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Doug Bright
Viking Mines has switched on a fresh US trading line for its shares, with the company now officially quoted on the OTC Markets under the ticker VKALF.
OTC or “over-the-counter” is a US trading platform that allows broker-dealers to match buyers and sellers outside the big exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.
For local punters, it is business as usual with Viking’s primary listing staying put on the ASX under VKA and importantly, the company says it has not issued any new shares as part of the move.
The new quotation will make life easier for North American retail and institutional traders looking to get exposure to Viking’s Nevada-based Linka tungsten project.
‘We look forward to commencing US investor engagement to grow the Company’s profile and attract new shareholders’.
Viking Mines managing director and chief executive officer Julian Woodcock
For Viking, it can mean greater visibility, improved accessibility and potentially stronger liquidity, as a wider pool of tungsten followers back the stock in their local currency and time zone.
The new market access doesn’t appear entirely coincidental. Just 11 days ago, Viking outlined an accelerated Linka workflow to rapidly push the project down the value chain.
The company’s roadmap includes a stack of parallel workstreams covering metallurgy, geophysics and three-dimensional modelling, along with early-stage studies that feature advanced ore sorting and processing technologies. Viking is also taking a closer look at mineralised historical stockpiles and tailings material as potential low-hanging fruit for a quick restart.
Viking Mines managing director and chief executive officer Julian Woodcock said: “Listing on the OTC Markets provides exposure to the substantial US investment market and naturally complements our tungsten activities in Nevada. While our primary listing remains on the ASX, releasing all announcements on the OTC platform allows us to build recognition as a critical mineral developer while tungsten remains highly valuable.”
On the ground, Viking is eyeing up a June-quarter drilling campaign, with a Notice of Intent to be lodged with the US Bureau of Land Management soon. The company is also investigating opportunities for cleaner flotation results on the near-term radar, as it works to optimise recovery while maintaining marketable concentrate grades.
While the expedited workflow is seen as critical to generating cash flows sooner rather than later, Viking is also leaning into the bigger long-term picture. With tungsten prices continuing to surge and ammonium paratungstate quoted at US$3,150 (A$4480) per metric tonne unit, the company is pitching Linka as a strategically placed critical minerals play in a Tier-1 mining jurisdiction.
Management says the OTC listing broadens its global shareholder base by removing barriers for US-based punters, while keeping disclosure standards aligned with its ASX reporting.
With a US trading presence now in place and a steady stream of technical milestones in the pipeline, Viking looks set for an active quarter as it gears up to unleash the rigs at Linka and pull its first real answers straight from the drill bit.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
