The consensus map of global exploration is crowded. Nevada, the Abitibi, Western Australia, and the Andes absorb the overwhelming share of exploration capital, and they do so for good reason. They are proven, they are mapped, and they are understood. They are also expensive, competitive, and largely picked over at surface.
The Frontier Jurisdictions panel was built around the opposite proposition. Hosted by Brien Lundin of Gold Newsletter and Ekometall Director Jim Paterson , the session brought together three CEOs building first mover positions in districts with deep mining histories and almost no modern exploration: Austria, France, and Saudi Arabia.
For Ekometall, that jurisdiction is Austria. CEO Ryan Finlay outlines the thesis that has driven the company since inception. Austria produced copper, gold, silver, and specialty metals for centuries. More than 1,500 historical mines and exploratory excavations sit inside Ekometall’s licence blocks. What Austria has never had is a systematic modern exploration campaign built on that record, because the record itself, tens of thousands of pages of mine plans, assay logs, and geological surveys, has never been machine readable. Ekometall’s AI powered archive programme exists to change that, converting centuries of documentation into drill ready targets across 12% of Austria’s land area.
The conversation is worth watching in full for the comparison it draws out. Ryan, Chris Taylor of Aquitaine Metals, and Greg Davis of Sun Peak Metals are working in very different regulatory and geological settings, but they are making a structurally identical bet.
Watch the full session below.
Frontier Jurisdictions, recorded June 11, 2026. Hosted by Brien Lundin and Jim Paterson.
Why Austria
Austria sits inside the EU regulatory perimeter, holds a Critical Raw Materials Act mandate to develop domestic supply, and offers an approval framework that granted Ekometall’s licence blocks on timelines ranging from four days to six months. It also carries almost no competitive exploration presence. That combination, established mining law and near zero modern competition, is unusual, and it is the whole reason Ekometall exists.
Explore the four project groups or download the corporate presentation to see how the land position translates into a target pipeline.
Disclaimer: This webinar is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, financial, or trading advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any security. It may contain forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties; actual results may differ materially. Viewers should conduct their own due diligence and consult a licensed professional before making investment decisions.
