(Kitco News) OceanaGold is entering 2026 with plans to increase production, expand investor access, and raise shareholder returns after reporting record financial results for 2025.
The gold producer ended the year with $477 million in cash and no long-term debt, according to results released Feb. 18, 2026. The stronger balance sheet allows the company to invest in growth projects while increasing capital returned to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks.
“It’s the strongest position we’ve ever had in our 36-year history as a company,” President & CEO Gerard Bond said, speaking with Kitco Mining at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto. He added that several years of operational improvements helped the company “convert a lot of those higher gold prices to the bottom line, delivering those records.”
OceanaGold expects production to increase by about 12% in 2026, driven largely by its Haile mine in South Carolina. Bond said a waste removal program completed in 2025 has opened access to higher-grade ore that will feed the mill this year.
“Haile is the primary driver of our growth in 2026,” he said, adding that the operation is expected to produce about 35% more gold while reducing all-in sustaining costs by roughly 25%.
Alongside near-term output growth, the company is expanding development and exploration spending. Bond said OceanaGold plans to spend about $280 million on growth capital in 2026, including about $150 million directed toward advancing the Waihi North project in New Zealand.
At the corporate level, OceanaGold is preparing to list on the New York Stock Exchange on April 7, a move Bond said is intended to improve trading liquidity and broaden the company’s investor base.
The listing comes as many gold producers are emphasizing capital discipline and organic growth following several years of rising gold prices. Bond said companies across the sector remain cautious about large acquisitions, focusing instead on improving existing assets and advancing projects already within their portfolios.
For OceanaGold, that strategy centers on expanding production from Haile, advancing Waihi North, and continuing exploration across its operating regions.
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