structural and geophysical re-interpretation with a clear path for drilling in the second half of 2026.
Tero Kosonen, President and CEO, states: "The Kero license grant is an important step as we continue building a strategic portfolio of 100%-owned, royalty-free gold projects in northern Finland. Kero adds an additional highly prospective gold system in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt, with gold mineralization confirmed in drilling and channel sampling. Our priority is re-interpretation, target ranking and a disciplined, phased exploration program to unlock the project's potential."
Kero Exploration License:
The Kero exploration license provides FinEx with the right to advance a highly prospective, under-tested orogenic gold system. The project benefits from extensive historical work completed by the GTK, including geophysical surveys (magnetics, EM, IP, SP, gravity, VLF-R and AMT), till and bedrock geochemical sampling, trenching, heavy mineral studies and approximately 8 km of diamond drilling. Despite this foundation, Kero has not been systematically advanced by a modern exploration company with a gold-focused discovery strategy. FinEx is in the process of compiling and verifying the historical GTK datasets as a basis for planning modern, gold‑focused exploration programs at Kero.
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Figure 1: Location map of FinEx Metals' 100%-owned gold, nickel and PGE projects including the Kero gold project.
Project Overview:
The Kero project is located within the CLGB and lies along the northern continuation of the Porkonen iron formation, within a structurally complex corridor characterized by folding, shearing and multiple deformation events. Kero is underlain by Paleoproterozoic volcanic and sedimentary rocks, including mafic volcanics, graphite-bearing tuffs, cherts and iron formation-related lithologies (Figure 2). Host rocks at Kero are comparable to those at the Kittilä mine, while the structural setting shows similarities to the deformation and fluid pathways interpreted at Ikkari. The Kero project benefits from strong geological and structural analogues within some of Europe's major gold discoveries1.
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Figure 2. Geological and structural setting of the Kero gold project. Kittilä (Agnico Eagle), Ikkari (Rupert Resources) and Ruoppa (FinEx Metals) gold projects shown for reference1. Map includes mineral occurrence data from the Geological Survey of Finland.
The area was studied by the GTK between 2002 and 2009 when it conducted geophysical surveys, till and bedrock sampling, heavy mineral surveys, trenching and shallow drilling with the goal of encouraging exploration and development in the region. Exploration results from the Kero gold project area demonstrate a broad and relatively coherent gold anomaly identified both at surface and at depth. Heavy mineral sampling identified abundant locally-derived gold grains and elevated gold values consistent with a proximal bedrock source. Gold mineralization is reportedly hosted by quartz-carbonate veins associated with chert layers interbedded with metavolcanic rocks and graphitic tuffs which have undergone extensive carbonate, potassic and albite alteration. The GTK identified an intermittent 1.2-km-long gold mineralized zone, the best intercept from historical drilling being 9.05 m grading 1.95 g/t Au from 142.5 m down hole (including 1.05 m grading 12.6 g/t Au). Drilling and channel sampling (best interval: 6.2 m grading 7.5 g/t Au, including 1 m grading 16.4 g/t Au and 1 m grading 25.6 g/t Au) suggest that Kero has potential for high-grade gold lodes (Figure 3). Gold is consistently associated with key pathfinder elements including arsenic, bismuth and tellurium, highlighting the fertility of the system. Historical drilling has only tested very shallow depths (average depth of holes being 80 m). The hole with the reported highest grade gold intercept is from one of the deepest holes adjacent to a VTEM geophysical anomaly with deep roots, providing support to FinEx's thesis that higher grade gold lodes can potentially be identified at depth.
Figure 3. Kero Project area map with select historic GTK drill intervals and channel samples highlighted. Map includes data from the Geological Survey of Finland and from TUKES.
Historical exploration demonstrates that Kero hosts extensive hydrothermal alteration and multi-element geochemical anomalies (Au, As, Sb, Te, Zn, Mn), coincident with interpreted structural zones and gold mineralization. These features are considered highly favourable for the concentration of gold in structurally-controlled systems.
Exploration Potential and Next Steps
Historical reports note that gold is associated with sulfide-rich quartz–carbonate veins and mineralization remains open along strike and at depth. Importantly, the GTK recommended additional diamond drilling, to expand on shallow drilling to properly evaluate the continuity, geometry and scale of the gold-bearing zones.
FinEx believes that the Kero project offers substantial exploration potential through:
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Re-interpretation of historical geophysical and structural data using modern techniques and a new understanding gained from other deposits in the district;
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Systematic till and bedrock sampling of the southern part of the project area which hosts favourable geology and remains untested;
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Systematic drill testing of high-grade surface targets that remain undrilled;
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Targeting of structural intersections and favourable iron-formation horizons identified in historical mapping and geophysical datasets; and
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Targeted drilling of deep conductive zones identified in historical VTEM surveys.
The Company is currently reviewing the extensive historical dataset and plans to outline a 2026 phased exploration program at Kero, including target prioritization and planning of an initial diamond drill program in the second half of 2026.
About FinEx Metals Ltd.
FinEx Metals Ltd. (TSX-V: FINX) is a gold, nickel and PGE-focused mineral exploration company advancing a portfolio of 100%-owned, royalty-free projects in northern Finland, strategically located in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt and Eastern Lapland Greenstone Belt. FinEx's projects are near existing mining operations and benefit from strong infrastructure, a stable jurisdiction, and a proven exploration model, supporting multiple targets with clear discovery potential in one of Europe's most prospective and underexplored regions. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.finexmetals.net.
FinEx Metals is part of the NewQuest Capital Group, a discovery-driven investment group that builds value through the incubation and financing of mineral projects and companies. Further information about NewQuest can be found on the company website at www.nqcapitalgroup.com.
References:
Agnico Eagle Mines Limited. (n.d.). Kittilä Mine. Agnico Eagle Mines Limited. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from: https://www.agnicoeagle.com/English/operations-and-projects/global-operations-and-development-projects/kittila/default.aspx
Hulkki, H., Salmirinne, H., Karinen, T., Nykänen, V. and Sarala P., 2010. The Petäjäselkä Gold Project. Geological Survey of Finland Report M19/3721/2010/62, 46 pp.
Qualified Person
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Petri Peltonen, MAusIMM(CP), EurGeol, a Qualified Person ("QP") as defined in National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Dr. Peltonen is not independent by reason of being a Contractor and Shareholder of the Company. The historical exploration data referenced in this release were generated by GTK and have not yet been independently verified by FinEx Metals; such data should not be relied upon as current and do not conform to the requirements of NI 43‑101 for mineral resource or reserve estimation. The Company's planned work programs include data verification and confirmatory sampling to support future NI 43‑101 compliant disclosure.
1 The proximity and geologic similarities between these nearby properties and the Kero project does not mean that equivalent results will be obtained on the Kero property.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Tero Kosonen
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
+1 (604) 681-9100
For further information, please contact:
Brennan Zerb
Investor Relations Manager
+1 (778) 867-5016
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Forward-Looking Statements:
This news release includes certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the proposed listing on the TSX Venture Exchange, future capital expenditures, exploration activities and the specifications, targets, results, analyses, interpretations, benefits, costs and timing of them, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, risks related to the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, including the Company's exploration plans and the proposed expenditures for exploration work thereon, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to fund its business activities and plans, the ability of the Company to obtain the required permits, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, the Company's limited operating history, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims, environmental issues and liabilities, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's prospectus dated June 13, 2025 and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements, except as otherwise required by law.
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