Tether Assumes 33% Stake in Transformational Royalty Merger of EMX Royalty & Elemental Altus

Sep 12, 2025

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Interview with Dave Cole, CEO, EMX Royalty & Fred Bell, CEO, Elemental Altus Royalty

Recording date: 10th September 2025

EMX Royalty Corporation and Elemental Altus Royalty Corporation have announced a transformational merger that will create a mid-tier royalty company with substantial scale and institutional backing. The combined entity will operate 16 producing assets alongside over 180 additional royalty exposures across diversified global jurisdictions, positioning it as a significant player in the royalty sector.

The transaction's cornerstone feature is Tether's strategic investment, with the digital asset company becoming a 33% shareholder while contributing $100 million at closing. This backing addresses a critical challenge for junior royalty companies by substantially reducing cost of capital while providing access to larger acquisition opportunities. Tether's involvement reflects their broader commodity allocation strategy, viewing royalties as complementary to their $10 billion physical gold holdings.

Portfolio performance has been strong across both companies, with significant discovery success at flagship assets including Timok in Serbia, Diablillos, and Caserones in Chile. The combined portfolios benefit from approximately $100 million in annual drilling expenditures by operators, creating embedded discovery optionality without capital requirements from the royalty holders. Revenue composition will be 67% gold and silver versus 33% base metals, generating an expected $70-80 million in annual revenue.

Management structure preserves expertise from both organizations, with EMX CEO Dave Cole leading the combined entity and Elemental Altus CEO Fred Bell serving as President and Chief Operating Officer. The team recruited Stefan Wenger as CFO, leveraging his experience growing Royal Gold from hundreds of millions to billions in market value.

The merger is expected to close by mid-November, followed by a US listing targeting institutional investors who previously considered the companies too small for investment. This enhanced scale and liquidity should provide access to larger transactions while maintaining their technical expertise and disciplined approach to capital allocation across the full spectrum of royalty opportunities.