NatGold Digital Appoints Laurian Cristea to Board of Directors and Strategic Advisor to CEO

MIAMI, March 16, 2026 /CNW/ -- NatGold Digital Ltd. ("NatGold" or the "Company"), a digital mining company unlocking the intrinsic value of in-ground gold resources through blockchain-based tokenization, today announced the appointment of Laurian Cristea to its Board of Directors as an independent non-executive director, and separately as strategic advisor to the Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Cristea brings a wealth of experience, judgment and strategic insight directly applicable to the next phase of NatGold's growth and evolution.

Expanding Global Market Access

"I am delighted to join the Board of NatGold and support a company that is advancing a distinctive and forward-looking model," said Mr. Cristea. "NatGold's approach to digital mining reflects an important evolution in how gold's intrinsic value can be identified, preserved and made accessible in a modern digital assets framework. I am excited to contribute to the Company's continued growth and future direction."

Mr. Cristea is currently General Counsel of a derivatives exchange and clearinghouse regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Previously, he was a partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, where he led the firm's financial innovation practice. He also served as General Counsel of Cboe Digital, formerly ErisX, where he played a key role in shaping the firm's regulatory strategy in advance of its acquisition by Cboe. Earlier in his career, Mr. Cristea held senior legal and regulatory roles with an international clearinghouse group based in London and served as an attorney with the CFTC's Division of Market Oversight. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and a law degree from Brooklyn Law School.

"We are very pleased to welcome Laurian to NatGold as both a director and advisor to the CEO," said Mark Radke, Chair of the Board of NatGold. "He brings valuable experience, sound judgment and a perspective that is highly relevant to the Company's strategic direction. We believe his contributions in both capacities will be meaningful as NatGold continues to advance its digital mining model and broader corporate objectives."

"Laurian's appointment comes at a pivotal stage in NatGold's development," said Andrés Fernández, Chief Executive Officer of NatGold. "As we move rapidly toward our initial tokenization event, his deep experience across digital markets, digital assets and end-to-end tokenization strategy will be highly valuable. His perspective will also help inform our post-tokenization product strategy as we continue to evaluate the broader future potential of the NatGold platform, including areas of opportunity that may extend to other derivative and exchange-traded products – an outlook also reflected in one of the Company's recent video releases."

About NatGold Digital Ltd.

NatGold Digital Ltd. is the architect and operator of a revolutionary, patent-pending digital gold mining model designed to tokenize gold resources that remain securely stored in Mother Nature's Vault. NatGold Tokens are structured to represent standardized unit interests in NatGold Certified Resources, disclosed under internationally recognized geological Technical Reports--without physical extraction, processing, or movement of gold. The result is a superior fiat money alternative engineered to lead a global monetary reformation.

For additional background, please visit NatGold.com or our official YouTube channel for videos and information about our digital mining ecosystem: https://www.youtube.com/@NatGold_Digital.

For further information or media inquiries, please contact:
Email: [e-mail]
Web: https://www.natgold.com

The information in the above release has been prepared by NatGold Digital Ltd. ("NatGold") using its best efforts to realistically and factually present the information contained herein. However, subjective opinion, reliance on factors outside NatGold's control, and external information sources unavoidably mean that NatGold cannot warrant the information to be exhaustive, complete, or sufficient. The information provided herein is intended solely for general informational purposes and does not constitute an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any shares or securities of NatGold or for the purchase or sale of any NatGold Tokens. NatGold Tokens are not intended to be "securities" in any jurisdiction, and NatGold makes no claim or representation related to the value of NatGold or NatGold Tokens. Potential investors should seek advice from a qualified financial dealer before investing in NatGold. There are substantial risks associated with investing in development-stage digital assets and technology companies.

SOURCE NatGold Digital Ltd.