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Valor Resources Limited (Valor) or (the Company) (ASX: VAL) is pleased to advise that it has entered into a binding Earn-in agreement (Earn-in Agreement) with leading global gold and copper producer Barrick Gold Corporation (Barrick) covering Valor’s Charaque Project in Peru.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Valor has executed an Earn-in Agreement with leading global gold and copper producer Barrick Gold Corporation covering its Charaque Project in Peru.
- Under the agreement, Barrick has been granted a 5-year option to acquire a 70% interest in the property for cash payments totalling US$800,000 and US$3 million of exploration expenditure.
- During the first two years, Barrick guarantees a minimum exploration expenditure of US$500,000.
- Once it has acquired a 70% interest, Barrick can earn an additional 10% by exercising a second option with a US$1 million cash payment and the delivery of a sole-funded pre-feasibility study, taking its interest to 80%.
- The agreement secures the involvement of a sector-leading gold and copper producer and explorer to advance the exploration of the Charaque Project, allowing Valor to focus on the upcoming drilling of multiple advanced large-scale copper targets at its flagship Picha Project.
Figure 1: Charaque Project location relative to Valor’s flagship Picha Copper Project in Peru
The Charaque Project is located 30km north-east of Valor’s flagship Picha Copper Project and comprises eight claims covering an area of around 6,000 hectares (60km2).
Valor acquired the Charaque Project 12 months ago given its highly prospective geology and strategic location in the midst of an active exploration area where a number of major mining companies including Barrick, Teck (NYSE: TECK) and Fresnillo (LSE: FRES) all have significant landholdings.
Since acquiring the Charaque Project, Valor has completed ground reconnaissance exploration work and recently commenced an extensive soil sampling program across the entire Charaque Project area.
The agreement with Barrick secures the involvement of one of the world’s leading gold and copper producers and explorers to fund exploration at Charaque, with the agreement including cash option payments to Valor.
Valor Executive Chairman, Mr George Bauk, said: “This is a very exciting outcome for Valor, with the participation of a leading global miner such as Barrick in the Charaque exploration program demonstrating the enormous discovery potential in this district.
“Barrick already holds land in the area, including tenements immediately adjacent to Charaque, and we look forward to them bringing their significant expertise to lead the exploration program while Valor retains strong, free-carried exposure to any discoveries.
“Barrick’s involvement in the ongoing exploration of the Charaque Project will enable Valor to focus our efforts on advancing our flagship Picha Copper Project, where we expect to commence an inaugural drilling program in the September 2023 Quarter.
“This part of Peru has become a very active exploration hotspot, with several major deposits including the San Gabriel and Berenguela polymetallic deposits. The 7.6Moz gold equivalent San Gabriel Gold- Copper Project – which lies just 7km south-east of Picha within the same mineralised corridor – is currently under development, with first production targeted for 2025.”
Figure 2 – Picha and Charaque Project locations showing other major landholders in the district (Barrick landholding in orange).
EARN-IN Agreement Terms
Under the terms of the Earn-in Agreement, Barrick will be granted a 5-year option providing the right to acquire a 70% interest in the Charaque Project for cash payments totalling US$800,000, and exploration spending incurred of US$3,000,000 as follows:
- Barrick will make an upfront cash payment of US$200,000 upon granting of the option.
- Barrick will make payments of US$100,000 on each of the first, second, third and fourth anniversary dates (totalling US$400,000).
- To complete the 70% Earn-in interest, Barrick will make a payment of US$200,000.
- To exercise the option, Barrick must incur exploration spending of a minimum of US$3,000,000. During the first two years, Barrick guarantees a minimum expenditure of US$500,000.
- Barrick may earn an additional 10% interest (totalling 80%) by exercising a second option with a US$1,000,000 cash payment and sole fund all costs and deliver to Valor Resources a Pre-Feasibility Study.
Charaque Project – background
The Charaque Project is located 30km north-east of Valor’s flagship Picha Copper Project and comprises eight claims covering an area of around 6,000 hectares (60km2).
The area around Charaque is an active exploration area with major mining companies such as Barrick, Teck (NYSE: TECK) and Fresnillo (LSE: FRES) all having significant land-holdings around the project area.
The Charaque Project was acquired by Valor in April 2022 (see ASX announcement dated 27th April 2022 titled “Valor secures additional concessions in highly prospective Gold-Copper-Silver region in Peru”).
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Valor Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
VAL:AU
xU3O8 (uranium.io)
Investor Insight
Purpose-built for today’s energy transition, xU3O8 sits at the intersection of technology, finance, and nuclear energy, offering a simplified and transparent alternative to legacy uranium investments amid surging global demand. The xU3O8 token, now accessible on leading global exchanges, is a groundbreaking digital asset that provides direct, efficient exposure to the uranium market.
Overview
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The platform is designed to meet growing investor demand for exposure to uranium, a commodity that is a critical component of the global energy transition. As countries commit to reducing carbon emissions, nuclear energy is increasingly seen as a reliable and scalable source of low-carbon electricity. Governments across North America, Europe and Asia are ramping up their nuclear energy capacities, as part of their net-zero targets. This includes restarting idled reactors, constructing new reactors, and accelerating the development of small modular reactors.
Nuclear power is also emerging as a stable and scalable option for supporting artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, which require massive amounts of electricity to operate. Industry leaders, including Microsoft, have announced nuclear energy investments, and several technology firms have secured long-term agreements for nuclear power.
Like gold and silver before it, uranium is entering a phase of financialization — with physical holding trusts, ETFs, and now platforms like uranium.io offering direct physical uranium ownership via xU3O8, making it more accessible to a wider set of investors.
As traditional financial markets converge with digital innovation, tokenized assets are becoming a preferred vehicle for commodities investing. Uranium.io’s use of the Etherlink blockchain ensures secure, real-time trading with minimal friction — a distinct advantage in an increasingly digitized investment landscape.
Development of the uranium.io platform is led by the team at London-based Trilitech, a group of entrepreneurs and technologists driving blockchain innovations.
With its emphasis on direct fractional ownership and 24/7 worldwide accessibility, xU3O8 is uniquely positioned to serve as the gateway to physical uranium exposure for a global investor base. Alignment with broader energy and digital asset trends makes it a compelling vehicle for those seeking to capitalize on uranium’s strong fundamentals and the disruptive power of decentralized finance.
In July 2025, the company launched its xU3O8 token on KuCoin, MEXC, and Gate.io — ushering in a new era of uranium investment. This simultaneous, multi-platform listing marks a major milestone in the evolution of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, delivering institutional-grade exposure to uranium markets to a combined audience of over 115 million global traders.
By debuting across multiple top-tier platforms, xU3O8 ensures broad accessibility and liquidity for investors:
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- MEXC – Founded in 2018, MEXC serves 36 million users globally and has seen explosive 2024 growth: 143 percent increase in spot trading and 118 percent in futures. Its intuitive platform makes crypto trading “simple, accessible, and rewarding,” mirroring xU3O8’s goal of democratizing uranium investment.
- Gate.io – Ranked among the top 3 global crypto exchanges by real trading volume, Gate.io boasts 32 million users and supports over 3,600 digital assets. With institutional-grade security and a commitment to 100 percent reserve holdings, Gate.io provides the infrastructure essential for tokenized commodity trading.
Each xU3O8 token represents fractional ownership of physical uranium ore concentrate (yellowcake) securely stored by Cameco in regulated facilities, eliminating the high barriers to entry that once restricted uranium investment to institutions and major corporations.
Company Highlights
- Uranium.io is a pioneering platform for buying and selling uranium, providing direct ownership of physical uranium via a blockchain-powered token xU3O8.
- Built on Etherlink, powered by Tezos technology, enabling transparency, low fees, energy efficiency and programmable compliance.
- FCA-regulated digital asset custodian, Archax, holds physical uranium in trust on behalf of token holders.
- Physical supply is brokered by Curzon Uranium, a trusted uranium trading and logistics partner with deep industry roots and over $1 billion in uranium trades.
- The uranium bought on the platform is physically stored at a regulated depository owned and operated by Cameco, one of the world’s leading global uranium providers/converters.
- Global 24/7 market access offering fractionalized and direct uranium exposure with real-time settlement and cross-border accessibility.
- Capitalizing on nuclear energy’s role in clean energy transition and the financialization of critical minerals.
- The company has launched the xU3O8 token across three of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges: KuCoin, MEXC, and Gate.io.
- Uranium.io launches a near-real-time pricing oracle, disrupting uranium market opacity and delivering unmatched transparency and efficiency.
Technology Platform
Uranium.io is built on a secure, decentralized technology stack that integrates blockchain infrastructure, digital asset custody, and real-world commodity supply — delivering unprecedented access and transparency to the uranium market. The platform bridges traditional commodities trading with Web3 innovation, allowing users to seamlessly acquire, hold and trade physical uranium via xU3O8 tokens.
Uranium.io unveiled the world's first uranium spot pricing oracle, aimed at addressing the price opacity issues in the uranium market. Unlike oil, gold, base metals, and agricultural commodities, uranium pricing has traditionally relied on fragmented, privately negotiated over-the-counter deals, leaving market participants in the dark and creating inefficiencies and uncertainty that limit broad participation.
Uranium.io’s oracle transforms this landscape with:
- Real-time pricing oracle: Launched to tackle uranium market opacity, providing near-instant spot price updates and boosting transparency and efficiency.
- Tokenized uranium trading: Investors can trade fractional shares of physical uranium, democratizing access to a traditionally restricted market.
- Market interest surging: Uranium-related financial instruments, including ETFs, have outperformed Bitcoin in 2025, reflecting growing investor demand.
- Data-driven insights: Aggregates dozens of sources—spot feeds, nuclear equities, commodity funds—and uses algorithms to mirror uranium’s complex market dynamics.
Blockchain Infrastructure: Etherlink, Powered by Tezos
At the heart of xU3O8’s digital asset engine is the Tezos blockchain, a highly secure, energy-efficient and self-amending Layer 1 protocol. Tezos is uniquely suited to power real-world asset tokenization due to its low transaction costs and energy efficiency; on-chain governance and smart contract flexibility; and enterprise-grade security and decentralization.
Tezos’ track record with real-world assets, including tokenized real estate and art, positions it as an ideal foundation for the secure, scalable digitization of uranium ownership.
Digital Custody: Archax
To ensure that each xU3O8 token is backed with physical uranium, uranium.io is supported by Archax, a London-based, digital asset custodian and exchange regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Archax provides regulated asset custody, KYC/AML-compliant onboarding, and real-time asset reconciliation.
Archax brings institutional-grade governance and accountability to the storage and oversight of physical uranium, ensuring that investor holdings are not just theoretical but physically secured.
Physical Supply: Curzon Uranium
Access to physical uranium is facilitated by its partnership with Curzon Uranium, a specialized uranium trading and logistics firm. Curzon acts as the platform’s uranium provider, sourcing, purchasing and delivering uranium from trusted upstream suppliers to secure storage.
Curzon’s decades of experience in uranium procurement adds physical credibility and market depth to the xU3O8 ecosystem — making the platform more than just a digital asset project, but a fully integrated uranium trading platform.
Physical uranium storage: Cameco
The physical uranium ore concentrate (U3O8) is securely stored at a regulated storage facility, operated by Cameco, one of the three globally recognized uranium conversion and storage providers. For transparency, Proof of Reserves is always available on the website and is updated with monthly statements from Cameco.
Together, Tezos, Archax and Curzon Uranium form the digital, custodial and physical backbone of the uranium.io platform. This trio of technologies and partnerships ensures a secure, compliant and efficient path for investors to gain physical uranium exposure — fractionalized, tokenized and tradable 24/7 on a global scale.
