Why Smart Money is Securing Pivotal Gold Reserves Now

Issued on behalf of Lake Victoria Gold Ltd.

USANewsGroup.com News Commentary

VANCOUVER, BC, April 16, 2026 /CNW/ -- Central banks are quietly draining physical gold supplies, scooping up a net 27 tonnes in February 2026 alone^[1]. This is a pivotal move that mirrors the aggressive buying pace established last year. But the real issue driving market fundamentals is a looming supply wall. Global mine output managed just a 1% gain recently, and industry watchdogs warn that existing reserves are drying up faster than new deposits are found^[2]. This undeniable supply crunch is redirecting institutional capital toward highly scalable, undervalued operators and reserve replacement players like Lake Victoria Gold Ltd. (TSXV:LVG) (OTCQB:LVGLF), Newmont (NYSE:NEM), Franco-Nevada (NYSE:FNV) (TSX:FNV), Alamos Gold (NYSE:AGI) (TSX:AGI), and B2Gold (NYSE-A: BTG) (TSX:BTO).

This tightening market environment is generating robust growth potential across the board. Major analysts now project 2026 targets between $4,700 and $5,200 per ounce, while Goldman Sachs recently pushed its year-end forecast to an impressive $5,400 due to massive ETF inflows and wealthy buyers stepping in^[3]. Because of this, the race to secure proven reserves is heating up rapidly. According to S&P Global, overall gold deal value just hit a 15-year peak as producers aggressively hunt for permitted development assets with scalable production timelines^[4].

Lake Victoria Gold (TSXV:LVG) (OTCQB:LVGLF) recently secured a binding term sheet for a gold loan facility worth up to US$25 million from Monetary Metals, backed by up to 6,000 ounces of gold. The company also locked in a fully committed $3.0 million convertible debenture financing led by a long-term significant shareholder. Together, these deals give Lake Victoria Gold both near-term working capital and a funded path toward production at its Imwelo Gold Project in Tanzania.

The gold loan is non-dilutive and production-linked. Repayment comes in gold ounces, not cash, so the facility scales naturally with output. The convertible debenture carries a 5.0% annual interest rate, converts at $0.31 per share, and includes half-warrants exercisable at $0.40. For a company at this stage, the structure is designed to move development forward without flooding the market with new shares.

"This financing allows us to immediately accelerate work programs on the ground at Imwelo and advance key initiatives across both Imwelo and Tembo without delay," said Marc Cernovitch, CEO of Lake Victoria Gold. "With capital now in place, our focus is on execution, progressing engineering, advancing site activities, and moving Imwelo toward development. At the same time, the Monetary Metals facility provides a clear pathway to larger-scale project financing, supporting our objective of bringing Imwelo into production."

The financing builds on strong momentum across the company's Tanzanian portfolio. Lake Victoria Gold recently announced that Tanzania's government has formally begun incorporating its statutory 16% free carried interest in the Tembo mining licences, a required regulatory step that signals the project is advancing through the country's established framework. The company is also finalizing a binding agreement with Nyati Resources, a well-established Tanzanian mining operator, to begin toll milling at Tembo. That deal would allow Lake Victoria Gold to process material through an existing facility, opening a path to early cash flow without heavy upfront capital spending.

At Imwelo, the project confirmed gold recovery rates of up to approximately 97% using conventional methods. A completed drill program at Area C returned grades including 11.88 g/t gold over 1.33 metres, and geotechnical studies supported consolidation into a single open pit design. The Tembo Project separately returned surface grades up to 35.45 g/t gold from artisanal sampling.

Lake Victoria Gold holds a 100% interest in both projects, counts Barrick Gold among its strategic investors, and has a management, director, and strategic partners group that collectively owns more than 60% of outstanding shares.

NOTE: For a Cautionary Note on Production Decision, please see the Disclaimer below.

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:

Newmont (NYSE:NEM) reported 2025 mineral reserves of 118.2 million attributable gold ounces, maintaining its position as the holder of the largest gold reserve base in the industry, with the year-over-year decline from 134.1 million ounces driven primarily by the divestment of five non-core assets. The company's reserve grade held steady at 0.94 grams per tonne after adjusting for divested assets, and reserves were calculated using a conservative $2,000 per ounce gold price assumption, more than 20% below the three-year trailing average.

"In 2025, Newmont maintained its position of having the industry's largest gold reserve base, declaring 118 million ounces of reserves, representing decades of production life with meaningful upside," said Natascha Viljoen, President and CEO of Newmont. "Through the disciplined application of technical rigor in our leading exploration program, we remain focused on extending mine life, discovering new opportunities, and unlocking value across our world-class portfolio of operations and projects."

Beyond gold, Newmont holds 12.5 million attributable tonnes of copper reserves and 442 million ounces of silver reserves, with ten or more years of reserve life at eight managed sites. The company has budgeted $240 million in total exploration spending for 2026, with 80% directed toward near-mine expansion and brownfields programs.

Franco-Nevada (NYSE:FNV) (TSX:FNV) delivered record 2025 results, posting $1.82 billion in annual revenue, up 64% year-over-year, alongside $1.49 billion in operating cash flow and net income of $1.11 billion, both full-year records driven by higher precious metal prices and growing production across its royalty and streaming portfolio.

"The record increase in our annual cash flow allowed us to announce a 16% dividend increase in January this year," said Paul Brink, CEO of Franco-Nevada. "With the industry's largest portfolio of gold royalties, no debt and $3.1 billion in available capital we are uniquely positioned to continue to create shareholder value."

Franco-Nevada enters 2026 with 2026 GEO guidance of 510,000 to 570,000 ounces, supported by a first full year of contributions from Côté Gold, Porcupine, and Valentine Gold, plus recently closed acquisitions including a gold stream on Casa Berardi and a new NSR with i-80 Gold. A potential restart of Cobre Panama, where stockpile processing could yield approximately 23,100 gold ounces and 265,000 silver ounces to the company, represents meaningful upside not yet reflected in guidance.

Alamos Gold (NYSE:AGI) (TSX:AGI) has filed an NI 43-101 technical report for the Island Gold District Expansion Study in Ontario, Canada, supporting the expansion disclosure previously announced in February 2026.

The technical report was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects and is available on Alamos Gold's website and under its SEDAR+ and EDGAR profiles. The Island Gold District, located in northern Ontario, is among Canada's highest-grade underground gold operations and a cornerstone of Alamos Gold's long-term growth strategy. The expansion study advances the company's plans to significantly increase throughput and extend mine life at the district.

Alamos Gold is a Canadian-based intermediate gold producer operating three North American mines: the Island Gold District, the Young-Davidson mine in Ontario, and the Mulatos District in Sonora, Mexico, with more than 2,400 employees and a development pipeline that includes the Lynn Lake project in Manitoba.

B2Gold (NYSE-A: BTG) (TSX:BTO) reported positive results from its 2025 Back River Gold District exploration program in Nunavut, Canada, with infill drilling at the Llama deposit returning highlights of 41.95 g/t gold over 13.70 m and 17.95 g/t gold over 38.20 m. The program, backed by a $32 million budget, completed 28,599 m across 140 diamond drill holes, confirming continuity of high-grade mineralization sufficient to upgrade portions of Llama's Inferred resources to Indicated, where the existing Indicated estimate stands at 760,000 ounces grading 7.72 g/t gold.

Drilling at the Nuvuyak deposit extended high-grade gold mineralization approximately 150 m to the north-northwest at depth, demonstrating potential to further extend mine life beyond the current Goose Mine life-of-mine plan. The Nuvuyak Inferred resource totals 700,000 ounces grading 8.26 g/t gold.

Looking ahead, B2Gold has committed $46 million to the 2026 Back River Gold District exploration program, allocating $24 million to the Goose Mine and a significantly increased $22 million to regional exploration across the George, Boot, Boulder, Del, and Needle projects.

FURTHER READING: 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/

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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. USA News Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market IQ Media Group, Inc. ("MIQ"). This article is being distributed for Baystreet.ca media Corp, who has been paid a fee for an advertising from a shareholder of the Company (333,333 unrestricted shares). MIQ has not been paid a fee for Lake Victoria Gold Ltd. advertising or digital media, but the owner/operators of MIQ also co-owns Baystreet.ca Media Corp. ("BAY") There may also 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 MIQ/BAY own shares of Lake Victoria Gold Ltd and 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 MIQ on behalf of 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. Cautionary Note on Production Decision: The Company has not completed a feasibility study on the Tembo Project that establishes mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. Any decision to advance the Project toward production, including through potential toll milling or other third-party processing arrangements, is not based on a feasibility study of mineral reserves and therefore involves increased uncertainty and a higher risk of economic and technical failure.

There is no certainty that any production decision will be made or that production will occur as anticipated. Risks include, without limitation, variations in grade and recovery, metallurgical performance, availability and terms of processing arrangements with third parties, capital and operating cost estimates, funding availability, and operational, regulatory, permitting, and other risks.

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:

1. https://www.gold.org/goldhub/gold-focus/2026/04/central-bank-gold-statistics-central-banks-stay-course-gold-february 
2. https://www.gold.org/goldhub/gold-focus/2026/03/you-asked-we-answered-are-we-running-out-gold 
3. https://capital.com/en-int/market-updates/gold-price-forecast-03-03-2026 
4. https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/research/2026/03/mining-m-and-a-in-2025-copper-gold-remain-center-stage 

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