Sam Leung of Centauri Minerals Inc. talks to Brian Leni | Metals Investor Forum Sept. 2026
Summary
Centauri Minerals recently debuted on the TSX-V via an Aldebaran spin-out, giving investors a fresh entry to 40,000 hectares across six Northern Argentina gold-copper-silver projects.
A desktop resource update at the flagship Rio Grande project roughly doubled contained gold, copper and silver, anchoring a near-C$30M treasury raise.
Two rigs mobilize in Q4 2026: one tests shallow oxide gold and copper, the other chases the deep sulfide source beneath historic high-grade intercepts.
At the second project, Agua Scolianta, an AMT and IP geophysical program just started using the same crew from Rio Grande's recent 3D MT work.
Management plans to keep optionality intact, evaluating unsolicited Argentine prospect deals rather than granting third-party options on pieces of the existing portfolio.
Key points on Fortuna Mining
- Acquired Goldrock, which held the Lindero project that is now an operating mine in Northern Argentina, per Sam Leung
Key points on Sibanye-Stillwater
- Sold the Altar project in 2017-2018 while exiting Argentina, which allowed the Aldebaran/Black-Heather team to acquire it
Key points on Silvercorp Metals Inc
- Acquired Aventus, the company Sam Leung helped build from 2017 to 2024
Key points on AbraSilver Resource
- Sam Leung has sat on the board since 2018, helping to rescue the company
- Cited as a regional exploration success story and used as a comparable drilling-reporting cadence for Centauri
Key points on Regulus Resources Inc
- Spun out the Argentinian assets from Antares in 2010 and later pivoted to Peru because Argentina was a challenging jurisdiction
John Black's takeaways
- Top takeaway Co-built Antares, Regulus, Aldebaran and now Centauri with Kevin Heather and Mark Wayne, holding the Northern Argentina portfolio through difficult market periods, per Sam Leung
- Historically cautious about deep drilling because the market did not reward it; Sam Leung says Centauri will now revisit those deeper sulfide targets with modern geophysics
Sam Leung's takeaways
- Top takeaway Frames Centauri as a 'tremendous starter kit' with Rio Grande plus four additional projects and intends to start two-rig drilling in late October
- Vows to be a 'smart steward' of the ~$30M treasury, putting capital into drilling to deliver a steady stream of catalysts
- Highlights Agua Caliente as the second-priority drill target, with AMT and IP work beginning in the same month as the interview
- Sees additional organic growth through inbound approaches from families, lawyers and prospectors holding regional prospects
- Previously built Aventus from 2017 to 2024 and sold it to Silvercorp; remains on the AbraSilver board where he has helped rescue the company since 2018