St George added to S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index - ICYMI

St George Mining Ltd (ASX:SGQ, FRA:S0G, OTC:SGQMF) recently outlined the significance of its inclusion in the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index, with executive chairman John Prineas describing the milestone as recognition of the company’s rapid growth following the acquisition of the Araxá Rare Earths–Niobium Project in Brazil.
Speaking to Proactive, Prineas said the company had undergone a significant transformation over the past year, noting that St George Mining acquired the Araxá project in February 2025 when the company had a market capitalisation of around $25 million.
Prineas explained that the company raised $20 million shortly after acquiring the project to begin advancing development activities, initially attracting support from smaller funds and high-net-worth investors. Over the following months, the company expanded its institutional backing, including a $72.5 million capital raising in October that brought in Hancock Prospecting as the company’s largest shareholder.
He said the company’s market capitalisation had since grown to around $500 million, with the admission to the All Ordinaries Index marking another step in that growth trajectory.
Prineas said the index inclusion was significant because it opened the company to a broader range of institutional investors, explaining that some fund managers can only invest in companies that are part of a recognised index. He added that index-tracking funds may also begin buying shares once the inclusion takes effect on March 23, potentially increasing liquidity and trading activity.
Attention is also turning to the development pathway for the Araxá project, which hosts globally significant deposits of niobium and rare earth elements. These critical metals are used in advanced manufacturing, high-strength steel production and defence applications.
Prineas noted that demand for critical minerals remained a strategic priority for major economies seeking secure supply chains, particularly for metals such as niobium and rare earth elements.
Interview Highlights
St George Mining Ltd will join the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index on March 23, 2026.
The milestone reflects a rapid transformation in the company’s valuation, from around $25 million market cap to approximately $500 million within a year.
The growth followed the acquisition of the Araxá Rare Earths–Niobium Project in Brazil.
The company raised $72.5 million in October, attracting institutional investors including Hancock Prospecting, now the largest shareholder.
Inclusion in the All Ordinaries Index could increase institutional investment and trading activity, as some funds require index membership before investing.
The Araxá project hosts critical metals niobium and rare earth elements, which are strategically important for global supply chains.
Niobium is widely used in high-strength steel and defence-related applications.
St George Mining recently announced a resource upgrade and continues drilling to expand the deposit.
The company’s near-term focus is advancing the project development pathway, including hiring additional staff and securing long-lead equipment contracts.
Proactive: Welcome back to Proactive Investors, ladies and gentlemen. I'm your host, Kerry Stevenson. John Prineas is back. He is the Executive Chairman of St George Mining. The company has just been admitted into the All Ordinaries Index, so it is a milestone day for the company. John, congratulations. It is a credit to all the hard work you have been doing. This is the Araxá project in Brazil, a very large project which, with everything going on around the world, is likely to become even more important going forward. Talk to us about how important a milestone this is for St George Mining today.
John Prineas: Thank you, Kerry. It is a terrific day today. It is a good feeling to see our efforts being recognised and rewarded with admission to the All Ordinaries Index. We brought this project in February last year when we were about a $25 million market cap. We had to raise $20 million to get the project up and running. Not too many institutions came on board at that time – it was mostly smaller funds and high net worth shareholders.
Now we are at about a $500 million market cap. We raised $72.5 million last October from a group of institutions, including Hancock Prospecting, which is now our largest shareholder. So it has been a massive transformation for the company over the past 12 months. It has culminated in this recognition today with admission to the All Ordinaries Index. It has been a strong effort to get to this point, but there is still a long way to go.
Proactive: That means more eyes on the stock. For people who may not understand the significance of this milestone, can you explain it in simple terms?
John Prineas: It is a very significant corporate development. Once you are in an index, there are many fund managers that then have a mandate to buy the stock. Some fund managers cannot buy unless the company is included in an index. It brings a broader range of investors, particularly larger institutions.
There are also index-tracking funds that will need to buy the stock as well. When the inclusion formally takes effect on March 23, we expect to see increased trading activity. It is a wonderful opportunity to broaden our investor base.
Proactive: The world is in a very interesting place right now. Could global geopolitical developments impact your project going forward?
John Prineas: There has been no change to the determination of the United States to secure independent supply chains for critical metals. We have two of the most important critical metals for them – niobium and rare earths. We will be meeting with the US Embassy shortly to further discuss those opportunities.
Unfortunately, ongoing conflicts around the world are increasing demand for metals used in defence systems. Niobium in particular is used in various types of military hardware. There are reports suggesting demand for metals used in weapons could increase significantly, which reflects well for companies like ours that have globally significant deposits of those metals.
Proactive: The image behind you shows ferro-niobium. What exactly is that?
John Prineas: That is ferro-niobium, which is essentially the concentrated form of niobium with some iron included. It is typically around 50–65% niobium, with the rest being iron. This is the product that is sold to steel mills to produce stronger and lighter steel.
The sample shown in the photo is not our product, but that is what we are aiming to produce. Hopefully we will be making something like that within the next 18 months.
Proactive: Finally, as we head further into 2026, what are the next milestones investors should watch for, particularly in terms of creating shareholder value and de-risking the project?
John Prineas: Last week we announced a major resource upgrade and we are continuing to drill, so the resource could become even larger. The key focus now is moving through the development pathway. Investors can expect more announcements about development milestones, additional staff being brought on board to accelerate the work, and some long-lead item contracts being signed. Those updates will demonstrate that we are progressing toward development.
Proactive: John, thank you for the update and congratulations again on the milestone.