• Hosted by CoinDesk, the 2022 Consensus festival is slated for June 9-12, 2022, in Austin, Texas
• The festival features 15,000+ attendees, 400+ speakers, and 250+ event sponsors, catering to all sides of blockchain, crypto, Web3, NFTs and the Metaverse
• Web3 is the future of the internet – creating a decentralized technology that removes the control from the big tech companies and places it back in the hands of the users
• Venture Capitalist firm Andreessen Horowitz announced a $4.5 billion fund aimed at Web3; with one third of the funds dedicated exclusively to seed deals
• Coinbase has become the first crypto-based company to be listed on the Fortune 500, making history as the first of its kind to make the list

As worldwide interest in cryptocurrency grows, so do the conventions dedicated to the sector. One of the largest and longest-running crypto-focused events, the 2022 Consensus festival hosted by CoinDesk, will take place June 9-12, 2022, in Austin, Texas, and is expected to feature all sides of blockchain, crypto, Web3, NFTs and the Metaverse. Consensus aims to create a one-of-a-kind experience on how crypto is remaking the worlds of finance, investing, culture, entertainment, marketing, governance and more. For four days, thousands of attendees will get the opportunity to listen to more than 400 speakers from the industry. There will also be networking events scheduled throughout the festival, allowing more intricate connections to be made amongst guests, speakers and over 250 sponsors. Tickets for the event are still available at https://www.coindesk.com/consensus2022/. The cryptocurrency industry changes constantly, and so do the power players in the market. For example, Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN), a leading cryptocurrency exchange platform in the United States, has made history as the first cryptocurrency company to break into the Fortune 500. Despite the recent struggles to meet analyst expectations, the company achieved significant results in 2021, catapulting it onto the prestigious list at number 437 (https://ibn.fm/siXNC). Although 2021 seemed to be a good year for the crypto industry, the start of 2022 has proven difficult for most of the market. With Bitcoin’s market cap lingering around $1.31 trillion and a devastating crash of the Terra stablecoin – the industry seems to be stuck in a holding pattern, waiting for the next shoe to drop. Even with such a gloomy overcast on the crypto world, not all venture capitalists are using the same wait-and-see philosophy. Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz has closed on its newest crypto fund ($4.5 billion), doubling its previous funding round. The fund highlights the widening interest of the firm’s limited partners in increasing their exposure to crypto startups. The firm has specified that one-third of this massive fund will be specifically earmarked for seed deals exclusively. One area of general interest is the Web3 future – which many are willing to spend the funding for despite recent turbulence in the industry (https://ibn.fm/N5SSf). The Web3 protocol has been in the making and on the radar of venture capitalists for quite a while. Back in the fall of 2021, Chris Dixon, a partner of Andreessen Horowitz, wrote: “We are now at the beginning of the Web3 era, which combines the decentralized, community-governed ethos of Web1 with the advanced, modern functionality of Web2.” The Web3 concept will take the power of the internet out of the hands of the big tech companies and place it back into the hands of the users utilizing blockchain technology (https://ibn.fm/wzsJc). Like cryptocurrency decentralizes finance, the Web3 protocol would decentralize technology – taking the ownership of the internet out of the hands of big companies like Google/Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), and Facebook/Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB), leading to the creation of what proponents describe as an egalitarian internet.

• A key to becoming “irreplaceable” is to communicate clearly, Inc. article suggests
• Nowigence believes the capability to communicate clearly can be found in its high-proprietary, cloud-based knowledge management tool: Pluaris
• Pluaris reads and analyzes information across the internet 24/7, then organizes and optimizes gathered data for storage, analysis, synthesis and retrieval

As companies — and individuals — work to make themselves irreplaceable, an Inc. newsletter notes that communicating clearly is a key skill (https://ibn.fm/0863V). Nowigence’s Inc. (NOWG) Pluaris, a high-proprietary, cloud-based knowledge management tool, makes clear communication easier than ever before. One solution, the article points out, is to distinguish yourself — or your company — from the competition by communicating clearly. “Every job requires clear communication,” the article states. “A carpenter needs to explain clearly to the rest of the team what he’s doing and when he’s doing it. The sales [team] needs to broadcast the company’s unique [selling] points and draw leads to the close. The owner of the business needs to set targets and expectations so that team members know exactly what they have to do and customers know exactly what they’re getting.” The capability to communicate clearly is rooted first in the ability to gather and organize information in an accessible, concise manner and then share that information with key individuals or organizations in a single, accessible platform. When an individual can do that, critical information is received, understood and acted upon, and the conveyors of that information become essential team members. Professional knowledge workers who are responsible for researching, studying and sharing information with others and lifelong learners alike will be thrilled with Nowigence’s Pluaris and its ability to read and analyze information across the internet 24/7. Once this information is gathered, Pluaris then uses exclusive machine learning and natural language processing techniques to analyze the content; transform, link and taxonomize data; and then optimize for storage, analysis, synthesis and retrieval. This complete and thorough process results in information that provides answers, connections, notes and insight. And just as importantly, Pluaris provides a single platform so that all this critical information can be clearly and concisely communicated with others, allowing teams to work collaboratively from anywhere in the world as they discuss problems, identify solutions and make decisions. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Nowigence.com. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Nowigence are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/NOW

• Acquisition of 85,000-square-foot West Virginia manufacturing campus is key milestone in company’s vision to become household name
• Facility checks all boxes company wanted in first design and manufacturing location
• Kronos is focused on designing and manufacturing next-generation wellness consumer electronics products and PPE solutions

A plan started more than two years ago by Kronos Advanced Technologies (OTC: KNOS) is a step closer to fruition today; the company recently announced closed on the acquisition of an 85,000-square-foot West Virginia manufacturing campus that will be retrofitted to produce advanced, proprietary air-purification devices and other wellness products (https://ibn.fm/FQS30). “Nearly two years ago, we set into motion a strategic plan to transform Kronos from a marketing and fulfillment company, positioned within the fragmented market space of air purification, into a globally dominant consumer product design and manufacturing company,” said Kronos COO and CTO Joseph Florence. “Our vision is for Kronos to become a household recognized, customer-centric design and manufacturing company providing products that improve the human condition by enhancing the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the environment we live in. This acquisition is a key foundational milestone in our transformation.” The just-finalized acquisition, which required significant levels of capital and management investment, is essential to Kronos’ detailed, specific transformation plan because the plant checked all the boxes the company desired for its first design and manufacturing campus. The 10-acre location, which for more than two decades produced advanced electronics such as high-density circuit boards for aviation, military, industrial and medical products, includes warehouses and a 62,000-square-foot manufacturing facility with all infrastructure and equipment needed to immediately begin contract assembly. In addition, noted Florence, “the acquired manufacturing campus is located within a day’s drive of one-half of the USA population and one-third of the Canadian market. This demographic represents a significant portion of our future customers. Kronos is confident that this acquisition will enable us to focus on the efficient fulfillment of our current product line, the utilization of our recently acquired equipment to begin offering contract manufacturing services, and the ability to initiate the transition of our conceptual designs into production.” KNOS officials have worked closely with the state of West Virginia and the community of Parkersburg, where the campus is located. Company representatives noted that the job possibilities for the area are enormous, with some 300 new jobs anticipated to open by next month. The company also acknowledged the support of the West Virginia Economic Development Agency (WVEDA) and the city as KNOS has worked to take this next step forward. “This community has a long history of providing a competitive location for manufacturers, and we are proud to now be in the great state of West Virginia,” said Florence. “We are developing the manufacturing workplace of the future—from our development of industry 4.0 next-generation robotic manufacturing processes to our lean and collaborative work environment. We are poised to succeed.” Moving forward, the company is committed to manufacturing completely on American soil. Kronos is focused on next-generation wellness consumer electronics products and PPE solutions. Originally founded in 2002 and funded by the U.S. military to develop electrostatic air movers, KNOS next evolved into the consumer air-purification space, initially focusing on developing, marketing and selling its proprietary air movement and purification technology. Its proprietary technology is now also being implemented in multiple standalone products for businesses, homes and vehicles of all types to move, sterilize and filter air. Kronos Advanced Technologies is exploring broad ranges of additional markets for standalone and embedded Kronos CORE technology-based devices, including schools, universities, healthcare facilities, operating rooms, manufacturing clean rooms, and automobiles and commercial aircraft cabins. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.KronosATI.co. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to KNOS are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/KNOS

• Legislative changes driven by public policy commitment to slashing greenhouse emissions are driving increased demand for renewable natural gas (“RNG”)
• RNG generation avoids toxic emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas with a warming potential 25–34 times greater than Carbon Dioxide
• EverGen, Canada’s established renewable natural gas producer, appears ready to act on this rising market opportunity in Canada and beyond; responds with plans to consolidate projects, enter merger, and acquisition transactions, and grow core portfolio projects

“We set up EverGen to execute on space that has a tremendous amount of tailwind”, are the words Chase Edgelow, co-founder and CEO of EverGen Infrastructure (TSX.V: EVGN) (OTCQB: EVGIF), an independent renewable energy producer, used in a recent interview with Proactive — one of the world’s fastest-growing financial media portals — to describe how the company is positioned within the current renewable energy marketplace. “From the organics management side, municipalities are increasingly looking to decarbonize. One of the biggest ways they can do that is by ensuring that minimal organics are going to landfills and no methane is going into the atmosphere. Those are the types of services that we provide on the front end and then green energy on the back end”, he continued, presenting details of the company’s 2021 financial results and plans for the future. As concerns about the climate threat grow, countries around the world take urgent climate action to combat climate change and decarbonize the economy. Leading up to COP26 — the most recent annual UN climate change conference – 64 countries worldwide have pledged or legislated their commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse emissions in the coming years. As the global push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has gained momentum, so did RNG — a waste-derived fuel used to power homes, businesses, and vehicles and one of the promising decarbonization technologies which prevents methane from polluting the air. Instead of allowing this greenhouse gas with a warming potential 25–34 times greater than Carbon Dioxide to enter the atmosphere, RNG technology turns it into a usable energy source (https://ibn.fm/DRgHI). EverGen produces RNG by solving two problems at once. Not only does it offer an organic waste management solution, but it also transforms this waste — which is one of the biggest methane culprits – into a non-fossil fuel form of natural gas. The World Biogas Association estimates that organic waste from food waste, food production, farming, landfill, and wastewater treatment creates around 25% of human-caused global emissions of methane (https://ibn.fm/UCByL). The Canadian government has demonstrated a strong commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 by enacting The Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, heightening the industry’s interest in RNG. Following the public policy’s lead, commercial entities also take resolute action. For example, the country’s natural gas utilities have set an ambitious target of 5% RNG blended into natural gas streams by 2025 and 10% by 2030. To seize this rising market opportunity and continue to participate in the growth and consolidation of the RNG industry, EverGen entered a letter of intent with Grow the Energy Circle Ltd. to acquire a 67% interest in a biogas facility in Alberta. The company will work with GrowTEC to develop and expand the RNG output at the facility, which is considered a cornerstone asset in a strategic jurisdiction for the Canadian RNG producer. According to the company, this move is one of many to follow. “For us, it’s about consolidating projects, announcing merger and acquisition transactions, and growing our core portfolio projects to six and beyond. We have portfolio projects across Canada, allowing us to leverage our operational expertise from one side of the country to the other and bring projects that had been sitting on the fifty-yard line to the hundred-yard line — getting them into production and into producing green energy for the utilities, and giving Canadians real options for energy diversification”, concluded Edgelow in the interview, unveiling strategy for the company’s expansion in times to come. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.EvergenInfra.com. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to EVGIF are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/EVGIF

• Lexaria is a biotechnology company focused on licensing its proprietary DehydraTECH(TM) technology
• The DehydraTECH technology has been proven to increase the bioavailability, speed of onset and brain absorption of APIs, and improve customer experiences by masking unwanted tastes
• Lexaria has 25 patents granted worldwide and is pursuing numerous other pending patent applications
• The company operates several subsidiary companies to focus on different commercial opportunities

Ever since acquiring its first intellectual property (“IP”) that subsequently formed the basis of its first two patent application filings in 2014, biotechnology company Lexaria Bioscience (NASDAQ: LEXX) has grown the number of patents granted and patent applications exponentially, with 25 patents granted worldwide as of April 2022. The latest patent, the 10th granted in the United States, represents the first-ever patent for the use of DehydraTECH(TM) drug delivery technology in the enhanced delivery of antiviral drugs. Described by CEO Chris Bunka as “another validation of the versatility of our DehydraTECH drug technology,” the award of the IP protection marks a key step toward the ultimate monetization of DehydraTECH, according to an April 21 news release (https://ibn.fm/bzEzf). This monetization, Lexaria’s annual report (Form 10-K filing) for the fiscal year ended August 2021 notes (https://ibn.fm/e1wLG), will be realized through the company’s focus on R&D and subsequent strategic partnerships with licensees. “Lexaria’s formulation and process-oriented operations are primarily conducted in its own laboratory and validated through third-party testing in preparation for partnering with industry leaders for adoption into their consumer products and/or drugs. Other than for R&D purposes, Lexaria does not produce, manufacture, market, or distribute drugs,” the filing reads. “Our business plan is currently focused on the development of strategic partnerships with licensees for our patented DehydraTECH technology in exchange for upfront and/or staged licensing fees and/or royalty payments over time.” This focus has been influenced by numerous learnings through the years, some of which have involved experimentation with consumer product development that included brewed tea, coffee, protein bars, candies, drink mixes and several other product types. Discoveries made through innovative formulation work drives Lexaria’s technology and licensing strategies. According to the company’s most recent quarterly report for the three months ended February 28, 2022 (https://ibn.fm/Wd7Cw), Lexaria operates wholly owned subsidiaries focused on commercial opportunities which include –Lexaria Hemp Corp. focused on primarily US-based business-to-business (“B2B”) CBD opportunities;  Lexaria Pharmaceutical Corp., focused on registered drug development and advancement;  – and Lexaria Nicotine LLC., owned 16.67% by giant tobacco company Altria, which is focused on oral nicotine development as an alternative to combusted or vaped nicotine (https://ibn.fm/vOB7q). Lexaria Pharmaceutical Corp. is investigating the potential for new registered drug products for hypertension, anti-viral treatments, epilepsy, some pharmaceutical applications of nicotine and other drug classes. This is where the largest long-term value creators for the Company are developed. Lexaria CanPharm Corp. operates a state-of-the-art Health Canada-licensed laboratory capable of developing novel cannabinoid and many other types of formulations for potential commercialization. Much of Lexaria’s most secret development work is carried out in that laboratory by trusted scientists employed by the Company. These subsidiaries sublicense DehydraTECH in their respective business sectors for the delivery of fat-soluble molecules and drugs to other companies which is Lexaria’s central plan to generate highly profitable revenue streams over long periods. Additionally, Lexaria will continue pursuing its pending patent applications to further bolster shareholder value. In addition, the company “will continue to seek beneficial acquisitions of intellectual property” if and when it believes it is advisable to do so. Lexaria is a drug delivery company focused on developing and licensing its proprietary DehydraTECH technology for improved delivery and rapidity of bioactive compounds in orally delivered and topical products, as well as enhanced customer experiences by masking unwanted tastes. The DehydraTECH technology has been proven to enhance the bioavailability of a broad range of fat-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (“APIs”), thereby improving the way they enter the bloodstream, lowering dosing, and facilitating healthier oral ingestion methods. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LexariaBioscience.com. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to LEXX are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/LEXX

New York’s recreational and medical marijuana market is poised for historical growth amid rising public and political support for increased cultivation in the tri-state area. The Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition (“CWCBExpo”), set to take place at New York City’s Javits Convention Center, Hall 3A on June 2-4, 2022, is the ideal forum for exploring industry best practices, business building and networking within this dynamic sector industry. In September 2021, adult New Yorkers could legally possess up to three ounces of cannabis for recreational use or up to 24 grams of concentrated cannabis in certain products such as oils. With the recent passing of a federal bill to legalize marijuana in the House of Representatives, combined with the New York administration’s approval of 36 new recreational cannabis cultivation licenses and as the first state to allow licensed hemp cultivators to grow adult-use marijuana, industry operations are forecast to see explosive revenue growth within the first year (https://ibn.fm/IH6qp). The CWCBExpo, with a reputation for excellence as the leading forum in the cannabis, CBD, hemp and allied sectors, is favored throughout the ecosystem by dispensary owners, cultivators, manufacturers, investors, medical professionals, government regulators, attorneys, and entrepreneurs, is well-positioned as the ideal starting point to gain a foothold in New York’s fast-growing sector. The conference will host a series of roundtables, keynote addresses, and exciting conversations in a ‘talk show’ format with the top industry thought leaders. The thought leadership series will be segmented across each day and include ‘Investing and Industry Progress,’ ‘Policy and Legislation,’ and ‘Cannabis and Lifestyle,’ and address opportunities and challenges within the ecosystem. The sessions detail both the local landscape as well as the national outlook. The full conference agenda can be found at: https://cwcbexpo.com/conference-highlights/ In addition to the wide array of expert speakers and leading business people, the summit will host hundreds of exhibitors who will showcase cutting-edge product innovations and the latest services. The event shall also host a Networking Mixer on Thursday, June 2, from 5 – 7 pm, sponsored by Weedmaps, so that attendees can network, or relax ahead of the rest of the conference. On Friday, June 3, from 6 – 10 pm, CWCBExpo will host the Industry Yacht Party, where attendees can eat, drink and dance with their peers while taking in the majestic New York City skyline. This is a premier networking and deal-making opportunity. The Networking Mixer and Industry Yacht Party require separate tickets and are open only to registered CWCBExpo attendees. Get your tickets now at the best price! For further information on the CWCBExpo and to register, visit https://cwcbexpo.com/

• In December, Golden Matrix Group entered the B2C gaming market with the acquisition of the majority of U.K.-based skilled gaming company RKingsCompetitions Ltd.
• This month, GMGI launched an upgraded version of the platform, which gives contestants the opportunity to win cars, electronics, tools, and more
• The combination of GMGI’s B2B operations and new mix of B2C is lending to a surge in revenue and profits, reaching $8.9 million and $349,379, respectively in Q1. Q2 represents first full quarter of RKings in the financials

Gaming developer and licensor Golden Matrix Group (NASDAQ: GMGI) is a well-known and respected business-to-business (“B2B”) brand throughout the Asia Pacific region, delivering high-end white label online gaming solutions to operators. In December, the Las Vegas-based company made its foray into the business-to-consumer (“B2C”) marketplace, giving it greater exposure to a global gaming market that Naavik with BITKRAFT Ventures estimate at $336 billion. The entrance into B2C was made through Golden Matrix acquiring an 80% stake in RKingsCompetitions Ltd., a United Kingdom-based company and leading operator of online skill-based competitions throughout the U.K. and Ireland. Prizes for RKings’ competitions include new performance cars like Audis, Mercedes, and Range Rovers, as well as upscale watches (Tag Heuer for instance), electronics, furniture, tools, and much more. Golden Matrix, which holds rights to acquire the other 20% of RKings, onboarded a sizeable amount of revenue with the investment. RKings generated about $29 million in revenue and $2.4 million in net income during fiscal 2021 (ended October 31, 2021). Less than six months into its ownership, Golden Matrix gave RKings a robust upgrade, launching the tournament platform with added features and functionality earlier this month. Expectations are that the new platform will increase both the monthly number of skill tournaments and participants, thus generating even stronger revenue and profit from RKings’ prize competition business. At the end of 2021, RKings had total active clients of more than 25,000 per month. “This significant upgrade to the RKings platform will accelerate the growth of our B2C businesses, offering added functionality and features and also allowing us to expand into new geographic regions and strengthen our global footprint,” said Golden Matrix CEO Brian Goodman. “We believe the GMGI/RKings product offerings will be received enthusiastically by players in all regulated markets where we are licensed. At a time when global economic growth is being challenged, we are fortunate to have a scalable business model that has already demonstrated consistent profitability,” he concluded. Running “skill-based” contests, as compared to those of chance or luck, are different in the eyes of regulators, with those of skill typically providing easier expansion opportunities (especially as they pertain to the United States). Golden Matrix already has Mexico clearly in its sights for as its next new market. A permit application has been submitted to Mexican authorities and the company is poised to go live with the RKings platform soon after approval is received. In its recent press release on the RKings upgrade, Golden Matrix noted that the expansion into B2C has made an immediate impact on the top and bottom lines in the first half of fiscal 2022 (ended April 30, 2022). To that point, investors will be on the lookout for the latest quarterly report to provide a deeper dive into the effect of the acquisition. During Q1 fiscal 2022 (ended January 31, 2022), Golden Matrix posted revenue of $8.9 million, up 355% from the year prior quarter, while profits increased 570% to $349,379. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.GoldenMatrix.com. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to GMGI are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/GMGI

• LQwD released its platform as a service offering in November 2021, also releasing its first node on the Lightning Network – US-West
• Since then, nine additional nodes have been released worldwide: Ireland, India, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Singapore, Sweeden, England, and France – with more likely to follow
• Despite volatility in Bitcoin, the Lightning Network continues to grow, with most recent reports indicating that the Network’s capacity is over 3,539 BTC
• Users can send payments quickly and with lower fees when utilizing the Lightning Network and PaaS solutions like LQwD

One of the most dependable characteristics of the cryptocurrency market is its volatility. Despite seeing an all-time high in November 2021, the current cryptocurrency market cap has lingered in the US $1.24 to US $1.31 trillion range struggling to break beyond this limited barrier. On May 24, 2022, the closing price of Bitcoin again fell below US $30,000 – dropping more than 3% in 24 hours. “The crypto market struggled to stay in the green as sellers dominated the market to open the week. Tether has paid $10 billion in withdrawals since the crypto market, which indicates large-scale liquidations across the crypto market by the investors to recalibrate their portfolio,” BuyUcoin CEO Shivam Thakral stated (https://ibn.fm/CJmAp). “The crypto market is expected to stay in a bear phase for some time, and most the investors will stay in a wait and watch mode.” Not all companies are in the “watch and wait” mode when it comes to Bitcoin or the Lightning Network. LQwD FinTech (TSX.V: LQWD) (OTCQB: LQWDF), a financial technology company focused on creating enterprise-grade infrastructure to drive bitcoin adoption, is still leveraging the Lightning Network with its platform as a service (“PaaS”). LQwD launched its PaaS offering lqwd.tech in November 2021, the same time it launched its first node on the Lightning Network in the United States. Since then, LQwD has strategically launched nine additional nodes worldwide in Ireland, India, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Singapore, Sweden, England, and France. The Lightning Network is a layer 2 payment protocol layered on the blockchain of the native cryptocurrency it facilitates – in this instance, Bitcoin. The Lightning Network comprises nodes that are connected via various channels. These channels are created when Bitcoin is used as collateral for the payment transfers. The eventual goal is to create a connected network that gets payments from the point of origin to the end user in as few “jumps” as possible. The benefits of using the Lightning Network include lower fees and faster transaction settlement times. The Bitcoin blockchain does not have the capacity to facilitate thousands of payments at one time, making the scaling of the Lightning Network even more important as acceptance of cryptocurrency rises. The Bitcoin Lightning Network continues to grow, despite the volatility of the actual market. As of the most recent reports (March 2022), the capacity of the Lightning Network currently exceeds 3,539 BTC. This means that anyone looking to send a payment of less than the capacity can be facilitated using the Lightning Network – as more nodes and channels are created, the capacity will only increase. The current estimate is that the Network will continue to grow by over 30% annualized. To follow the Lightning Network, visit the Lightning Network Search and Analysis Engine at https://1ml.com/. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LQwDFinTech.com. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to LQWDF are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/LQWDF

• Bitcoin has seen an overall decrease of 57% since November 2021 (an all-time high) and a YTD decrease of 37%
• Investor Mark Cuban tweeted that he believes cryptocurrency is in a lull period, much like the early internet, and expects the industry to bounce back – especially for those utilizing smart contracts for business productivity and profitability
• Political and economically driven, green energy initiatives for mining Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are rising – companies like Canaan Inc. have already begun implementing the necessary changes to strive for carbon-free emissions
• With blockchain fees high, Robinhood has created a new Web 3.0 wallet, which it plans to have available by the end of 2022 to customers, specifically designed to absolve the fees, making it a free wallet to use – one of the first of its kind

Despite reaching an all-time high in November 2021, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have seen major shifts in value almost daily in recent weeks. According to analysts and market experts, there is a long way to go before recovery from the current crash starts. “While BTC’s price indicates that we’ve still got a long way to go before a rally or an early recovery, data from glassnode showed that addresses with at least 0.01 BTC passed the 10 million mark for the first time. While we already know that institutions made large BTC bets last year, this metric indicates that retail investors are continuing to remain bullish about the digital asset,” said Darshan Bathija, CEO and co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange Vauld (https://ibn.fm/VPsFv). Other industry investors believe that cryptocurrency is just experiencing a ‘lull’ and will bounce back bigger and better than ever. Bitcoin has seen a decrease of 37% YTD (57% over the highest reported value in 2021), but investor Mark Cuban tweeted, “Crypto is going through the lull that the internet went through. After the initial surge of exciting apps, NFTs, DeFi, P2E, we saw the imitation phase as chains subsidized the movement of those apps to their chains (ala bandwidth and storage subsidies by startups in the 2000s).” Cuban also believes that the investors who choose smart contracts to improve business productivity and profitability will be those that win big (https://ibn.fm/NLaPj). A smart direction cryptocurrency investors could be heading in is the implementation of clean energy initiatives in the mining sector, with more companies focused on this green approach as a result of political, social and economic pressures to reduce the carbon footprint of crypto mining. Companies such as Canaan Inc. (NASDAQ: CAN), a developer of supercomputing chips and digital blockchain equipment, are answering the call, making it ever clearer that the future of Bitcoin is linked to green energy. Based in China, Canaan is world-renowned for the invention of the first ever application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”)-powered Bitcoin mining machine in 2013, which was one of the catalysts of the mining sector’s subsequent growth. As part of its commitment to lowering energy requirements for mining, the company released the world’s first 7nm ASIC chip in 2018, thus offering energy-efficient computing technology to the industry. Canaan remains dedicated to expanding its suite of advanced technologies to further lower cryptocurrency mining energy needs and propel the industry toward sustained growth. Another technological advancement that can help drive industry growth and serve as a boon for investors relates to changes in blockchain infrastructure designed to enable faster, more affordable transactions and ultimately attract a higher number of users. From Bitcoin’s Lightning Network to Robinhood’s new Web 3.0 wallet with no fees, the blockchain infrastructure is constantly changing. The basic blockchain transaction is slow and costly, which has required new technology overlays to both speed up and make the process more inexpensive, especially as the acceptance of cryptocurrency as payment becomes more common. “At Robinhood, we believe that crypto is more than just an asset class. Our web3 wallet will make it easier for everyone to hold their own keys and experience all the opportunities that the open financial system has to offer,” Robinhood CEO and co-founder Vlad Tenev stated, discussing his company’s new endeavor (https://ibn.fm/IKQ5T). The company has not disclosed which blockchains the wallet will be compatible with but plans to have it operational and available to customers by the end of 2022. Given the projected growth of the crypto mining hardware market, from $1.49 billion in 2020 to an estimated $2.58 billion by 2028 (https://ibn.fm/hkNqI), as well as the impressive growth technologies such as the Lightning Network have seen in recent months (https://ibn.fm/mOzLC), it is safe to conclude that technological innovation remains one of the key drivers of the cryptocurrency market in general, and an essential driving force for the industry’s expected comeback and future expansion. For additional information on Canaan Inc., visit https://ibn.fm/Vuw0b.

• Recent study indicates psychedelic compounds show significant promise in treating a range of mental-health disorders
• Participants given psilocybin therapy reported a rapid, sustained improvement in their depression
• Cybin’s CYB003 has demonstrated less variability, faster onset, shorter duration and better brain penetration than oral psilocybin

A new study sponsored by Imperial College London reports that psychedelic compounds may be effective in treating mental-health disorders (https://ibn.fm/xSdZv). The study supports efforts made by Cybin (NEO: CYBN) (NYSE American: CYBN), which is focused on progressing psychedelics to therapeutics by engineering proprietary drug-discovery platforms, innovative drug-delivery systems, novel formulation approaches and treatment regimens for mental-health disorders. “Psychedelic compounds like LSD, Ecstasy and psilocybin mushrooms have shown significant promise in treating a range of mental-health disorders, with participants in clinical studies often describing tremendous progress taming the demons of post-traumatic stress disorder, or finding unexpected calm and clarity as they face a terminal illness,” states a recent New York Times article reporting on the study. “But exactly how psychedelics might therapeutically rewire the mind remains an enigma.” The article notes that a group of neuroscientists wondered if advanced neuroimaging technology studying the brain might provide answers. They conducted a study with 43 participants suffering from severe depression. During the study, participants were given either psilocybin, which is the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, or a conventional antidepressant; the participants were not told which one they received. As part of the study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) took two snapshots of brain activity for each participant; the images were taken the day before receiving the first dose and then approximately three weeks after the final dosage was administered. “What they found, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, was illuminating, both figuratively and literally,” the New York Times reports. “Over the course of three weeks, participants who had been given the antidepressant escitalopram reported mild improvement in their symptoms, and the scans continued to suggest the stubborn, telltale signs of a mind hobbled by major depressive disorder. Neural activity was constrained within certain regions of the brain, a reflection of the rigid thought patterns that can trap those with depression in a negative feedback loop of pessimism and despair.” The article continues, “By contrast, the participants given psilocybin therapy reported a rapid and sustained improvement in their depression, and the scans showed flourishes of neural activity across large swaths of the brain that persisted for the three weeks. That heightened connectivity, they said, resembled the cognitive agility of a healthy brain that, for example, can toggle between a morning bout of melancholia, a stressful day at work and an evening of unencumbered revelry with friends. Although the authors acknowledged the limitations of the study, including its small size and short time frame, they said psilocybin appeared to have a ‘liberating’ effect on the brains of people with severe depression.” It is precisely these types of results that fuel Cybin’s ongoing focus on developing psilocybin for undertreated mental-health disorders. Currently, Cybin’s proprietary biopharmaceutial version of psilocybin — CYB003 — has demonstrated less variability, faster onset, shorter duration and better brain penetration than oral psilocybin. The proprietary deuterated psilocybin analog is the focus of the company’s upcoming phase 1/2a clinical trial. CYB003 will be the first psilocybin analog to be evaluated in phase 1/2a development for the treatment of major depressive disorder (https://ibn.fm/G0RUS). Cybin is a leading ethical biopharmaceutical company, working with a network of world-class partners and internationally recognized scientists, on a mission to create safe and effective therapeutics for patients to address a multitude of mental-health issues. Headquartered in Canada and founded in 2019, Cybin is operational in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Cybin.com. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to CYBN are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CYBN