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Documents show that Newmont must approve Barrick's North America spinoff.

Documents show that Newmont must approve Barrick's North America spinoff.
Documents show that Newmont must approve Barrick's North America spinoff.

Documents seen by former Barrick executives and Canadian mining company Barrick show that the joint venture partner Newmont will be key to Barrick's plans to spin off North American assets. This is a dramatic change in fortunes for both global mining companies. The Denver-based Newmont has a lot of influence over Barrick's strategies. This is a big change from just a few short years ago, when the Canadian company had hoped to purchase Newmont's?minority?stake?in the Nevada mines. Barrick had tried to buy Newmont a decade before. Documents show that Newmont would have the right to first refusal if Barrick tried to sell its stakes in Nevada Gold Mines, NGM, which is the company's principal North American asset. Barrick holds 61.5% of the mine and Newmont has 38.5%. Barrick announced last year a restructuring to separate the North America operations from the riskier operations elsewhere in the world following the departure of former CEO Mark Bristow. Barrick's proposed initial IPO of North American assets include NGM, the Pueblo Viejo Mine in the Dominican Republic, and the underdeveloped Fourmile mine also in Nevada.

The joint venture agreement between Barrick and Newmont, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission specifies that before selling its Nevada joint-venture interest to a third-party, either party has to offer it?to the member of the other party. The documents we have seen show that any transfer of shares must be approved by the other party. According to a source familiar with the project, Barrick will need Newmont to provide the capital to Fourmile. The miner has touted the development as its future flagship and it will be included in the IPO. Newmont's Natasha Viljoen, the incoming CEO of Newmont in October 2025 said that they were waiting to hear more information from Barrick prior to committing any additional capital.

Barrick's attempt to restructure - potentially by splitting into 2 entities - is one of the most anticipated mining stories for 2026. This is due to the?strong interest from investors in gold bullion prices, which have been hitting record highs. The company will likely announce its plans during Q4 earnings in February.

Barrick responded by email that it respected the joint venture agreement with Newmont, and adhered to all of its terms. Newmont spokesperson stated that the Nevada Gold Mines joint-venture agreement of the company has not been changed since it was made public.

Newmont's spokesperson stated that "Newmont has no additional information beyond what is already in the public domain" regarding Barrick's possible IPO of North American gold assets. The company declined to comment on the Fourmile expansion. Barrick's shares rose 130% in 2025 but the company has had lower returns than its peers over the last five-year period, with a gain of 52%, while Agnico Eagle gained 142%. Barrick shares are still undervalued.

According to three executives who are aware of the restructuring, Newmont's ability to influence the sale of Nevada mines even though it only has a minor stake is "unusual". Barrick was interested in buying Newmont, but the contract was negotiated after many years of back-and-forth between the two companies. Both companies formed a joint venture in Nevada after the merger failed.

Former Barrick executive who was aware of the details of the joint venture said, "Newmont did a great job in being able call the shots. It wasn't long ago that Barrick tried to buy Newmont." Barrick experienced a turbulent year in 2025. The Mali military government took over the?mine and imprisoned its employees. It was only after the company negotiated an agreement to regain the mine and release its employees that the deal was reached. Barrick's former CEO has left the company, and it is now looking to restore investor trust under chairman John Thornton. Mark Hill, the interim CEO of Barrick, is in charge while Barrick searches for a new CEO who will have to deal with institutional investors like BlackRock and activist firm Elliott. Helen Cai was appointed as Barrick's new chief financial officer this month. Analysts expect that the combined entity could perform better than its current state. The North America business has a value of around $42 billion.

The Toronto Stock Exchange traded shares of Barrick up by 1.90% on Friday, while the New York Stock Exchange traded shares up by 1.52%. (Divyarajagopal, Toronto; Editing done by Caroline Stauffer Veronica Brown David Gregorio).

(source: Reuters)