Bravo Announces Creation of Copper-Gold Exploration Division Led by Carajás & IOCG Experienced Exploration Executive

Bravo Announces Creation of Copper-Gold Exploration Division Led by Carajás & IOCG Experienced Exploration Executive

Canada NewsWire

TORONTO, Feb. 5, 2026 /CNW/ - Bravo Mining Corp. (TSXV: BRVO) (OTCQX: BRVMF) ("Bravo" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the creation of a Copper-Gold Exploration Division to advance and expand the Company's Copper-Gold strategy. The new Division will focus exploration on to its 100% owned Luanga licences, which also hosts the Luanga palladium + platinum + rhodium + gold + nickel deposit (the "Luanga deposit" or "Luanga PGM+Au+Ni deposit"), while also evaluating copper-gold growth and acquisition opportunities within the Carajás Mineral Province.

Bravo is also pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Fabio Masotti as Head of the new Copper-Gold Exploration Division. Mr. Masotti is a highly experienced Carajás and IOCG exploration executive and will be responsible for executing a dedicated IOCG work program and supporting broader copper-gold growth opportunities for the Company.

Copper-Gold Exploration Division Highlights

• Creation of a dedicated Copper-Gold Exploration Division, reflecting the growing importance and potential of Bravo's IOCG exploration efforts.
• Appointment of Fabio Masotti, a highly regarded regional Carajás exploration executive with over 30 years of Brazilian and international experience.
• Copper-Gold Exploration Division to operate within a dedicated budget commencing with extensive geophysics and geochemistry programs followed by an initial 8,000 metres of drilling.
• Division leadership mandate includes a focus on growth and acquisition opportunities focused on the Carajás Mineral Province, aimed at expanding Bravo's copper optionality and long-term value creation alongside the central Luanga PGM+Au+Ni project.

"Over the last 3 years, our work at Luanga has continued to demonstrate its multiple mineral system potential within the same highly endowed Carajás setting," said Luis Azevedo, Chairman and CEO of Bravo. "While Luanga remains our flagship PGM+Au+Ni asset and our development focus, the results from our IOCG copper-gold exploration have highlighted the need for greater technical focus within a dedicated team."

"The establishment of the Copper-Gold Exploration Division is a strategic and growth-focused decision unanimously supported by the Board of Bravo. It gives us the structure to continue IOCG exploration in tandem with Luanga's PGM+Au+Ni progress. Moreover, as Bravo has established itself as one of the most active explorers in the district, we are regularly presented with new opportunities, some of which are highly deserving of careful evaluation, and this will fall within the remit of our new Division."

"It also gives me great pleasure to announce the appointment of Fabio Masotti to Bravo's management team, who will spearhead the copper-gold team. Fabio is an outstanding professional with a wealth of Carajás IOCG and overall copper-gold exploration experience with a proven success track-record, including leadership roles at Vale S.A., where he ascended to the position of Director of Exploration."

"The recent capital raising and pending private placement were well received by the market, and I believe this further reinforces confidence in Luanga, our people, and the strength of Bravo's management team as we pursue multiple tracks of value creation."

Appointment of Fabio Masotti – Head of Copper-Gold Division

Fabio Masotti is a mineral exploration executive with over 30 years of Brazilian and international experience, most recently with Vale S.A. ("Vale"), where he held senior leadership roles across exploration, project generation, business development, strategic planning, and study management. Throughout his career, Mr. Masotti has worked across numerous commodities, including IOCG systems and nickel sulphide deposits.

Mr. Masotti began his career as a graduate geologist at Vale and progressed through a successful +30-year tenure, culminating as Vale's Director of Exploration in 2024. He has worked in over 20 countries across all continents and previously held roles including Director of Exploration, Director/Executive Manager of Exploration – Americas, Africa and Australasia, Director of Exploration – Americas, Director of Exploration – Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania, and Regional Exploration Manager – Australasia and Country Manager Mongolia.

Throughout his career, Mr. Masotti has participated in several exploration successes and in the advancement of significant mineral projects. He was a recipient of PDAC's 2025 Thayer Lindsley Award for International Discovery as a member of the discovery team of the world-class Onto Copper-Gold high-sulphidation/porphyry deposit (Indonesia) in 2013 and was also a member of the discovery team for the Sossego/Sequeirinho IOCG deposits (Carajás, Brazil) in 1997.

Bravo's IOCG Copper-Gold Exploration Track Record

Over the past three years, Bravo has progressively strengthened its conviction that the broader Luanga land package potentially hosts not only its flagship Luanga PGM+Au+Ni deposit, but also a growing copper-gold exploration opportunity consistent with Carajás IOCG-style mineralization.

That IOCG thesis gained significant momentum in May 2024 when, following completion of a helicopter-based HeliTEM electromagnetic ("EM") geophysical survey and the selection of 17 high-priority EM targets, Bravo reported a discovery hole at Target T5 (DDH2405T002), which intersected 11.48 metres of massive/semi-massive/breccia high-grade copper sulphide mineralization, grading 14.3% Cu and 3.3 g/t Au, including 2.9 metres at 22.9% Cu and 3.6 g/t Au (see news release dated May 28, 2024).

In June 2024, Bravo announced a second significant intercept at T5 in hole DDH2405T004, located approximately 50 metres east of the discovery hole, which returned 8.75 metres grading 9.48% Cu and 2.1 g/t Au, further supporting the interpretation of typical Carajás IOCG-style copper-gold mineralization (see news release dated June 10, 2024). 

Subsequent drilling, geochemical and geophysical work, albeit limited, outlined a mineralized system at T5 that extends over ~300m of strike and to depths of 150m vertical, with mineralization remaining open down-dip.

Drilling, geochemical and geophysical surveys continued to demonstrate exploration potential and diversity across the broader Luanga project area, with both IOCG-style and magmatic Ni-Cu mineralization recognized within several of the 17 priority anomalies. Scout drilling at T16 and T17 has also returned encouraging early results. Bravo had also expanded its focus to additional targets such as Babylon, which is defined by a large magnetic signature.

Collectively, this ongoing exploration is building a systematic pipeline of prospects that underscores Luanga's potential beyond the existing PGM+Au+Ni deposit.

In parallel with its IOCG-focused exploration, the Company has reprocessed key geophysical datasets and has been assessing the potential for deep extensions to Luanga's PGM+Au+Ni mineralization. This work is also supporting continued refinement of drill targeting across the IOCG and magmatic Ni-Cu prospect portfolio to test these targets at depth.

Together, this sequence of results established a clear progression from discovery to confirmation, to continued step-out success and target pipeline development, reinforcing management's view that Bravo's IOCG targets may represent an important path to potential new value creation, alongside Luanga's continued advancement.

With Bravo's strengthened treasury position following recent financing activity, the Company is now in a position to advance the IOCG program with greater intensity and continuity, including expanded drilling and geophysics, and to pursue potential copper-gold growth opportunities aligned with this strategy.

It is against this backdrop that Bravo has established a new Copper-Gold Exploration Division, supported by a dedicated technical team and budget, and appointed Fabio Masotti to lead the initiative.

About Bravo Mining Corp.

Bravo is a Canadian and Brazil-based mineral exploration and development company focused on advancing its PGM and copper-gold Luanga Project in the Carajás Mineral Province, Pará State, Brazil.

Bravo is one of the most active explorers in Carajás. The team, comprising of local and international geologists, has a proven track record of PGM, nickel, and copper discoveries in the region. They have successfully taken a past IOCG greenfield project from discovery to development and production in the Carajás.

The Luanga Project is situated on mature freehold farming land and benefits from being located close to operating mines and a mining-experienced workforce, with excellent access and proximity to existing infrastructure, including road, rail, and hydroelectric grid power. Bravo's current Environmental, Social and Governance activities include planting more than 50,000 high-value trees in and around the project area and hiring and contracting locally.

Technical Disclosure

Technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Simon Mottram, F.AusIMM (Fellow Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy), President of Bravo Mining Corp. who serves as the Company's "qualified person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). Mr. Mottram has verified the technical data and opinions contained in this news release.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. 

Forward Looking Statements.

This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as "potential", "highlight", "encouraging", "extend", "confirm", "opportunity", "encourage", "significant", "high-grade", "better", "building a pipeline", variants of these words and other similar words, phrases, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. This news release contains forward-looking information and interpretations pertaining to the Company's ongoing exploration program and the results thereof; whether or not the Luanga PGM deposit extends to depth; the potential for new and/or different styles of mineralization in some areas, such as IOCG and Ni-Cu style, the presence of which is publicly well documented in the Carajás mineral province; whether or not the mineralization intersected at T5 is in fact IOCG-style, some variant of such or another style of mineralization; the potential continuity of mineralization between holes; whether the mineralization at T5 and other targets are open to expansion or not; whether the other anomalies are related to IOCG or other styles of mineralization; whether the circular anomaly named Babylon, located west of T5, is associated with economically significant mineralization or not and, if so, what grade and quantity; whether current and any future interpreted geophysical anomalies, including those defined through Magnetization Vector Inversion 3D Model and Self-Organizing Maps, point to or represent economically significant mineralization; the Company's timing, cost and results of future exploration programs; and the Company's plans in respect thereof. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, unexpected results from exploration programs, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, environmental risks, limitations on insurance coverage; and other risks and uncertainties involved in the mineral exploration and development industry. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including, but not limited to, the assumption that the assay results confirm that the interpreted along strike and up and down dip; that activities will not be adversely disrupted or impeded by regulatory, political, community, economic, environmental and/or healthy and safety risks; that the Luanga Project will not be materially affected by potential supply chain disruptions; and general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Bravo Mining Corp.

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