Vancouver – – September 12, 2026 -- RUA GOLD Inc. (OTCQX: NZAUF) (TSX: RUA) (NZX: RGI) reported its highest-grade drill results to date at the Auld Creek gold-antimony project in New Zealand's Reefton Goldfield, with hole ACDDH119 returning 0.6 metres grading 82.9 grams per tonne gold and 24.80% antimony. The results land as Western governments race to replace Chinese antimony supply, a metal Future Market Insights values at roughly US$2.5 billion globally in 2026, rising to about US$4.5 billion by 2036 at a 6.2% compound annual growth rate.
China's export ban roughly doubled antimony prices
China introduced export licensing on six antimony product categories in August 2024, then banned antimony exports to the United States outright in December 2024. Antimony metal prices roughly doubled afterward. China supplies roughly half of global output, while the United States imports more than 85% of what it consumes and has no operating primary antimony mine.
Auld Creek's wider intercepts back the high-grade headline
Beyond the standout hole, ACDDH112 returned 2.85 metres at 9.29 g/t gold and 13.71% antimony, including 0.5 metres at 40.5 g/t gold. ACDDH104 cut 32 metres at 2.11 g/t gold and ACDDH108 cut 11.3 metres at 6.11 g/t gold, widths the company says matter for mine planning rather than headline grade alone. RUA Gold reports the deposit extending over 1,000 metres in length and more than 500 metres in depth, remaining open in all directions after 19,600 metres of drilling.
Fast-Track application targeted for October, PFS due December
Auld Creek was accepted as a listed project under New Zealand's Fast-Track Approvals regime in July 2026. The company says it remains on track to submit its substantive application in October 2026 and publish a pre-feasibility study in December 2026, with four rigs continuing to drill through the fourth quarter. "These exceptional exploration results are informing the mine plan and reinforcing the significant development potential of the Auld Creek Project," said Robert Eckford, Chief Executive Officer of RUA GOLD. The company also appointed Darren Prins as Interim Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary.
Perpetua's US$2.9 billion EXIM loan shows the scale of the alternative path
Perpetua Resources Corp. (Nasdaq: PPTA) is advancing the Stibnite Gold Project in Idaho, positioned as the only domestic reserve of antimony in the United States. On May 21, 2026 the U.S. Export-Import Bank's Board unanimously approved a US$2.9 billion senior secured 13-year loan under its Make More in America Initiative. A March 2026 Technical Report Summary showed an after-tax net present value of US$3.5 billion at US$3,250 per ounce gold, rising to US$6.1 billion at US$4,500 per ounce. Even with near-$3 billion of federal lending, Stibnite still faces years of permitting, financing and construction before delivering antimony to customers.
Antimony was designated a critical mineral as prices swung sharply
Both the United States and Canadian governments formally designated antimony a critical mineral, and the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency announced plans to stockpile it, reflecting its use in ammunition primers, armour-piercing rounds, night vision equipment and hardened alloys. Antimony prices have been volatile and fell materially through 2026 after their post-export-control spike.
RUA Gold remains an exploration-stage company with no defined reserves
RUA Gold has no mineral reserves defined at Auld Creek and no production or revenue. Reported drill intercepts are selective results not necessarily representative of the deposit as a whole, and reported intervals are downhole widths with true widths unknown. Acceptance as a listed Fast-Track project does not guarantee a mining permit will be granted, or granted on the stated timeline. RUA Gold holds more than 120,000 hectares of permits across the Reefton Goldfield, a district with recorded historical production exceeding 2 million ounces of gold at grades of 9 to 50 grams per tonne, though these historical figures are not indicative of what may be recovered from the company's specific permits.