Vancouver, British Columbia - Newsfile Corp. - March 12, 2026 - Founders Metals Inc. (TSXV: FDR) (OTCQX: FDMIF) (FSE: 9DL0) ("Founders" or the "Company") announces that Lower Antino has been upgraded from Intermediate to Advanced Target status - the same internal classification* as Upper Antino - at its Antino Gold Project in southeastern Suriname (Figure 1). The upgrade follows cumulative drilling of 50 diamond drill holes including eight new holes reported here that continue to demonstrate broad, continuous gold mineralization, highlighted by 65.9 metres (m) of 1.16 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au) within a broader envelope of 115.0 m of 0.83 g/t Au from surface in drill hole LA046. Highlights

• Lower Antino upgraded to Advanced Target status with 50 drill holes released to date with an additional 10 holes pending assays and further expansion drilling underway
• Best intercept to date: 65.9 m of 1.16 g/t Au within 115.0 m of 0.83 g/t Au from surface (LA046)
• Broad mineralized envelopes confirmed: 113.5 m of 0.34 g/t Au from surface including 30.0 m of 0.82 g/t Au (LA044)
• Intrusion-hosted gold mineralization intersected in all eight drill holes reported in this release; mineralization remains open along strike and at depth

Colin Padget, President & CEO, commented, "Lower Antino's upgrade from Intermediate to an Advanced Target - now sharing the same classification as Upper Antino - reflects consistent, broad gold mineralization across a growing number of drill holes. LA046 returning 65.9 metres of 1.16 g/t gold within a 115-metre mineralized envelope is the best intercept to date at this target and underscores the scale and continuity of the Lower Antino intrusion-hosted gold system. With gold in every hole and consistently wide intercepts, Lower Antino is emerging as a meaningful contributor to the district's overall potential. While our focus remains on exploration and expansion drilling, Lower Antino's advancement to the same classification as Upper Antino means it is expected to be considered for inclusion in any future resource estimate for the district." Lower Antino - Upgraded to Advanced Target The Company reports assay results from eight diamond drill holes (LA043 to LA050) at the Lower Antino target, located approximately 3.5 km east of the Upper Antino deposit (Figure 1). All eight holes intersected gold mineralization, with results highlighted by 65.9 m of 1.16 g/t Au within 115.0 m of 0.83 g/t Au in LA046 (Table 1). The 115-metre intercept in LA046 begins at surface and represents an up-dip expansion of the previously released 90.0 m of 1.02 g/t Au in LA041, confirming the continuity and growth potential of the mineralized zone. Based on cumulative drilling results, Founders has upgraded Lower Antino from Intermediate Target to Advanced Target status, ranking it on the same tier as Upper Antino in terms of overall target quality and scale potential. The upgrade reflects the demonstrated continuity of gold mineralization across numerous drill sections and identification of multiple parallel, northeast-trending mineralized zones over approximately 1.9 km of drill-defined strike length within a broader 1.5 km by 2.8 km gold-in-auger anomaly. The target is open along strike and at depth with drilling ongoing to the south and southeast at regular 100 to 200 metre steps. Overall, gold mineralization remains consistent with previous Lower Antino drill results and is hosted in intensely sericite-altered, sheared tonalite with disseminated pyrite and quartz-pyrite veining. The southernmost hole in this release (LA050), intersected 24.0 m of 0.57 g/t Au and represents approximately 200 metres of southward expansion of the mineralized system. Assay results are presented in Table 1, with drill hole locations in Table 2. Lower Antino is one of two Advanced Targets within Founders' 102,360-hectare contiguous land package, which hosts eight drill tested gold targets across the 55 km long Antino concession. The upgrade of Lower Antino adds meaningful scale to the Company's growing inventory of drill-defined gold mineralization at the district level. The Company will continue to systematically advance and upgrade high-quality targets as defined by geological criteria linked to scale and growth potential. *The Company's internal target classification system reflects drill density, demonstrated continuity of mineralization, and data sufficiency; it does not correspond to NI 43-101 resource categories. Figure 1: Antino Gold Project Property Map To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7574/288304_571962fb64ca9a3d_001full.jpgFigure 2: Lower Antino Plan Map To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7574/288304_571962fb64ca9a3d_002full.jpgFigure 3: Lower Antino cross-section through central gold trend. To view an enhanced version of this...