Nations Royalty Announces CEO Transition

Press Release

Vancouver, British Columbia–(January 6, 2026) – Nations Royalty Corp. (TSXV: NRC) (OTCQB: NRYCF) (FSE: Y96) (“Nations Royalty” or the “Company“) is pleased to announce the appointment of Derrick Pattenden as President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO“) of the Company, effective immediately.

Mr. Pattenden succeeds Robert McLeod, who has served as founder, CEO, and Director of the Company since its inception. Mr. McLeod will continue to serve as a Director to the Company for the foreseeable future, supporting a seamless leadership transition. Mr. McLeod is stepping into the role of CEO of Ascot Resources Ltd. (“Ascot“); Nations Royalty has royalty interests in the Premier and Red Mountain deposits owned by Ascot.

Mr. McLeod, Director of Nations Royalty, commented, “Founding Nations Royalty with the Nisga’a Nation and guiding it through its early stages has been an incredibly meaningful journey. As the Company enters its next phase of growth, the Board and I believe this is the right time to transition leadership to Derrick. He brings deep industry expertise, capital markets experience, and a strong understanding of our assets and values. One of our key goals is for an Indigenous management and I am excited for Derrick to take on the roll of CEO. I have full confidence in his ability to lead Nations Royalty forward, and I look forward to continuing to support the Company as a director.”

Mr. Pattenden is a proud band member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation and has served as the Company’s Chief Investment Officer since May 2024. He was appointed to the Board of Directors at the Company’s most recent Annual General & Special Meeting. With over 15 years of experience in the mining industry, Mr. Pattenden has an extensive background in finance, mergers, and acquisitions. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mining Engineering from the University of British Columbia and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Mr. Pattenden, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Nations Royalty stated, “On behalf of the entire Nations Royalty team, I would like to thank Robert for his leadership in establishing and building this company. His vision was instrumental in creating Canada’s first majority Indigenous-owned publicly traded mining royalty company. As we transition into our next phase, I am grateful that Robert will remain actively involved as a Director, contributing his deep knowledge of our assets, the Golden Triangle region, and the relationships that underpin our success. I look forward to building on this strong foundation as we advance the Company’s strategic objectives.”

About Nations Royalty Corp.

The Company’s vision is to unite First Nations and Indigenous groups across Canada, welcoming external investors to join the Company as shareholders. Together, they will combine royalties, income and commodity streams and annual benefit payment entitlements from resource projects, tapping into the growth, diversification and value potential typical of publicly traded royalty companies. As a leader in the spirit of economic reconciliation, Nations Royalty’s mission includes capacity building of Indigenous People in public companies and capital markets.

Nations Royalty’s foundation begins with five annual benefit payment entitlements in place in respect of the following properties in Canada:

• The high-grade Brucejack gold mine operated by Newmont Corporation;
• The KSM Copper-Gold-Silver-Molybdenum deposit, currently in development by Seabridge Gold Inc.;
• The Premier Gold Project, currently evaluating a restart decision by Ascot Resources Ltd.;The Red Mountain Gold Deposit, owned by Ascot Resources Ltd.; and
• The Kitsault Molybdenum Deposit, a large, fully permitted brownfield site owned and being actively advanced by New Moly LLC, majority-owned by Resource Capital Fund VI L.P.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Nations Royalty Corp.

“Derrick Pattenden”
Derrick Pattenden, President, CEO and Director
derrick.pattenden@nationsroyalty.ca
(604) 609-6126

For more information, please contact:

Kody Penner, VP Corporate Development
kody.penner@nationsroyalty.ca
(604) 356-4995

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