A small-cap ASX miner is turning heads on Friday after releasing an update that has gone down well with the market.

At the time of writing, the Ioneer Ltd (ASX: INR) share price is up 7.14% to 15 cents.

Despite the gain, it has been a rollercoaster ride for shareholders. The stock is still down around 19% in 2026, but it has jumped 54% over the past 12 months.

The latest release seems to have hit the right note, with critical minerals still a major focus in the US.

Here’s what Ioneer announced.

Ioneer lands US Army-linked award

In a statement to the ASX, Ioneer said it received a conditional US Army award for land at Utah’s Toole Army Depot.

The company said the long-term lease would support the development of a critical mineral processing facility.

Fortunately, Ioneer was one of four companies selected, alongside Empire State Mines, EnergyX and REalloys.

The US Army is looking to use parts of its land to help build more domestic processing capacity for critical minerals. These include lithium, boron, graphite and rare earths, which are used across defence, energy and advanced manufacturing supply chains.

Ioneer said the award is tied to its Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project in Nevada.

The company describes Rhyolite Ridge as the largest undeveloped boron ore reserve in the world outside Turkey. It also said the project is the only known lithium-boron deposit in North America.

Why this is a big deal

The land lease is useful, but this update is really about the bigger opportunity around Ioneer.

The US is trying to build more mineral processing capacity at home, especially for materials used in defence, energy and advanced manufacturing.

And this is where Rhyolite Ridge stands out.

It’s not just another lithium project. It has a large boron resource, which gives Ioneer another way into America’s supply chain push.

Boron doesn’t get mentioned as much as lithium. However, Ioneer said it is used in military armour, high-strength magnets, semiconductors and nuclear applications.

The company also noted that the US government added boron to its list of critical minerals in November 2025.

The US Army release said “The ability to process critical minerals on U.S. soil is a national-defence priority required for munitions, missiles, sensors, batteries, and the platforms our soldiers depend on.”

What investors will be watching now

While today’s update is a positive one, there is still plenty of work ahead.

Keep in mind that the lease award is conditional, and Ioneer still needs to keep moving Rhyolite Ridge toward development.

This means attention turns to progress on funding, approvals, construction plans and a final investment decision (FID).

Fortunately, there has been some progress on that front.

Recent reports have pointed to support from South Korean groups Hyundai Engineering and Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development for the project.

The post This small-cap ASX stock is soaring after a major US Army boost appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The DigiCo Infrastructure REIT (ASX: DGT) share price is in focus today after the company announced the resignation of its Chief Executive Officer, Mr Michael Juniper, effective immediately. The Board has commenced a search for a new CEO, with the existing leadership team maintaining day-to-day operations.

What did DigiCo Infrastructure REIT report?

• Mr Michael Juniper has stepped down as CEO and Director, effective 26 June 2026
• The Board is conducting a formal executive search for a permanent CEO
• The leadership team remains in place to ensure continuity
• No earnings or dividend updates were provided in this announcement

What else do investors need to know?

DigiCo Infrastructure REIT first announced Mr Juniper was on extended personal leave in March 2026. His departure marks a significant leadership transition for DGT, but the company’s strategy and ongoing operations will continue under the current management team while a successor is sought.

The Board thanked Mr Juniper for his contributions and highlighted its commitment to maintaining stability throughout the leadership transition. Both internal and external candidates will be considered for the CEO position.

What’s next for DigiCo Infrastructure REIT?

DigiCo Infrastructure REIT remains focused on executing its strategy as a diversified owner, operator and developer of data centres. The Board is prioritising a thorough CEO search process to ensure a smooth leadership transition and ongoing delivery of value for investors.

As the executive search gets underway, the existing leadership team is expected to ensure operational stability and drive the company’s plans in the short term.

DigiCo Infrastructure REIT share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, DigiCo Infrastructure REIT shares have declined 30%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has risen 2% over the same period.

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The post DigiCo Infrastructure REIT CEO resigns appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.

The Centuria Capital Group (ASX: CNI) share price is in focus today as the company opens its $35 million retail entitlement offer, following a strong $65 million institutional component and reaffirms FY26 earnings guidance.

What did Centuria Capital Group report?

• Launched a $35 million fully underwritten retail entitlement offer at $2.00 per security
• Raised $65 million from institutional investors as part of a $100 million entitlement offer
• Institutional placement raised an additional $200 million, bringing total new equity to $300 million
• FY26 operating earnings guidance reaffirmed at 13.6 cents per security, an 11.5% increase on FY25
• Offer price represents a 6.0% discount to the last close and a 5.2% discount to the adjusted TERP
• Pro-forma net asset value to rise to $1.81 per security, with pro-forma gearing reduced to 3.4%

What else do investors need to know?

The retail entitlement offer gives eligible retail investors the chance to buy 1 new Centuria security for every 17 they own, priced at $2.00 each. Investors who take up their full allocation can also apply for up to 25% more through a top-up facility, though allocations may be scaled back at the company’s discretion.

Proceeds from the $300 million total equity raising are earmarked to accelerate Centuria’s growth ambitions across both its specialist data centre platform, ResetData, and its real estate and private credit fund management business. Centuria’s recent strategic moves include scaling its Australian AI Factory capabilities and acquisition of larger real estate assets to seed new funds.

What did Centuria Capital Group management say?

Joint CEOs John McBain and Jason Huljich commented:

The Centuria and ResetData combination has created a differentiated NVIDIA neocloud partner with scalable sovereign AI Factories and access to Centuria’s real estate, land and potential 200MW+ power pipeline. ResetData is one of three Australian NVIDIA Cloud Partners and is uniquely placed to take advantage of an upswing in international demand for the establishment of Australian-based AI Factory capacity uptake.

What’s next for Centuria Capital Group?

Looking ahead, Centuria will focus on deploying new funds into its ResetData pipeline, targeting accelerated development of AI Factory data centres and onboarding enterprise and government customers seeking sovereign compute capacity. Further growth is expected as Centuria expands its credit funds management and continues scaling up its real estate platform with larger fund launches and property acquisitions.

Management reconfirmed its disciplined approach to capital allocation and flagged balance sheet flexibility will support future organic and inorganic growth opportunities, while the new securities will rank equally with existing ones (except for the June 2026 distribution).

Centuria Capital Group share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Centuria Capital Group shares have risen 16%, outperforming the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has risen 2% over the same period.

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The post Centuria Capital Group opens $35m retail offer, targets growth in AI and real estate appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.