The S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries (XSO) eased to 3,984.60, down 3.30 points (0.083%) on the prior session, but remains up 36.50 points (0.92%) over the past five days.
Against that backdrop, several small caps pushed ahead this morning with funding and project decisions across gold, tin and antimony. You can read about the following and more, including myriad quarterly reports, throughout the day.
Ora Banda Mining
Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX:OBM, OTC:ESGFF) has secured board approval for a suite of growth projects aimed at lifting output from its 100% owned Davyhurst tenure.
Key approvals include $10 million to progress a proposed ~3 Mtpa new processing plant from DFS to FEED, with FEED expected to be completed early in the June quarter 2026. The board has also approved $30 million of pre-production capital to commence open pit mining works at Waihi, located about 3 km from the Davyhurst processing plant.
On the infrastructure side, Ora Banda has allocated $23 million to lift accommodation capacity through an expansion of the existing Davyhurst camp and construction of a new camp at Siberia. The company said the capital investments are fully funded from existing cash reserves and noted it continues to generate strong cashflows from current operations. Ora Banda added that bringing Waihi online would create its third mining operation.
AuKing
AuKing Mining Ltd (ASX:AKN) has signed an agreement to acquire a 100% interest in certain tin and silver exploration licence applications in Tasmania, positioned adjacent to the Renison Bell tin mine.
The licence application area totals about 203 km² and includes historical mining with limited modern exploration, according to the company. AuKing pointed to nearby regional assets including Renison Bell (part-owned by Metals X) and the Mt Lindsay project, and highlighted site access via established roads.
AuKing also referenced results from the Big Wilson prospect, where it reported a maiden hole intersection of 17.4 m @ 2.0% Sn, including 4 m @ 5.6% Sn (hole BW001). Managing director Paul Williams said the company was pleased to secure the applications amid renewed market interest in tin.
Krakatoa Resources
Krakatoa Resources Ltd (ASX:KTA) says assays from its maiden drilling at the Zopkhito Antimony-Gold Project in Georgia confirm antimony (Sb) and gold (Au) mineralisation extends within and beyond historical sampling.
The results relate to diamond core drilling completed late in the 2025 field season, comprising 274 samples from 15surface-drilled diamond holes and 119 samples from 18 short core holes drilled from within Adit 80. Krakatoa said the dataset supports the presence of high-grade mineralisation and helps validate historical work across the project area.
Critical Resources
Critical Resources Ltd (ASX:CRR, FRA:9S70) has received firm commitments to raise $1.75 million (before costs) through a placement of 175 million ordinary shares at $0.010 per share.
Investors will also receive 1-for-4 free attaching options, exercisable at $0.008 and expiring on April 23, 2028.