Investor Insight

Goldgroup offers investors a rare opportunity to participate in the rapid buildout of a multi-asset gold producer in Mexico, with near-term production growth at the operating Cerro Prieto mine and the addition of two fully owned, high-impact assets – Pinos and San Francisco – positioning the company for substantial scale, re-rating potential and strong leverage to gold.

Overview

Goldgroup Mining (TSXV:GGA,OTC:GGAZF) is a Canadian gold company building a portfolio of high-quality producing and development assets across Mexico, one of the world’s premier mining jurisdictions. With two 100 percent owned gold projects – Cerro Prieto and Pinos – and the acquisition of 100 percent of the San Francisco mine, Goldgroup is positioned for rapid, disciplined production growth.

The company’s strategy is straightforward: optimize and expand production at its flagship Cerro Prieto mine, advance Pinos toward a production decision, and bring the large-scale San Francisco mine back online. Combined, these projects outline a defined path to more than 100,000 ounces of annual production, with further upside from exploration, resource expansion and future acquisitions.

Goldgroup is guided by an experienced leadership team with deep expertise in building and optimizing mines in Mexico. The company benefits from strong financial support from the Calu Group and founders of Luca Mining, with proven track records of value creation through mine development, operational turnarounds and strategic M&A.

Company Highlights

• Two operating or near-term production gold assets in Mexico, 100-percent-owned and fully permitted.
• Cerro Prieto expansion completed, increasing from ~12,500 oz/year to 30,000+ oz/year during 2026 and beyond, including tailings re-processing.
• Its second asset, Pinos, is a fully permitted high-grade underground development project with historical resources and +90 percent metallurgical recoveries.
• San Francisco acquisition in progress, a past producer capable of ~40,000 oz/year with significant exploration upside.
• Aggressive M&A strategy aimed at fast-tracking Goldgroup into the mid-tier producer category with advanced due diligence nearing completion. .
• Backed by the Calu Group and the founders of Luca Mining, bringing extensive operational and financing expertise in Mexico.

Key Projects

Cerro Prieto Open Pit Gold Mine

Cerro Prieto is Goldgroup’s established producing operation in the Cucurpe mining district of Sonora, Mexico. It’s been in production since 2013 and is augmented by a newly expanded processing capacity that has more than doubled throughput. The mine is the cornerstone of Goldgroup’s near-term growth strategy, with ongoing optimization, a planned tailings re-processing and re-leaching initiative, and multiple drill-ready targets across the property. An updated NI 43-101 resource estimate for the Esperanzas deposit further reinforces the reliability of the mineralized system while underscoring the potential for continued resource growth.

Project Highlights

• Producing open-pit gold mine in Sonora with 120,000+ ounces produced since 2013
• Throughput recently doubled to 4,200+ tons per day (tpd) with installation of a second crushing circuit
• Tailings re-leaching strategy expected to add up to 9,000 oz/year over ~5 years
• Expansion plan targeting 30,000+ ounces of annual production
• Updated NI 43-101 outlines 37,209 oz measured and indicated, and 1,504 oz inferred gold resources
• Multiple exploration targets across the property, including Esperanza, Nueva Esperanza and additional zones all under definition drilling.

Pinos Gold Development Project

Pinos is a fully permitted, advanced-stage underground gold project positioned within the prolific Zacatecas mining belt. The district hosts 29 concessions over 3,816 hectares, with 52 shafts and more than 40 km of underground workings. Goldgroup’s internal roadmap outlines 12,700 oz/year of potential annual production from Pinos in a development scenario.

Project Highlights:

• Multiple high-grade veins historically mined at 30 to 50 g/t gold
• Historical measured and indicated estimate: 86,000 oz gold and 1.3 Moz silver (Candelaria Mining, 2018). Note: Historical resource only; not treated as current NI 43-101
• Metallurgical recovery of +90 percent gold via cyanide leaching and Merrill-Crowe
• Fully permitted for mine construction

Goldgroup plans to launch targeted exploration and resource-definition drilling at Pinos, followed by an updated economic study (PEA or PFS) that will guide a production decision for this fully permitted high-grade project.

San Francisco Open Pit Gold Mine

The San Francisco mine is a past-producing, large-scale open-pit gold operation in Sonora with extensive existing infrastructure and significant resource and exploration upside. Goldgroup has acquired the majority of creditor debt connected to the mine, enabling it to control the restructuring process and advance toward full ownership pending final court approval. With historical production of approximately 1.3 million ounces and strong metallurgical recoveries, San Francisco presents a near-term opportunity for Goldgroup to restore a proven gold mine to production and add meaningful scale to its growth profile.

Project Highlights:

• Large-scale past producer with ~1.3 million ounces of gold produced from 2010 to 2019
• Strong existing infrastructure: grid power, wells, ADR plants, assay lab, haul roads
• High processing capacity of 16,875 tpd via two parallel crushing circuits
• Good metallurgical recoveries ranging from 77 percent to 90 percent
• Multiple new high-grade zones identified behind and below pit walls
• Restart plan underway, including drilling to upgrade resources and update the mine plan

Management Team

Ralph Shearing – Chief Executive Officer

A professional geologist with nearly four decades of experience in mining and exploration, Ralph Shearing founded and led Luca Mining Corp, where he oversaw major development milestones such as the exploration, initial development construction and pre-production of the Tahuehueto gold mine, the acquisition and successful restart of production of the Campo Morado zinc poly-metalic mine in Mexico.

Anthony Balic – Chief Financial Officer & Director

Previously the director of finance for Goldgroup, Anthony Balic has extensive experience in mining finance, including senior roles at Deloitte LLP specializing in assurance and advisory for mining companies. He oversees corporate finance, accounting and capital strategy for Goldgroup.

Corry Silbernagel – Director

Corry Silbernagel is a veteran financial and technical specialist with experience across mining and energy. He is the former CFO of Cabo Drilling and project manager for large-scale initiatives at Suncor and TransAlta. Silbernagel brings expertise in strategic finance, project development and operational oversight.

Blair Jordan – Director

Blair Jordan is managing partner at Restructure Advisors, with deep experience in corporate restructuring, turnaround strategies and investment banking. He held CFO and interim CEO roles in multiple public companies, and is the former managing director at Echelon Wealth Partners.

Roberto Guzman – Director

Roberto Guzman is a finance leader with more than 25 years of experience in Mexico’s financial sector. Jordan holds an advanced degree in finance from Universidad Tecnologica de Mexico and has served as finance manager for numerous public and private Mexican companies.

Goldgroup Mining (TSXV:GGA, OTC:GGAZF) is a Canadian gold company advancing a portfolio of high-quality producing and development assets in Mexico. With 100 percent ownership of Cerro Prieto, Pinos and the newly acquired San Francisco mine, the company is positioned for disciplined, near-term production growth.

Goldgroup’s strategy is clear: optimize and expand production at its flagship Cerro Prieto mine, advance Pinos toward a production decision, and restart the large-scale San Francisco mine. Together, these projects target over 100,000 ounces of annual production, with additional upside from exploration, resource growth, and future acquisitions.

The company is led by an experienced team with deep expertise in developing and optimizing Mexican mines. Backed by strong financial support from the Calu Group and Luca Mining founders, Goldgroup benefits from a proven track record in value creation through mine development, operational turnarounds, and strategic M&A.

Company Highlights

• Two operating or near-term production gold assets in Mexico, 100-percent-owned and fully permitted.
• Cerro Prieto expansion completed, increasing from ~12,500 oz/year to 30,000+ oz/year during 2026 and beyond, including tailings re-processing.
• Its second asset, Pinos, is a fully permitted high-grade underground development project with historical resources and +90 percent metallurgical recoveries.
• San Francisco acquisition in progress, a past producer capable of ~40,000 oz/year with significant exploration upside.
• Aggressive M&A strategy aimed at fast-tracking Goldgroup into the mid-tier producer category with advanced due diligence nearing completion. .
• Backed by the Calu Group and the founders of Luca Mining, bringing extensive operational and financing expertise in Mexico.

This GoldGroup Mining profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.*

Click here to connect with GoldGroup Mining (TSXV:GGA) to receive an Investor Presentation

Bitcoin and Ether price update

Bitcoin (BTC) was priced at US$85,482.46, down by 6.4 percent over 24 hours.

Bitcoin price performance, December 1, 2025.

Chart via TradingView.

Bitcoin marked its largest single-day decline in a month, continuing a sell-off that started in November.

This sharp downturn was influenced largely by rising expectations of a Bank of Japan rate hike at its December meeting, which triggered a surge in Japanese bond yields, strengthening the yen and prompting global investors to pull capital from risk assets like Bitcoin. This caused liquidations of speculative long positions and created downward price pressure.

However, significant technical support levels lie around US$86,000 to US$79,600, with further downside possible to US$67,700 and major support between US$45,000 and US$70,000 if bearish momentum persists. Holding above roughly US$85,200 is critical to avoid deeper bearish territory.

Farzam Ehsani, CEO of cryptocurrency exchange VALR, added that concerns about MSCI potentially excluding major crypto-holding companies such as Strategy from global indices are adding pressure through expected forced sell-offs, further weakening market structure and liquidity.

“The recovery of the cryptocurrency market, and Bitcoin in particular, after the decline of the last month and a half, will take some time. The main questions at the moment are how the market will close out this year and whether Bitcoin will recover above $100,000 in December.”

Ether (ETH) also experienced a steep decline, priced at US$2,757.79, down by 8.9 percent over 24 hours.

Derivatives data

Derivatives data showed US$10.93 million liquidated in BTC shorts positions over the final four hours of trading, indicating short sellers getting squeezed out as price stabilized rather than accelerating lower.

Open interest edged up 0.50 percent to US$57.63 billion, showing fresh positions entering despite the dip, which often signals sustained trader interest and potential stabilization or rebound setup.

A funding rate of -0.001 percent reflects mild bearish sentiment, common in corrections but not extreme enough to indicate panic selling. BTC’s RSI at 32.58 marks deeply oversold territory, suggesting selling may be nearing a climax and creating conditions for a short-term bounce if support holds.

Altcoin price update

• XRP (XRP) was priced at US$2.02, down by eight percent over 24 hours.

• Solana (SOL) was trading at US$124.54, down by 9.3 percent over 24 hours.

Today’s crypto news to know

Bitcoin’s weekend slide wipes out US$637 million in leveraged positions

Bitcoin’s latest downturn over the weekend triggered a wave of liquidations that erased roughly US$637 million across futures markets.

The selloff pushed Bitcoin to an intraday low near US$85,700, extending its monthly decline past 21 percent and dragging Ethereum, XRP, and other majors sharply lower. The slump began as momentum-driven selling forced heavily leveraged longs to unwind, turning a routine correction into a fast, disorderly slide.

Comments from Strategy CEO Phong Le about potentially selling part of the company’s sizable Bitcoin holdings added to jitters, even though prediction markets continue to see a low probability of actual disposals this year.

“We can sell Bitcoin, and we would sell Bitcoin if needed to fund our dividend payments below 1x mNAV,” Le said in a podcast.

The company currently controls 649,870 BTC, which valued at about US$56.26 billion at current prices.

Further, China’s central bank reiterating its hard line against crypto activity further weighed on sentiment heading into the final month of the year.

Goldman Sachs boosts ETF offerings with Innovator Capital acquisition

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) has agreed to buy Innovator Capital Management, a company specializing in defined outcome ETFs, in a deal worth about US$2 billion in cash and stock, according to a Monday announcement.

Defined outcome ETFs are special funds that limit losses or cap gains for investors using options contracts.

Innovator’s US$28 billion in assets and 159 ETFs will significantly enhance Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s ETF portfolio, increasing that bank’s total ETF lineup from US$51 billion to US$79 billion.

The acquisition payment partly depends on Innovator meeting certain performance targets after the deal closes, which were not publicly disclosed. The deal is expected to close in Q2 2026, subject to regulatory approval and other usual conditions.

Goldman Sachs will fully own the Innovator business, integrating its 60-plus employees into Goldman’s teams. However, Innovator’s investment managers and services will remain unchanged.

Tether blasts S&P after fresh downgrade

Tether pushed back forcefully this week after S&P Global cut its assessment of USDT’s peg stability, assigning the stablecoin the lowest score on the agency’s scale.

S&P pointed to weaker reserve quality, shrinking cash-equivalent holdings, and rising exposure to secured loans and Bitcoin as reasons for the downgrade.

The report noted that Tether’s Bitcoin holdings now exceed the cushion meant to absorb volatility, increasing the risk that a sharp price drop could leave the token undercollateralized.

Tether’s leadership dismissed the rating as biased and politically motivated.

‘Some influencers are either bad at math or have the incentive to push our competitors,’ Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said in a recent post on X.

After the downgrade last week, Ardoino also maintained that ‘the traditional finance propaganda machine is growing worried when any company tries to defy the force of gravity of the broken financial system.’

The downgrade also comes as Tether’s mining affiliate winds down operations in Uruguay after months of unpaid power bills and stalled expansion plans.

Japan prepares 20 percent flat tax on crypto gains

Japan is moving toward a flat 20 percent tax on cryptocurrency gains, a change that would replace the current progressive regime that can push rates above 50 percent for active traders.

Nikkei Asia reported that under the proposal, crypto income would be placed into a separate category similar to equities, with the goal of reducing distortions that discourage trading or push users offshore.

Lawmakers backing the plan say aligning digital assets with other investment products could draw liquidity back to domestic exchanges and boost overall tax receipts.

The reform is expected to be finalized as part of the country’s 2026 tax framework, with revenue split between the national and local governments.

Venezuela condemns US “colonialist threat”

A far more dramatic source of volatility also emerged from Washington over the weekend.

On Saturday (November 29), US President Donald Trump declared that “the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela” should be considered closed, posting a warning on social media.

To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2025

Trump also told service members last week that US forces would “very soon” begin land-based operations targeting Venezuelan drug-trafficking networks. Further, reports surfaced that the White House and Caracas had held a tense, last-ditch phone call aimed at defusing a worsening standoff.

According to sources cited by the Miami Herald, Washington told President Nicolás Maduro he could secure safe passage for himself, his wife Cilia Flores and his son only if he stepped down immediately. The conversation stalled as Venezuela refused to surrender control of its armed forces or agree to Maduro’s resignation.

Washington has been increasingly aggressive toward what it describes as Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles, which US officials accuse Maduro and senior leaders of operating.

Last month, the Department of State’s decision to designate the cartel a foreign terrorist organization placed Maduro, Diosdado Cabello and Vladimir Padrino López in the same legal category as al-Qaeda and ISIS.

Caracas condemned the aggression, labeling it as a “colonialist threat” seeking support from its allies.

On Sunday (November 30), Maduro issued an appeal to fellow OPEC members, urging the bloc to help counter what he described as “growing and illegal threats” from the United States.

In a letter published by state broadcaster TeleSUR, he accused Washington of trying to “seize” Venezuela’s oil reserves and warned that US military pressure could disrupt the global energy market.

“I hope to count on your best efforts to help stop this aggression, which is growing stronger and seriously threatens the balance of the international energy market, both for producing and consuming countries,” Maduro wrote.

Venezuela exported just US$4.05 billion worth of crude oil in 2023, far below other major producers, due largely to US sanctions imposed during Trump’s first term.

Brent crude stood at US$62.76 per barrel on Tuesday (December 2) morning, while WTI was trading at US$58.93.

5 ETFs for exposure to the silver price

1. iShares Silver Trust (ARCA:SLV)

Total assets: US$26.33 billion
Unit price: US$51.21

The iShares Silver Trust provides investors with access to the silver price performance, using the London Bullion Market Association silver price as its benchmark.

As the iShares Silver Trust’s web page warns, it is not an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, or a commodity pool under the Commodity Exchange Act. Because of this, it is not subject to the regulatory requirements that apply to mutual funds or ETFs.

This silver trust holds 508 million ounces of silver bullion.

2. Sprott Physical Silver Trust (ARCA:PSLV,TSX:PSLV)

Total assets: US$11.61 billion
Unit price: US$18.65

The Sprott Physical Silver Trust is an option for investors looking for the security of physical silver without the need to find secure storage.

The ETF is backed by 191.12 million ounces of silver held in trust in fully allocated London Good Delivery silver bars.

Additionally, the ETF is fully convertible into physical silver, should investors decide they want the precious metal on hand. However, the fund states that holders ‘must have enough units to equate to ten 1000 oz silver bars.’

3. Aberdeen Standard Physical Silver Shares ETF (ARCA:SIVR)

Total assets: US$3.71 billion
Unit price: US$53.71

The Aberdeen Standard Physical Silver Shares ETF’s investment objective is for its shares to reflect the performance of the silver price less the expenses of the trust’s operations. It has an expense ratio of 0.3 percent.

This ETF comes with the same warnings as the iShares Silver Trust.

The fund is backed with 45.51 million ounces of silver held with JPMorgan Chase Bank in London in a secured vault.

4. ProShares Ultra Silver ETF (ARCA:AGQ)

Total assets: US$1.33 billion
Unit price: US$107.32

The ProShares Ultra Silver ETF, established in 2008, was designed to offer daily investment results that correspond with twice the daily performance of the Bloomberg Silver Subindex. Because of this, the ETF is aimed at investors who are bullish on silver and able to monitor their investments on a daily basis.

The fund uses derivatives such as futures contracts to invest in silver and has an expense ratio of 0.95 percent.

5. ProShares UltraShort Silver ETF (ARCA:ZSL)

Total assets: US$73.71 million
Unit price: US$9.51

The ProShares UltraShort Silver ETF is designed to provide investors with a hedge against declines in the silver market. ProShares launched it alongside the ProShares Ultra Silver ETF in late 2008. It also has an expense ratio of 0.95 percent.

Because the fund is built around providing results at a negative two times daily performance of the Bloomberg Silver Subindex, it is meant for traders who have a high capacity for risk and who are willing to monitor their positions on a daily basis. The fund should be treated in the same way as the Ultra Silver ETF.

5 ETFs for exposure to silver-mining stocks

1. Global X Silver Miners ETF (ARCA:SIL)

Total assets: US$3.93 billion
Unit price: US$77.66

The Global X Silver Miners ETF gives investors access to a basket of silver-mining and royalty stocks. The ETF benefits from the fact that these companies can climb when the silver price is rising. It also allows investors to avoid the risks associated with individual companies and lets them add geographical diversity to their portfolios.

This ETF has an expense ratio of 0.65 percent, and its top holdings include streaming company Wheaton Precious Metals (TSX:WPM,NYSE:WPM) at a weight of 22.5 percent, Pan American Silver (TSX:PAAS) at a weight of 12.3 percent and Coeur Mining (NYSE:CDE) at 8.1 percent.

2. Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF (ARCA:SILJ)

Total assets: US$2.97 billion
Unit price: US$26.09

The Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF bills itself as the ‘first and only ETF to target small cap silver miners.’ The index provides a benchmark for investors to track public small-cap companies in the silver space.

The ETF has an expense ratio of 0.69 percent and its holdings span Canada, the US and the UK, with key silver companies such as Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) at a weight of 11.3 percent, First Majestic Silver (TSX:AG,NYSE:AG) at 10.3 percent and Coeur Mining at 8.7 percent.

3. iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF (BATS:SLVP)

Total assets: US$630 million
Unit price: US$31.59

The iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF tracks an index composed of global equities of companies primarily engaged in silver exploration or metals mining.

The ETF has the lowest expense ratio of the three ETFs focused on silver stocks at 0.39 percent.

The large majority of companies in its holdings, about 69 percent, are traded on Canadian exchanges, and companies on US and Mexican exchanges combine for 27 percent.

The top three holdings for the iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF are Hecla Mining at a weight of 15.5 percent, Industrias Peñoles (BMV:PE&OLES) with a weight of 11.7 percent and Fresnillo (LSE:FRES) at 10 percent.

4. Sprott Silver Miners & Physical Silver ETF (NASDAQ:SLVR)

Total assets: US$453.7 million
Unit price: US$51.31

The Sprott Silver Miners & Physical Silver includes a combination of physical silver holdings as well as equities, setting it apart from the other silver-mining ETFs on the list.

The fund launched in January 2025, making it one of the newest entries to the list. Its management fee is 0.65 percent.

This silver ETF’s second largest holding is its counterpart Sprott Physical Silver Trust, which provides investors exposure to physical silver, at a 14.3 percent weight. Its other top holdings are First Majestic Silver at 27.12 percent and Endeavour Silver (TSX:EDR,NYSE:EXK) at 10.6 percent.

5. Sprott Active Gold and Silver Miners ETF (NASDAQ:GBUG)

Total assets: US$134.42 million
Unit price: US$41.18

Established in February 2025, the Sprott Active Gold and Silver Miners ETF is designed to provide investors broad access to both gold and silver equities. Additionally, as an active fund, it will see more frequent rebalancing to increase the potential of better returns for investors.

The fund’s top holdings consist of OceanaGold (TSX:OGC,OTCQX:OCANF) weighted at 4.32 percent, G Mining Ventures (TSX:GMIN,OTCQX:GMINF) at 4.18 percent and Equinox Gold (TSX:EQX,NYSEAMERICAN:EQX) at 4.16 percent.

Its management fee is 0.89 percent.

Key trends in humanoid robotics

According to Samimi, recent trends in robotics include enhanced automation in the industrial and logistics sectors.

“We’re seeing a lot of new trends on foundation models and control stacks within the robotic sector, as well as new sorts of electronic assemblies to put all of these components together,” he explained, pointing to companies like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), BMW (ETR:BMW,OTC Pink:BMWKY) and Mercedes-Benz Group (ETR:MBG,OTC Pink:MBGAF) as current adopters of humanoid robots in factories and warehouses.

Additionally, Samimi highlighted that recent battery advances have improved energy density, enabling longer robot operation for industrial and logistics tasks. Meanwhile, lighter, more efficient actuators enhance precision and energy use, supporting dynamic interaction and human collaboration.

Finally, advances in robotics control systems are powered by cutting-edge AI algorithms. Platforms like RideScan, a Humanoid Global portfolio company, harness continuous, independent AI-driven monitoring, risk scoring and anomaly detection to optimize robot performance. The company recently filed a patent in the UK for its core AI technology

Samimi added that safety and reliability remain critical focal points amid these technological advances.

Advances in algorithms, machine learning and operational intelligence systems are enabling comprehensive, scalable safety and maintenance solutions for robots deployed across different facilities, supported by digital twin technologies and a closed-loop data cycle for continuous improvement.

Addressing labor shortages via robotics

Labor shortages and constrained supply chains are accelerating innovation by prompting industrial sectors to adopt robotics to augment limited labor resources.

The 2025 MHI Annual Industry Report, a document that covers emerging disruptive technologies, confirms robotics is thriving amid labor shortages and rising complexity in logistics and manufacturing.

During the US-Saudi Investment Forum, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk made a bold prediction about the long-term effects of robotics and AI: work will become optional, and money will be obsolete.

“I don’t know what long term is — maybe it’s 10, 20 years or something like that,” Musk said, adding that there is still a lot of work to be done before society gets to that point.

In the meantime, the workforce will likely see more human-robot collaboration. Samimi said he has observed that humanoid robots and collaborative robots (cobots) are increasingly taking over repetitive manual tasks.

“Human labor now shifts to more, higher-value tasks, rather than moving a warehouse box or a palette from A to B. So we’re seeing somewhat of a shift (that’s) helping make labor more scalable and more productive, and really less dependent on that shrinking labor pool,” he said.

Resource-heavy and industrial sectors present strong opportunities for robotics, especially amid a limited labor pool. Areas like agriculture, mining, pharmaceuticals and lumber stand to benefit from automation and upskilling via robotics.

Robotics investment thesis and portfolio evaluation

Humanoid Global views its role not only as an investor, but also as an ecosystem builder, actively fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing across its portfolio companies.

By strategically connecting early stage innovators with mature industry players, Humanoid Global seeks to accelerate the global deployment and scale of humanoid robotics technologies.

The firm emphasizes balancing risk across a portfolio that includes both disruptive technology developers and companies closer to full commercial deployment, allowing for diversified exposure while driving integrated growth.

Companies are evaluated with a strong prioritization for teams with proven execution capabilities and sustainable technological moats, such as proprietary IP or unique data networks. Scalability and clear go-to-market strategies are equally important, as is a strong safety architecture embedded in the technology.

This approach highlights the importance of strategic relationships, market education and risk-managed growth in realizing the transformative potential of humanoid robotics.

Building social license

Much of Debruyne’s role over the past five years has centered on improving engagement with Indigenous communities, many of which have deep historical grievances tied to land, water and the impact of large-scale resource extraction.

“It’s really about being the best neighbor possible,” he said.

But getting there has required fundamental shifts in mindset and method. One of the clearest examples is what Debruyne called the principle of horizontality — a change born from early missteps.

A decade ago, when communities questioned the mine’s hydrological impacts, SQM responded the way many industrial operators would: it sent engineers to explain the technical data.

“You would think that’s a great thing to do,” Debruyne said. “But we learned that’s not the right way, because community members aren’t hydrologists. There’s a vertical difference.”

Instead, SQM now helps communities secure independent experts of their choosing, ensuring conversations happen “on a horizontal level.” This shift has been crucial to rebuilding trust.

Just as important, Debruyne said, is abandoning the western notion of time.

“Communities have a different concept of time. It’s about giving them the time they need — taking information back, returning, iterating. You may think you’re doing things the right way, but there’s always room for improvement.”

Why social investment reduces risk

For Oxfam policy advisor Andrew Bogrand, these types of changes are not just ethical — they’re also practical.

The expert, who also spoke on the panel, noted that since 2010, more than 800 protests or violent incidents have occurred around mine sites globally, including 300 since 2021 alone.

Each one carries real costs: slowdowns, legal expenses, rising insurance premiums — and, as Bogrand pointed out, the hidden cost of executive time diverted to crisis management.

“There is a win-win solution,” he told the Benchmark Week audience. “It’s engaging communities, making sure everyone’s on the same page. Sometimes the solutions are very simple.”

As an example, he pointed to mining projects where warning messages were sent in English to communities that do not speak the language, or where key safety information was delivered over SMS when what residents needed was a physical noticeboard in their own dialect.

Bogrand described companies that “step over a dollar to pick up a penny” — refusing modest community requests, only to face shutdowns costing tens of millions of dollars.

Transparency: A tool, not a threat

Debruyne described transparency as one of SQM’s most effective tools, even if it initially felt counterintuitive.

A few years ago, the company made all hydrological data from its government reporting publicly accessible online.

“I was bracing myself,” he said, expecting to receive dozens of questions about brine levels. But counter to his fears, transparency defused tension rather than fueling it. “I received complete silence,’ Debruyne noted.

It also created a foundation for future collaboration, including joint environmental monitoring programs with communities that had refused to speak with SQM for years.

Moving slow to move fast

The tension between rapid industry growth and slow, iterative sustainability processes often surfaces in investor discussions. For Bogrand, the answer is simple: “You have to move slow to move fast.”

Rushing early stage engagement almost always backfires, he argued, while early investment in community relationships pays dividends across the life of a mine.

Debruyne echoed this idea, noting that patience, consistency and presence — not promises — win trust. In one case, SQM organized a visit for Atacama Indigenous women leaders to electric vehicle and battery plants in Germany and Poland, allowing them to see firsthand where lithium fits in a finished product.

One participant, surprised that the metal formed only a thin coating on a cathode, admitted she had imagined an “Avatar-like” scenario where mines destroyed massive volumes of land for each battery.

“Because they don’t have visibility on the value chain, they make interpretations, which is human,” Debruyne told listeners. “Dialogue is so important.”

Both Debruyne and Bogrand agree that the lithium supply chain cannot scale without social acceptance, credible transparency and deep engagement with affected communities.

As Debruyne noted, “Ultimately, it’s about people.”