Central Banks Drive $407 Billion ETF Surge as Industry Consolidation Accelerates

USA News Group News Commentary
Issued on behalf of RUA GOLD Inc.

VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- USA News Group News Commentary – Global central banks have purchased over 1,000 tonnes of gold annually for the last three years, representing a dramatic acceleration from the 400-500 tonne average of the preceding decade, according to the World Gold Council^[1]. This institutional demand has catalyzed a parallel surge in gold ETFs, with global assets under management hitting a record $407 billion in August following three consecutive months of inflows totaling over $18 billion^[2]. The sustained institutional buying is coinciding with unprecedented M&A activity in the gold sector, where deals increased 32% to 62 transactions in 2024, accounting for 70% of all mining M&A activity as companies seek scale and operational leverage^[3]. This convergence of central bank accumulation, institutional flows, and strategic consolidation is creating exceptional conditions for companies like RUA GOLD Inc. (TSXV: RUA) (OTCQB: NZAUF), i-80 Gold Corp. (NYSE-American: IAUX) (TSX: IAU), OceanaGold Corporation (TSX: OGC) (OTCQX: OCANF), Osisko Development Corp. (NYSE: ODV) (TSXV: ODV), and New Found Gold Corp. (NYSE-American: NFGC) (TSXV: NFG).

Industry analysts project North American ETF inflows are on pace for their second-strongest year on record^[4], while the 2025 Central Bank Gold Reserves survey shows 73 central banks participating^[5], representing the highest engagement since the survey began eight years ago. This institutional momentum is driving increased attention toward companies delivering high-grade exploration successes and rapidly expanding resource bases, as investors seek exposure to the next generation of gold discoveries in politically stable jurisdictions.

RUA GOLD Inc. (TSXV: RUA) (OTCQB: NZAUF) delivered exceptional high-grade results from its expanding Auld Creek project, highlighted by standout intercepts of 17m at 9.8g/t AuEq and 8m at 8.9g/t AuEq that significantly extend the current resource strike. With promising regional discoveries including rock chip samples grading 14g/t gold found over 30km south of Reefton, the company is rapidly building its district-scale footprint.

"These drill results from Auld Creek have significantly expanded the scale and potential of the project and put us well on the way to growing the resource base," said Robert Eckford, CEO of RUA GOLD. "The mineralized system has been extended both vertically and along strike and remains open in all directions. With two rigs now active on site and surface geochemistry confirming a 2.5-kilometre-long mineralized corridor, we are well positioned to build on this momentum."

The company has mobilized a third rig and is targeting over 4,000 metres of new drilling at Auld Creek to grow the gold-antimony resource above 300,000 ounces by year-end. RUA GOLD also has additional rigs drilling high-priority targets across the district, utilizing its VRIFY AI targeting process, which is all part of a 12-month strategy to fast-track permitting and transition from explorer to developer.

"We closed Q2 2025 with $14 million in the treasury, placing us in a strong position to execute our aggressive exploration plan," added Eckford. "As our gold-antimony resource continues to grow rapidly—and with antimony at the top of every nation's critical minerals list—the significance of this expansion is substantial."

RUA GOLD controls roughly 95% of the historic Reefton Goldfield, where over 2 million ounces were produced at grades up to 50 g/t. Spanning 120,000 hectares, the company has confirmed multiple stacked mineralized shoots at Auld Creek, including a standout intercept of 2.1m at 64g/t AuEq (5.5g/t gold and 13.1% antimony). Multiple rigs continue testing depth and lateral continuity ahead of an upcoming resource update.

Antimony provides a powerful dual-commodity advantage, with prices surging past US$50,000 per tonne following China's export restrictions. New Zealand's formal designation of antimony as a critical mineral further enhances RUA GOLD's strategic position. Surface samples exceed 40% Sb, while several drill holes contain over 8% antimony—exceptional grades rarely seen this early in development.

At Alexander River, modeling is advancing a 130,000 oz inferred resource grading 4.1g/t across 1.2km of outcropping mineralization. The zone produced 41,000 oz at 26g/t historically before World War II halted operations, with targets at Caledonia and other regional zones now in development.

On the North Island, drill access applications are progressing for RUA's Glamorgan project in the Hauraki Goldfield, home to the 10 Moz Martha mine. The project's 4km gold-arsenic anomaly has been refined using CSAMT surveys and VRIFY's DORA AI engine, with drilling expected in Q4.

With $14 million in cash, a disciplined burn rate, and a leadership team behind US$11 billion in prior exits, RUA GOLD is executing a multi-rig program designed to stack near-surface ounces at scale across gold, antimony, and AI-targeted prospects throughout New Zealand's emerging mining districts.

CONTINUED… Read this and more news for RUA GOLD at:  https://usanewsgroup.com/2025/04/02/others-found-1911-g-t-here-before-now-a-proven-11b-mining-team-is-back-to-finish-the-job/

In other industry developments and happenings in the market include:

i-80 Gold Corp. (NYSE-American: IAUX) (TSX: IAU) has delivered robust high-grade results from its ongoing Granite Creek Underground infill program, with initial assays showing 33.6 g/t gold over 2.9 meters and 29.7 g/t gold over 3.6 meters from the South Pacific Zone. The company has also completed approximately 45,000 meters of infill drilling at its high-grade Cove project over the past two years, supporting its geological model and confirming the underground deposit's robust mineralization.

"At Granite Creek Underground, the first six holes from our infill drill program continue to show robust high-grade mineralization throughout the South Pacific Zone and suggest that the deposit has the potential to expand to the north and at depth," said Tyler Hill, Vice President, Geology of i-80 Gold. "Similarly at Cove, the 2025 infill drill program successfully supported our geological model, confirmed the high-grade nature of the underground deposit, and demonstrated the potential for continued resource expansion at Cove. Together, these outcomes from Granite Creek Underground and Cove highlight the consistency of high-grade resources and meaningful growth upside that exists across i-80's underground gold portfolio in Nevada."

Both projects are advancing toward feasibility studies planned for the first quarter of 2026, with the drilling programs aimed at converting mineral resources from inferred to indicated categories. The company is positioning its Nevada underground portfolio for resource conversion success across comparable disseminated Carlin-style mineralization at multiple properties.

OceanaGold Corporation (TSX: OGC) (OTCQX: OCANF) has announced ongoing exploration success at its Haile Gold Mine with exceptional high-grade results including 28.9 m @ 18.33 g/t Au and 8.7 m @ 22.30 g/t Au from Ledbetter Phase 4 conversion drilling. The company is deploying a record $10 million exploration budget at Haile this year, delivering strong returns through resource conversion and definition programs across multiple deposits.

"With a record high exploration budget of $10 million at Haile this year, we are delighted by the excellent return on investment we continue to generate through exploration," said Gerard Bond, President and CEO of OceanaGold. "These exciting results continue to demonstrate the continuity of high-grade mineralization at several deposits across the property, notably at Ledbetter Phase 4, Horseshoe Underground, and the promising new early-stage Pisces and Clydesdale targets. The exploration success continues to highlight the exceptional upside for low-risk organic growth we have within our existing portfolio of assets."

The drilling has also delivered promising initial results from new targets including Pisces with 7.6 m @ 10.39 g/t Au and Clydesdale with 26.2 m @ 4.11 g/t Au. OceanaGold continues advancing conversion drilling at Horseshoe Underground and step-out programs to support future underground development across the expanding portfolio.

Osisko Development Corp. (NYSE: ODV) (TSXV: ODV) has delivered spectacular high-grade results from its Lowhee Zone infill drilling at the Cariboo Gold Project, including 625.95 g/t gold over 0.5 meters, 57.29 g/t Au over 3.05 m, and 15.26 g/t Au over 4.4 meters. The underground program has completed approximately 6,471 meters of infill drilling and 398 meters of chip and channel sampling to analyze grade continuity and optimize drill spacing for future mining.

"The recent underground infill drilling at Lowhee Zone was conducted to analyze how grade holds up under tighter drilling and to investigate optimal drill hole spacing for future mining," said Chris Lodder, President of Osisko Development. "We're highly encouraged that underground exploration drilling in the Lowhee Zone and across the deposit completed to date continues to indicate that veins remain open at depth, highlighting the strong potential for future resource expansion through additional exploration programs leveraging existing underground infrastructure. A comprehensive 13,000-meter infill drill program is already underway, designed to deliver important data for local resource modeling, mine planning, and optimization of production stope design."

The systematic grid infill program is targeting mineral reserve blocks and inferred resources within a 100-meter swath across the full width of the Lowhee Zone. Structural modeling suggests the sandstone host rock remains open well beyond current depths, with positive deeper drilling results highlighting strong potential for extensions below currently defined resources.

New Found Gold Corp. (NYSE-American: NFGC) (TSXV: NFG) has entered into an agreement to acquire additional mineral claims that will expand its Queensway Gold Project by up to 33% to a total of 234,050 hectares in Newfoundland and Labrador. The acquisition includes 58,600 hectares of highly prospective landholdings immediately adjacent to the AFZ Core where the company recently announced results of a positive preliminary economic assessment.

"The acquisition of these additional highly prospective landholdings in and around Queensway is the next step in building a district-scale land package in central Newfoundland," said Keith Boyle, CEO of New Found Gold. "With this acquisition, New Found Gold will control a key claim block immediately adjacent to the AFZ Core, where we recently announced the results of a positive preliminary economic assessment. In addition, we will add a further 20 km of strike extent along the main structures that control gold mineralization at Queensway."

The transaction requires approval from Exploits Discovery Corp. shareholders and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025. New Found Gold will issue 2,821,556 common shares and grant a 1% NSR royalty as consideration, positioning the company to advance the expanded district-scale land position with its proven exploration team and strong treasury.

Article Source: https://usanewsgroup.com/2025/04/02/others-found-1911-g-t-here-before-now-a-proven-11b-mining-team-is-back-to-finish-the-job/ 

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SOURCES CITED:

1. https://www.gold.org/goldhub/research/central-bank-gold-reserves-survey-2025
2. https://www.gold.org/goldhub/research/gold-etfs-holdings-and-flows/2025/09 
3. https://www.mining.com/gold-dominates-mining-ma-again-in-2024-sp-global/ 
4. https://www.gold.org/goldhub/research/gold-demand-trends/us-gold-demand-trends-q2-2025 
5. https://www.gold.org/goldhub/research/central-bank-gold-reserves-survey-2025

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