Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 20, 2026) - Pelican AI (CSE: PEL) ("Pelican" or the "Company"), a provider of artificial intelligence-powered payments, financial crime compliance and trade finance solutions, is pleased to announce the addition of Maria Papas as Vice President of Sales, Americas, and Doug Drummond as Head of Channels and Alliances.

Mrs. Papas will lead Pelican sales efforts across the Americas. She brings extensive experience in the payments industry, having previously served as Vice President at Mastercard and at Interac, and as Director of Enterprise Relationship Management at Fiserv.

Mr. Drummond will develop Pelican's channels and alliances strategy, building a partner ecosystem that supports sustainable growth across payments and financial crime compliance. He brings deep experience in channel sales, alliances and strategic partnerships, and his background also includes time at the Central Bank of Ireland in information security.

These appointments put the Company's strategy into action. During its September 15, 2026 investor webinar, management identified partnerships and sales team expansion as the key ways Pelican intends to extend its reach. Adding dedicated senior sales and partnership leadership is a direct step on that path.

"We have a solution that has been proven in the industry, and now we just need more people to know about it. That takes more people in front of financial institutions, both directly and through partners," said Nino Di Teodoro, Chief Executive Officer of Pelican AI. "Maria and Doug give us that reach, and this is the strategy we have been laying out for shareholders."

About Pelican AI

Pelican AI is a financial technology company providing artificial intelligence-powered solutions for payments, financial crime compliance and trade finance. With more than 30 years of proprietary AI expertise, Pelican's technology is trusted by major financial institutions across more than 55 countries and has processed more than 2 billion transactions representing approximately $10 trillion in value.

Pelican's technology uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and natural language processing to help financial institutions automate payment processing, improve straight-through processing, strengthen financial crime compliance and modernize transaction banking infrastructure. Its solutions include Pelican Payments, Pelican Secure and AI-powered trade finance applications.

For more information, visit Pelican AI's website: https://pelican.ai/

On Behalf of the Board

Nino Di Teodoro
Chief Executive Officer, Pelican AI

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding the roles and responsibilities of the appointees, the Company's go-to-market strategy, its plans to develop a partner ecosystem and expand sales coverage, and the status and potential outcomes of the disclosed litigation. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the risk that the appointments do not result in the anticipated benefits, that partner relationships are not established on anticipated terms or at all, the risks associated with the disclosed litigation, general economic and market factors, competition, and the other risks described in the Company's public disclosure documents available on SEDAR+. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by law.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States. The securities referred to in this news release have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption.

Pelican is involved in ongoing litigation. Readers are directed to the Company's August 27, 2026 news release and the disclosure in "Item 23 - Legal Proceedings and Regulatory Actions" and "Item 21 - Risk Factors" in the Company's CSE Form 2A Listing Statement available on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca for further details.

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/319841

Source: Pelican AI Corp.