Barrick Mining Corp. Chief Executive Officer Mark Hill said the company’s planned North American gold IPO could slip into January. Hill, who was named last month to lead the North American unit after it goes public, said there had been “some delays” in working through formalities ahead of the listing, without elaborating further. His comments confirmed earlier Bloomberg News reporting that the miner was considering a delay to the listing.

“It is on track, and we’re still pushing to the end of the year,” Hill said during a conference panel on Tuesday in Colorado Springs. “Maybe it will slide into January, but there won’t be a significant delay to that.” The Toronto-based miner announced plans earlier this year to separate its North American assets and list the business in New York by the end of 2026.

Barrick last month struck a deal to hand Newmont Corp. a stake in Fourmile, a prized Nevada gold project, in exchange for its support for the planned IPO. The agreement cleared a potential hurdle to the listing after the Denver-based miner earlier this year threatened legal action over alleged mismanagement of the companies’ Nevada joint venture. Barrick shares plunged following the announcement, however, as investors were disappointed by the value of the deal.

Also speaking on the panel on Tuesday, Barrick Chief Operating Officer Tim Cribb said the addition of the Fourmile project to the Nevada Gold Mines joint venture with Newmont opens up opportunities to expand processing in the Cortez district. The company expects to spend as much on North American exploration next year as it is spending across the entire company this year, he added. Sebastiaan Bock, who was tapped last month to lead Barrick’s business outside North America following the IPO, added during the panel that the Reko Diq project in Pakistan remains on pause as the miner reassesses its development plan and financing and waits for suitable operating conditions before committing significant capital. Barrick is focusing on managing its costs and existing asset base across its international portfolio, Bock added, pointing to further internal growth opportunities including a potential mine expansion at Kibali in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as extending the mine life of Veladero in Argentina.