– The session (Financing Junior Mining Projects: Challenges and Opportunities, Astana Finance Days 2026 - Ed.) attracted considerable interest from the audience. Were you able to highlight the key aspects of the role junior companies play in the mining industry within the time available?
– First of all, it was encouraging to see such strong interest in the session. The number of attendees reflected that interest. This reflects the high level of interest in the mining industry as a whole.
As a major company, Solidcore regularly engages with junior exploration companies and their projects. We are willing to share our expertise regardless of whether we ultimately decide to participate in a particular project. The company established this practice when it operated under the Polymetal brand and continues it today.
Junior companies do a great deal of important work for major industry players and the sector as a whole. They are more agile, make decisions faster, and can quickly examine available data, process and structure information, prepare projects, and draw market attention to promising prospects that larger companies have not yet had the opportunity to investigate. In this way, junior companies help maintain the industry's momentum and drive its development.
– What platforms are available for junior companies to present their projects and analyses?
– As a member of the AIFC Mining Industry Expert Council, I would certainly recommend the Junior Mining Platform of the Astana International Financial Centre. It allows junior companies not only to showcase their projects but also to prepare them for the market by undergoing preliminary compliance checks, understanding investor requirements, and identifying areas that need further development.
There are other opportunities as well, including dedicated platforms at mining and metallurgical forums, exhibitions, and hackathons. Solidcore also organises its own competition for junior exploration projects, with several categories based on the level of exploration maturity.
Companies can approach potential investors directly or use established platforms, including those offered by international financial centres.
– Given the seasonal nature of mineral exploration, how should junior companies prepare to participate in such events?
– Mineral exploration is a seasonal business. Fieldwork typically begins in spring and continues until autumn. In autumn and the period leading up to winter, laboratory and desk-based work is completed, and the information collected over the summer is analysed.
Winter is therefore a good time to prepare presentations. By then, companies have fresh results and an opportunity to organise their materials. It is important to approach industry events with a well-developed project that can be presented comprehensively and whose strengths can be clearly demonstrated.
– How often do you participate in events dedicated to junior exploration projects?
– I have worked in the industry for 15 years and have been closely involved with junior companies for about a decade.
Major events and competitions are not held particularly frequently because geological exploration data is updated gradually. On average, it takes three to six years of exploration and analysis to obtain results that provide a meaningful understanding of a project's potential.
That is why I participate in major events approximately once every 18 months to two years. At the same time, Solidcore continuously reviews proposals from different companies. We work with junior exploration projects throughout the year.
– What changes are you seeing in the junior mineral exploration market?
– The number of junior companies is growing year by year. In the past, the sector was dominated by local geologists and enthusiasts who had extensive knowledge of specific deposits and exploration prospects, sometimes dating back to the Soviet era.
Today, professional junior exploration companies are entering the market, treating mineral exploration as a business in its own right.
International players are also entering Kazakhstan, bringing their own standards and approaches. The Kazakh market is gradually adopting best practices, making the junior exploration segment more professional, active, and competitive.
– Does artificial intelligence pose a threat to mineral exploration, or does it create new opportunities?
– I see artificial intelligence primarily as an opportunity to accelerate data processing. AI can help identify and more accurately select promising areas for subsequent field investigations.
These tools can save time and money, help determine more precisely where fieldwork should be conducted, and accelerate project development. However, final assessments still require the professional expertise of geologists and mining specialists.
– Is Solidcore already using such solutions?
– There are still relatively few genuinely high-quality solutions available on the market. We may not yet be aware of some of them, which is why we continuously monitor new developments.
The company is currently exploring the potential use of artificial intelligence to process data from greenfield exploration projects.
– Does the company plan to develop its own solutions or use existing products? What role do industry specialists play in training these systems?
– Since Solidcore is not an artificial intelligence technology developer, we prefer to use existing solutions or products that can be adapted to our needs.
Most of these products are based on machine learning, so an important part of the process is training models to correctly recognise patterns associated with different types of mineralisation. This is precisely where our geologists can contribute their knowledge and experience.
The process involves geologists, exploration specialists, mineral processing experts, and mining engineers. Geologists work with mineral resources, while mining specialists focus more specifically on evaluating mineral reserves.
For an AI model to address real-world industry challenges, its training must involve a broad range of specialists with relevant expertise
