Gold Surges 45% as Institutions Pour Capital Into Junior Miners

Issued on behalf of Lake Victoria Gold Ltd.

VANCOUVER – Baystreet.ca News Commentary – Bullion has hit record highs in 2025, with the price surging 43% to $3,760 per ounce and positioning the metal for its strongest annual performance since 1979 as it outpaces all other major asset classes^[1]. The yellow metal is now up 45% this year, making it by far the best-performing asset class of 2025 and outpacing Wall Street's crown jewels, including the Magnificent 7 and bitcoin^[2]. This exceptional performance has triggered a wave of institutional capital flowing into junior miners, with prominent investment firms initiating new positions in the VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF during Q2 2025, signaling robust bullish sentiment toward companies in earlier stages of development that offer significant leverage to rising gold prices^[3]. This institutional endorsement extends across the exploration and development landscape, benefiting companies like Lake Victoria Gold (TSXV:LVG.VN) (OTC-BB:LVGLF), Goldstorm Metals Corp. (TSXV:GSTM.VN) (OTCPK:GSTMF), Great Pacific Gold Corp. (TSXV:GPAC.VN) (OTCQX:GPGCF), New Found Gold Corp. (NYSE-American:NFGC) (TSXV:NFG.VN), and Galway Metals Inc. (TSXV:GWM.VN) (OTC-BB:GAYMF).

Junior miners are experiencing a remarkable resurgence as five of the 10 best-performing U.S.-listed ETFs in 2025 are tied to gold miners^[4], with valuations climbing 135% over the past year according to RBC Capital Markets as exploration and development companies see their per-ounce valuations leap to $87 from last year's lows. As equity markets opened up in 2025, smaller miners capitalized on improved financing conditions to fund drill programs and technical studies, sparking a wave of exploration and project de-risking that positions the sector for sustained growth as gold's fundamentals remain structurally strong.

Lake Victoria Gold (TSXV:LVG.VN) (OTC-BB:LVGLF) recently reached a pivotal agreement in principle with the Government of Tanzania on the framework for the Government's statutory free carried interest in the Imwelo Gold Project. The breakthrough, announced following productive negotiations held on September 10, 2025, in Arusha, removes one of the most significant regulatory hurdles on the pathway to production and establishes a foundation for long-term partnership between the company and Tanzania.

Under Tanzania's Mining Act and recent regulations, the Government is entitled to a minimum 16% non-dilutable free carried interest in all mining projects, ensuring direct participation in the ownership of natural resources. The fiscal framework also includes a 6% royalty on gold production plus a 1% export levy, with a reduced rates of 4% for in-country refining and requirements for local beneficiation.

"Reaching agreement in principle with the Ministry of Minerals marks an important milestone for Lake Victoria Gold and for Tanzania," said Marc Cernovitch, President and CEO of LVG. "The Government's participation ensures that the Imwelo Project will be developed in alignment with national priorities, including responsible mining, in-country refining, and long-term value creation for all stakeholders. While final approvals and details remain to be completed, this first step lays the groundwork for a constructive partnership through the new joint venture company."

The agreement establishes a framework for creating a new joint venture company to hold and operate the Imwelo Mining Licence, providing transparency and durability for the collaboration. This regulatory clarity comes as LVG has already cleared a crucial environmental hurdle with Tanzania's National Environment Management Council approving the Updated Environmental and Social Management Plan for the fully-permitted project.

The timing proves strategic with gold currently trading above $3,700 per ounce. While many explorers struggle with permitting delays, LVG now operates under clear regulatory frameworks backed by its existing 10-year renewable mining license, positioning the company among the few junior miners with both regulatory clearance and near-term production potential in one of Africa's most prolific gold regions.

Imwelo sits just 12 kilometers from AngloGold Ashanti's flagship Geita mine, with the company targeting first gold within 12 months of construction start. Area C represents the priority development zone featuring 3.7 g/t average gold grades—among the highest in the historical resource. A planned strategic 7,750m drill program combines grade control drilling for mine planning with extensions targeting. Previous intercepts including 6.8m at 14.6 g/t gold from 33m demonstrate production-ready mineralization.

Now as the company has officially closed an oversubscribed financing, LVG has strengthened its financial position with $6 million through a non-brokered LIFE private placement and additional $2 million private placement, expected to close imminently. Proceeds will fund work programs satisfying conditions to unlock a pre-paid forward facility with Monetary Metals for construction capital.

Additional opportunities emerge through the Tembo Project, where a planned 3,000m drilling program targets shallow, high-grade zones suitable for toll milling at the nearby Nyati Resources processing facility. Historic results including 28.57 g/t over 3m from 54m demonstrate potential for immediate cash generation ahead of full Imwelo development.

Beyond core development, LVG maintains exposure to potential US$45 million in milestone payments from the 2021 asset sale to Barrick's Bulyanhulu operation, plus strategic partnerships with Monetary Metals and Taifa Group, Tanzania's largest mining contractor.

With government agreement secured, and environmental approvals complete, Lake Victoria Gold represents the convergence of regulatory clearance, market timing, and operational momentum that positions the company for successful development in Tanzania's premier gold district.

CONTINUED… Read this and more news for Lake Victoria Gold at: https://usanewsgroup.com/2025/04/02/with-funding-commitments-in-place-a-gold-mine-is-being-built-and-this-stock-is-still-under-0-20/

In other industry developments and happenings in the market include:

Goldstorm Metals Corp. (TSXV:GSTM.VN) (OTCPK:GSTMF) has completed its Induced Polarization survey and initiated Magnetotelluric surveys at its 16,000-hectare Crown Property in British Columbia's Golden Triangle, while collecting 527 rock samples from the Orion Spine area to support drill target selection. The company is preparing a 1,200-meter diamond drill program at the nearby Electrum Property targeting high-grade gold and silver intervals, including areas where previous drilling returned 440.8 g/t gold and 400.0 g/t silver over 0.52 meters.

"As we await the results of the IP and MT surveys from our consultants that will help define and prioritize drill targets at the Crown Property, Goldstorm will continue to advance exploration efforts with a 1,200-meter diamond drill program at the Electrum Property," said Ken Konkin, P. Geo., President and CEO of Goldstorm Metals. "This program will follow up on previous near-surface high-grade gold and silver drill intercepts and represents another exciting step in our broader exploration strategy, which includes expanding the high-grade mineralization footprint at Electrum."

The company expects to complete geophysical interpretations and receive assay results from the Crown Property within three weeks, with the goal of constructing drill pads before season's end for a 2026 exploration campaign. At Electrum, six holes will target the sheeted gold-silver vein complex using a track-mounted drill with excellent road access throughout the property.

Great Pacific Gold Corp. (TSXV:GPAC.VN) (OTCQX:GPGCF) has reported exceptional surface sampling results of 0.8 meters at 127 g/t AuEq and drilling results of 5.0 meters at 4.9 g/t AuEq from its flagship Wild Dog Project in Papua New Guinea, where a second drill rig is being mobilized to accelerate the Phase 1 program. Recent drilling at hole WDG-09 intercepted 5.0 meters at 4.9 g/t AuEq from 169 meters, including 2.0 meters at 11.1 g/t AuEq, confirming continuity of the Wild Dog epithermal vein system along the 15-kilometer structural corridor.

"Hole 9 was drilled approximately 30m to the north of hole 7, into an area where we had very little information," said Greg McCunn, CEO of Great Pacific Gold. "The intercept with the main Wild Dog structure supports the continuity of the system."

A high-precision LiDAR survey covering 187 square kilometers has been completed with results due October 6, 2025, which will provide critical topographic control for geological modelling and drill planning. The expanded Phase 1 program now totals 28 diamond drill holes extending into early 2026, with recent MobileMT geophysical data highlighting exceptional scale potential for both epithermal and porphyry copper-gold systems at depth.

New Found Gold Corp. (NYSE-American:NFGC) (TSXV:NFG.VN) has reported channel sampling results from its Iceberg excavation at the Queensway Gold Project in Newfoundland, with results confirming high-grade gold mineralization at surface including 64.8 g/t gold over 6.71 meters and 113 g/t gold over 2.99 meters across 185 meters of continuous exposure. The systematic sampling program included 964 meters of channel samples at 7.5-meter intervals designed to provide detailed analysis of grade variability for incorporation into future mineral resource estimates at Queensway.

"Our recently completed channel sampling program has further demonstrated the continuity of at-surface, high-grade gold mineralization across 185 m of continuous exposure at Iceberg, one of the zones we have targeted for Phase I custom milling in the Queensway Preliminary Economic Assessment," said Melissa Render, President of New Found Gold. "As in the drilling of Iceberg, channel sampling returned broad intervals of coarse, high-grade gold mineralization."

The company has commenced a 70,000-meter drill program with approximately 80% focused on the AFZ Core area, while excavation and mapping of the Lotto zone is now complete with channel sampling expected to conclude shortly. A tightly spaced 5-meter by 5-meter definition drilling program is ongoing at Keats and expected to commence at Iceberg in the coming weeks to further validate the geological model and support conversion of resources from inferred to indicated.

Galway Metals Inc. (TSXV:GWM.VN) (OTC-BB:GAYMF) has reported high-grade gold intercepts from six diamond drill holes at the Southwest Deposit on its Clarence Stream project in New Brunswick, with hole CL-229 returning 4.1 g/t gold over 16.0 meters including 41.9 g/t gold over 1.0 meter from just 26 vertical meters from surface. The flagship project hosts a 2022 mineral resource estimate of 12.4 million tonnes at 2.3 g/t gold for 922,000 ounces indicated and 16.0 million tonnes at 2.6 g/t gold for 1.334 million ounces inferred across the 65-kilometer strike length of prospective gold showings.

"The high-grade, shallow intercepts from recent drilling at the Southwest Deposit are significant as they demonstrate continuity of gold within our modeled pits and support the conversion of inferred to indicated resources," said Rob Hinchcliffe, President and CEO of Galway Metals. "Importantly, intercepts outside of the existing pit shells highlight the opportunity to expand the deposit into a much larger resource."

With results pending from 42 holes at the North and Southwest deposits and three rigs actively turning, the company anticipates steady news flow in the coming months as drilling continues to expand mineralization within and beyond existing pit shells. The program has successfully filled gaps in the block model while identifying extensions that could significantly grow the resource base at this district-scale gold project.

Article Source: https://usanewsgroup.com/2025/04/02/with-funding-commitments-in-place-a-gold-mine-is-being-built-and-this-stock-is-still-under-0-20/

Baystreet.ca

cs@baystreet.ca

(250) 999-4849

DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this publication should be considered as personalized financial advice. We are not licensed under securities laws to address your particular financial situation. No communication by our employees to you should be deemed as personalized financial advice. Please consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decision. This is a paid advertisement and is neither an offer nor recommendation to buy or sell any security. We hold no investment licenses and are thus neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice. The content in this report or email is not provided to any individual with a view toward their individual circumstances. Baystreet.ca is owned by Baystreet.ca Media Corp. (“BAY”). BAY has been paid a fee for Lake Victoria Gold Ltd. advertising and digital media from a shareholder of the Company (333,333 unrestricted shares). There may be 3rd parties who may have shares of Lake Victoria Gold Ltd., and may liquidate their shares which could have a negative effect on the price of the stock. This compensation constitutes a conflict of interest as to our ability to remain objective in our communication regarding the profiled company. Because of this conflict, individuals are strongly encouraged to not use this publication as the basis for any investment decision. The owner/operator of “BAY” reserve the right to buy and sell, and will buy and sell shares of Lake Victoria Gold Ltd. at any time without any further notice commencing immediately and ongoing. We also expect further compensation as an ongoing digital media effort to increase visibility for the company, no further notice will be given, but let this disclaimer serve as notice that all material, including this article, which is disseminated by BAY has been approved by Lake Victoria Gold Ltd. Technical information relating to Lake Victoria Gold Ltd. has been reviewed and approved by David Scott, Pr. Sci. Nat., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Scott is a registered member of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP) and is a Director of Lake Victoria Gold Ltd., and therefore is not independent of the Company; this is a paid advertisement, we currently own shares of Lake Victoria Gold Ltd. and will buy and sell shares of the company in the open market, or through private placements, and/or other investment vehicles. While all information is believed to be reliable, it is not guaranteed by us to be accurate. Individuals should assume that all information contained in our newsletter is not trustworthy unless verified by their own independent research. Also, because events and circumstances frequently do not occur as expected, there will likely be differences between the any predictions and actual results. Always consult a licensed investment professional before making any investment decision. Be extremely careful, investing in securities carries a high degree of risk; you may likely lose some or all of the investment.

--

SOURCES CITED:

1. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/28/bullion-bonanza-why-is-gold-hitting-record-highs

2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/danrunkevicius/2025/09/26/gold-price-is-still-cheap-relative-to-bitcoin-by-this-measure/

3. https://markets.financialcontent.com/stocks/article/marketminute-2025-9-26-southern-capital-advisors-bets-on-gold-institutional-investment-signals-bullish-outlook-for-junior-miners

4. https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/265535/Junior-Miners-and-The-Gold-Silver-Surge

5. https://finimize.com/content/junior-gold-stocks-see-investor-interest-and-higher-valuations