Domestic Metals Readies for Pivotal 2026 Drill Program in Montana

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – December 18, 2025

Domestic Metals Corp. is positioning itself for what its CEO calls a "pivotal and transformational year," as the junior explorer prepares for a Q1 2026 drill program at its promising Smart Creek Copper Porphyry Project in Montana. The company's year-end update reveals significant progress in defining a high-priority drill target, a move that comes at a time of unprecedented demand and bullish forecasts for the global copper market.

A High-Priority Target in a Storied Mining Region

The focus of the upcoming exploration push is the Sunrise Mine Target, one of three key areas within the larger Smart Creek Project. Following approximately 40 days of intensive fieldwork in 2025, including mapping and sampling, Domestic Metals has significantly advanced its understanding of the area's geology. The company reported that field observations have confirmed a previously unrecognized, high-priority porphyry target linked to historical mining at Sunrise.

This breakthrough is underpinned by the discovery of a mineralized intrusion that provides a "porphyry linkage" to the historic Sunrise Mine. Earlier in the year, sampling in this zone returned a notable 4.26 g/t gold, strengthening the company's geological model. This advancement has elevated the Sunrise Mine Target to the drill-testing phase, with a geophysics program scheduled for early Q1 2026 to refine drill locations, followed by a diamond drill program later in the quarter.

The Smart Creek Project is situated in a state with a rich mining legacy, most famously the Butte copper mine, one of the world's most productive porphyry deposits. Porphyry systems are the source of the vast majority of the world's copper, and Domestic Metals is betting that Smart Creek holds another such prize. The project is a joint venture with mining behemoth Rio Tinto, which retains a 40% interest. Rio Tinto's previous work provides a strong foundation for Domestic's current efforts, with one historical drill hole (SMCR0022) returning an impressive intercept of 109.73 meters grading 0.75% copper.

Gearing Up for a Transformational Year

The move towards drilling marks a significant shift from the foundational work of 2025. In the company's year-end update, CEO Gord Neal expressed his excitement for the year ahead. “2025 was a year of team organization and readying Domestic for a major porphyry discovery program at the Smart Creek Copper Porphyry Project in Montana," Neal stated. "I can’t tell you how excited I am that we are one step closer to drill success."

Neal sees 2026 as a potentially game-changing year for the company, thanking shareholders for their support in closing two financing placements in 2025. These funds are critical for a junior explorer like Domestic Metals, which, according to its 2024 financial statements, operates with a working capital deficit and relies on raising capital to fund its ambitious exploration plans. The successful placements provide the necessary runway to execute the targeted geophysics and subsequent drilling program that could unlock the project's value.

To further engage with investors ahead of this crucial period, management plans to attend major industry conferences, including the VRIC in Vancouver in January and the PDAC convention in Toronto in March 2026.

Riding a Bullish Wave in the Copper Market

Domestic Metals' aggressive exploration timeline is strategically timed to coincide with a historic bull market for copper. Driven by the global energy transition and the explosive growth of artificial intelligence, demand for the red metal is surging. Electric vehicles, renewable energy infrastructure, and power-hungry data centers all require massive amounts of copper, creating a demand profile that supply is struggling to meet.

Market analysts are forecasting a sustained period of high prices. S&P Global projects that global mine production will peak around 2025-2026 before entering a period of decline due to falling ore grades and a lack of new discoveries. The lead time from discovery to production for a new copper mine can exceed 15 years, exacerbating a potential long-term structural deficit.

This supply-demand imbalance has led to highly optimistic price forecasts. J.P. Morgan Global Research, for instance, projects copper prices could reach $12,500 per metric ton in the second quarter of 2026, while Goldman Sachs sees prices potentially hitting $15,000 per ton by 2035. With LME copper currently trading near $12,000 per ton, any significant new discovery, particularly in a stable jurisdiction like Montana, would be of immense interest to the market. A successful drill program at Smart Creek could position Domestic Metals to capitalize on this powerful secular trend.

Aligning Incentives for Discovery

In a move signaling confidence and aligning internal incentives with shareholder interests, Domestic Metals also announced the grant of 2.7 million incentive stock options to directors, officers, and consultants. The options have an exercise price of $0.25 per share—just above the company's recent trading price of C$0.245—and a ten-year term.

For a junior exploration company, where cash conservation is paramount, stock options are a standard and essential tool for attracting and retaining top-tier technical and managerial talent. This grant effectively ties the personal financial success of the company's key personnel directly to exploration success. If the upcoming drill program yields positive results and drives the company's valuation higher, these options become valuable.

Based on the company's last reported share count, the grant represents a potential dilution of approximately 5.5%, a common figure in the industry for such incentive plans. For shareholders, this move is a double-edged sword that is generally seen as a net positive; while it introduces potential dilution, it strongly motivates the team responsible for creating shareholder value through a major discovery. With drilling on a high-priority target now just months away, the grant ensures that all hands are on deck and focused on delivering the "transformational" success the company is aiming for in 2026.