• GreenBox is adding strategic partners, customers and employees to prepare for growth
• New applications for GRBX services have already exceeded 2019 goal of $1 billion in annual processing volume
• The company’s proprietary blockchain technology allows processing of secure, real-time cashless transactions
• Earlier this year, GRBX acquired Sky Mids Technologies, boosting its volume and growth capacity

GreenBox POS, LLC (OTC: GRBX) is gearing up for a banner year in 2019, when the company expects to reach its goal of $1 billion in annual payment processing volume. GRBX is aggressively adding strategic partners, growing its customer base and boosting employee headcount in preparation for record growth on the horizon.

“GreenBox will continue to add to its roster of strategic partners in order to achieve the processing bandwidth it needs to support the business of its growing customer base,” Ben Errez, executive vice president of GRBX, stated in a press release. “We have new applications for our services in a total amount that far exceeds our 2019 goal of $1 billion in annual processing volume. As such, we need to grow our bandwidth accordingly.”

The company recently announced that it had initiated a new banking relationship, as well as on-boarding and processing accounts volume of more than $50 million annually. GRBX has the option to boost the processing volume for these accounts alone to $100 million by the second quarter of 2019. GreenBox is also recruiting for careers at all levels in anticipation of the rapid processing volume growth (http://ibn.fm/1giyp).

The company’s rapid growth is driven by market adoption of its proprietary technology, which has GRBX well positioned in multiple rapid growth sectors, including the global payments industry, which is forecast to record revenues of $2.2 trillion as soon as 2020; the financial technology industry, estimated to grow at nearly 55 percent CAGR through 2020; and the global point-of-sale terminals market, which is projected to hit a value of $116 billion by 2025 (http://ibn.fm/R5z9l).

Advanced blockchain technology allows GreenBox to securely process cashless transactions in real-time for all kinds of businesses. Merchants receive payment the moment a transaction occurs. The company’s payment processing solutions provide a highly customizable, end-to-end payment network designed to lower transaction costs, reduce fraud and provide stronger compliance with government regulations. For consumers, the company’s QuickCard e-wallet is a mobile app powered by blockchain technology that allows quick, easy and secure cashless payments.

GreenBox’s TrustGateway technology has proven highly effective in preventing fraud for transactions processed on the company’s payment platform. Because it owns the blockchain payment system in its entirety, GRBX has a competitive advantage in fraud prevention. There have been no successful penetrations of the GreenBox platform’s defensive walls to date, and none of the company’s customers lost money or been otherwise harmed through secure transactions across the GRBX platform.

The acquisition earlier this year of Sky Mids Technologies is a significant factor in the company’s capacity for rapid growth. GRBX absorbed the Sky engineering team, technology and book of transactional business. “Following the Sky acquisition, we will be able to accelerate the pace by which the thousands of new business applications are processed, and the best selected to join our ecosystem and enjoy the benefits of our technology,” Errez noted in a news release (http://ibn.fm/WftDQ).

GreenBox POS uses the company’s proprietary technology to build customized payment solutions for a multitude of industries. GRBX has developed the fastest and safest way to send and process money using blockchain technology and has been awarded five provisional patents. The company develops the following main products: POS (point of sale software and hardware solutions); DEL (delivery app, APIs to POS and PAY); PAY (payment app, providing financial APIs to all other components); and KIOSK (deposit, cash and E-wallet management). GreenBox POS is based in San Diego with offices in Seattle, Las Vegas, and Vancouver, British Columbia.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.GreenBoxPOS.com

• Supply shortfalls bedevil California cannabis
• NUGS on the lookout for grow facilities with existing infrastructure
• Cultivation capability expected to complement retail and distribution divisions

The decision by enterprising California outfit Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (OTC: NUGS) to enter the cannabis cultivation space could not have come at a better time (http://ibn.fm/dllEt). Supply in California is struggling to satisfy demand, resulting in a shortage of compliant product statewide. Even though the supply bottleneck is not entirely unexpected given the size of California’s market, which is projected to cross the $5 billion mark by 2019, it has been aggravated by new, tighter regulations that, very likely, resulted in the recall and destruction of product already on the market. As a result, additions to supply like those being planned by NUGS will be welcomed by consumers, who have been beset not only by product shortages, but also by limited choice and high prices (http://ibn.fm/Q3vZP).

Cannabis Strategic Ventures has already embarked on pre-acquisition due diligence for prospective cultivation properties located in states that have legalized cannabis. The company has identified several cannabis grow facilities in California and has begun analyzing these for possible acquisition. It is targeting several locations with areas exceeding 200,000 square feet that have existing cultivation infrastructure in place, since it wants to move into cultivation very quickly. NUGS believes that an involvement in cultivation will allow it to realize synergies that will reduce costs and augment the benefits offered by its retail brands. The acquisition of grow facilities will strengthen the strategy of vertical integration and diversification. NUGS plans to operate in the cannabis HR space, leveraging the institutional expertise of the Worldwide Staffing Group, which it is in talks to acquire. The cannabis staffing services will be under the aegis of subsidiary BudHire.

Through another subsidiary – Pure Applied Sciences (PAS) – NUGS markets the PureOrganix brand. This is a line of high quality concentrate, organic and pure cannabis oils that conform to Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and meet FDA guidelines for Active Pharmaceuticals Ingredients (API). PAS has started production of Halo Filters, a patent pending, cannabis smoke filtration pre-roll cone. The Halo Filters line is based on an internally developed filtering technology that utilizes ultra-high quality fibers and proprietary manufacturing methodologies. Halo Filters reduce the harsh taste in cannabis smoke, as well as the levels of harmful chemicals, heavy metals and other toxins, while maintaining optimum taste and cannabinoid levels. Cannabis smoke can contain up to eight times the cyanide, three times the ammonia and two times the nitrous oxide of tobacco smoke.

NUGS has also cut an agreement to acquire the Fitamins CBD brand (http://ibn.fm/QgeZO). Products under the brand consist of vitamin- and hemp-derived CBD formulations, which will be distributed through Fitamins’ network of 600+ wholesalers catering to the Asian-American market. The agreement between the companies calls for Fitamins to produce a proprietary CBD product as part of NUGS’ brand portfolio, initially targeting United States distribution networks and eventually expanding into Asian markets that have legalized CBD products.

NUGS has now completed the acquisition of The Asher House Pet CBD brand, a line of U.S. hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) supplements for pets that has been garnering national attention. Increased market share and revenues are expected as NUGS provides the infrastructure to support enhanced marketing programs. With a finger in so many cannabis pies, NUGS is sure to find some that are good to the taste.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.CannabisStrategic.com

• BriaCell is on its way to developing a personalized, off-the-shelf immunotherapy for advanced breast cancer patients
• Because of the market gap and the demand for such treatments, the development and release of the product could be fast tracked
• BriaCell has obtained excellent results in clinical trials so far as Bria-IMT demonstrates the ability to shrink tumors at multiple sites in patients with advanced breast cancer

BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (OTCQB: BCTXF) (TSX.V: BCT) is developing the first personalized, off-the-shelf advanced breast cancer immunotherapy option using its proprietary targeted immunotherapy technology, company president and CEO Dr. Bill Williams said in a recent interview with Stock Day’s Everett Jolly (http://ibn.fm/EvrXz).

The biotechnology company focuses its efforts on immuno-oncology and is known for its proprietary targeted immunotherapy technology, which makes it possible to offer off-the-shelf personalized treatments for advanced breast cancer patients. According to Williams, the off-the-shelf personalized treatment that BriaCell is developing will be similar to other forms of personalized immunotherapy that are time consuming and costly to produce due to a complex manufacturing process.

Immunotherapy is on the forefront of the battle against cancer. BriaCell is putting all of its effort and resources into the development of treatment options that are highly effective and safe at the same time, Williams explained.

Currently, BriaCell Therapeutics has two major programs – Bria-IMT and Bria-OTS. Bria-IMT is currently in the clinic, while Bria-OTS is in the process of development, Williams said. Previous clinical testing of Bria-IMT has returned promising results. In a clinical trial for the treatment of advanced breast cancer, Bria-IMT contributed to tumor shrinkage in multiple sites (in patients with metastases). Through additional patient testing, the original observations were confirmed.

The company is in Phase 2a clinical testing of its Bria-IMT in combination with pembrolizumab [KEYTRUDA®; manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK)]. The combination study is listed on ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03328026.

Bria-OTS is being developed on the basis of results obtained in the Bria-IMT clinical trials. Through its development, BriaCell Therapeutics will be genetically engineering immunotherapy cell lines which will induce specific immune responses against the cancer. The aim of such therapies is to target breast cancer tumors and induce an immune response in a way that’s personalized to the patient, Williams said. Such tailoring is possible through the use of an HLA allele matching system.

According to Williams, BriaCell plans to communicate with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the design of a pivotal Bria-IMT registration trial in 2019. Following the completion of this step, BriaCell plans to start a registration study in 2020. The final Bria-IMT approval is expected by 2023. The personalized, off-the-shelf version of this therapy (Bria-OTS) is approximately two years behind in schedule in comparison to Bria-IMT.

Patients with advanced breast cancer have an unmet need at the moment, Williams noted. Because of the significant demand, the company’s immunotherapies may qualify for accelerated FDA review.

While other immunotherapies are currently available on the market, some patients have seen a poor response and others have experienced serious side effects. Through the use of targeted therapies like the ones developed by BriaCell, the immune response is generated in a specific way to target solely cancerous cells. Healthy tissue is unaffected, which contributes to the excellent tolerance demonstrated in the clinical trials.

According to Williams, numerous pharmaceutical companies are interested in BriaCell’s developments, and they’re simply waiting for more clinical data. “We have that data now and are just trying to put it into a format that we can share with people who are very scientifically advanced. We should be coming back to them within the next couple of months, hopefully generating some additional excitement,” he said.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.BriaCell.com

• For three months ended August 31, 2018, core investor relations and subscription sales generated $497,560, or 70 percent of CIIX’s $712,360 total revenue
• Warren Wang, CEO of CIIX, eyes greater FY2019 distribution of industrial hemp-based CBD products, both domestically and in China, for CBD Biotech enterprise
• SeeThruEquity, LLC, in update, sees CIIX as having upside potential if it can achieve renewed traction on investor relations and execute on cannabis and cryptocurrency strategies

ChineseInvestors.com, Inc.’s (OTCQB: CIIX) core businesses of investor relations and subscriptions drove 70 percent of its 1Q19 revenues, the company reported. It also had 70 percent higher YOY sales for its first quarter (http://ibn.fm/niMS4). At the same time, CIIX sees CBD Biotech, its wholly-owned foreign enterprise, delivering higher CBD product distribution in FY2019, both domestically and in China. It also reported an 800 percent increase in product sales led by ChineseHempOil.com, Inc. in 1Q19.

The CBD division, which includes CBD Biotech, Hemp Logic, Inc. and ChineseHempOil.com, Inc. (http://ibn.fm/fQa2J), is expected to deliver greater CBD product distribution due to larger marketing resources supplied by the company and an improved business, regulatory and political landscape in China, the company said. Prior, CIIX had also detailed plans to spin off its CBD division in the future.

CIIX presented at the National Investment Banking Association (NIBA) investment conference held at the Crowne Plaza Times Square hotel in New York City on October 31-November 1. It discussed its first quarter 2019 performance.

Wang of CIIX says that the company recorded sales of $2.35 million for FY2018, the 12 months ended May 31, 2018, up 41 percent compared to the prior year (http://ibn.fm/nO4Hd).

“CBD hemp sales in China continue to be the foundation of our focus. Our subscription services will continue to provide a steady revenue stream along with the new educational services covering the cryptocurrency market.” Wang said in a news release. “With increased marketing resources devoted to our industrial hemp-based CBD products, we anticipate a productive fiscal year 2019.”

CIIX in 1Q19 reported a YOY increase of $90,000 from its subscription revenues. Investor relations and subscriptions represent its business roots. CIIX is a diverse company with an international audience of Chinese-speaking investors. It is active in cryptocurrency education and the cannabis industry.

In an update, SeeThruEquity, LLC projected that CIIX is an investment opportunity with upside potential, if the company can provide renewed traction in its high margin investor relations services business and execute on its initiatives in both cannabis and cryptocurrency (http://ibn.fm/6P9rL).

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ChineseInvestors.com

• Radioactivity detected in cobalt supplies from Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Cobalt demand set to rise as EV production continues upward trajectory
• First Cobalt’s Idaho Iron Creek Project reports encouraging estimates

The decision by First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) (ASX: FCC) to shed its cobalt assets in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and focus on North America is looking increasing prescient. Cobalt operations in the Congo, already tainted by reports of human rights violations, have become even more toxic after traces of radioactivity were detected in claims being mined by Anglo-Swiss miner Glencore (OTC: GLNCY). Apparently, the level of uranium (http://ibn.fm/DykLB) present in the cobalt hydroxide produced by Glencore subsidiary Katanga Mining exceeds “the acceptable limit allowed for export of the product through main African ports to customers.”

As a result, Katanga announced that it had halted “cobalt exports from its Kamoto Project in Democratic Republic of Congo, while it builds a facility to remove uranium.” In Idaho, at its Iron Creek Project, First Cobalt is on safer ground. Instead of uranium, the cobalt being explored there is more likely to be associated with copper, harmful only if you ingest too much of it.

First Cobalt’s Iron Creek Project is located close to the U.S. automotive industries in California and Michigan, which means that it could play a major role in the cobalt supply chain as electric vehicle output rises. Global sales of electric vehicles are projected to grow at a CAGR of 32.57 percent, from 1.50 million units in 2018 to 10.79 million units by 2025, driven by a number of factors. These include worldwide government support in the form of subsidies, grants and tax rebates; charging facilities with improved capability; the increasing range of EVs; and a general reduction in battery costs. The U.S. currently commands a mere two percent of the global market, but its share is expected to rise to 14 percent by 2025.

Cobalt’s importance stems from its employment in battery technology. The metal is used as cathode material in many lithium battery technologies. It comprises about 10 percent of lithium-nickel-cobalt-aluminum-oxide (NCA) batteries, 15 percent of lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt-oxide batteries (NMC) and 55 percent of lithium-cobalt-oxide batteris (LCO), according to Statista (http://ibn.fm/LU3kD).

In October 2018, First Cobalt Corp released the results of its first NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate for the 100 percent-owned Iron Creek Cobalt Project in Idaho. The company announced Inferred Mineral Resources of 29.6 million tons (26.9 million tonnes) grading 0.11 percent cobalt equivalent, under a base case scenario, and an alternative underground-only scenario indicating 4.9 million tons (4.4 million tonnes) grading 0.30 percent cobalt equivalent (http://ibn.fm/UNaYY).

The company has now accelerated exploration activity intended to explore extensions to the east, west and at depth of the known resource with two additional drill rigs (http://ibn.fm/XHqGM). A total of 81 holes and over 29,000 meters are planned, primarily from new surface drilling stations constructed earlier this year. Drilling will test down dip extensions of known cobalt-copper zones to over 300 meters below surface and test lateral strike over one kilometer to extend mineralization beyond the current 520 meters.

First Cobalt Corp., with headquarters in Canada, is a North American pure-play cobalt company with three significant assets: the Iron Creek Project in Idaho, which has a historic mineral resource estimate (non-compliant with NI 43-101) of 1.3 million tons grading 0.59 percent cobalt; the Canadian Cobalt Camp, with more than 50 past producing mines; and the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery materials.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://ibn.fm/FTSSF

• Offering women affordable, discreet and anonymous testing for sexually transmitted infections
• Formulating a full spectrum CBD beverage focused on immunity with possible benefits to cancer treatment
• Providing a unique product line for optimal relaxation, enhanced focus and assistance with nicotine reduction therapy

Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTCQB: ETST) is a biotech company developing and marketing health-oriented CBD products and continually expanding its product line to positively change individual lives. The company is doing this through the creation of products like its Hygee medical devices, a CBD beverage and KannaBidoiD products.

Hygee medical devices provide women access to cost-effective testing while protecting their privacy. This self-sampling kit allows woman to discreetly test for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Similar to a feminine hygiene panty liner, the device is worn for four hours to collect a cervical cell sample. Once collected, the sample is then mailed to the Procrea Fertility lab where it is tested for STIs. This is a positive step forward for women who lack easy access to health care and desire an anonymous, discreet means of testing. The device has already been proven successful in detecting chlamydia and is being tested for similar results for gonorrhea. In the near future, testing will be added for additional STIs and non-STI infections.

ETST has started formulating a full spectrum CBD beverage focused on immunity. The company is utilizing its University of Central Oklahoma Provisional Patent with the help of Dr. Aube, his advisory team and current manufacturing operations near its headquarters (http://ibn.fm/HLclV).

A study conducted by the University in 2015 found that ETST’s hemp oil solution, used in appropriate CBD concentrations, had the ability to stimulate important immune cells called macrophages.  According to a press release from January 26, 2015 (http://ibn.fm/Jb0v2), lead investigator Dr. Wei R. Chen and his team believed that “the effects of hemp oil enriched with CBD on immune cells may be used to improve cancer treatment, particularly in combination with other treatment modalities.”

ETST has a unique product line called KannaBidoiD (KBD). KBD is a formulation of Kanna and CBD that is distributed in CBD infused edibles and vape products. Kanna is believed to decrease anxiety and, when combined with ETST’s CBD, provides optimal relaxation and enhanced focus while assisting with nicotine reduction therapy.

ETST offers the highest purity and quality, full-spectrum, high-grade cannabinoids on the market. It aims to bring to market therapies for the treatment of certain targeted medical conditions, putting individuals’ health back into their own hands.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.EarthScienceTech.com

• Sugarmade invests in products and brands with considerable revenue potential
• The company is moving ahead into the industrial hemp space
• Sugarmade recently announced the signing of a binding Definitive Agreement to acquire Sky Unlimited, LLC

Sugarmade, Inc. (OTCQB: SGMD) is a product and brand marketing company based in Monrovia, California. It invests in products and brands with disruptive potential and focuses on growth via brand expansion and acquisition. The company has diverse business operations in varied marketplaces. These include packaging and paper goods for different industries, as well as agricultural supplies. The company’s brands include ZenHydro.com, CarryOutSupplies.com, BudLife, Cannabis Storage Solutions and Cali Grown Supplies.

Sugarmade is also a supplier of generic and custom printed products to the QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) sub-sector of the restaurant industry. However, its new primary focus is advancing into the industrial hemp space. The company’s main concentration is now on the supply of hydroponic and other cultivation systems, with a specific emphasis on the cannabis industry. Regarding industrial hemp and cannabidiol, Sugarmade is working to become a significant player in the cannabis cultivation market as a supplier.

BitCanna notes that the global spending forecast for legal cannabis is set to rise exponentially (http://ibn.fm/AZHZ9). BitCanna states that, “Total spending throughout the industry in 2019 is predicted to be $24.4 billion. These numbers are set to rise to $29.5 billion in 2020, $35.8 billion in 2021, $43.3 billion in 2022, $52.5 billion in 2023, and $63.5 billion in 2024.” Nevertheless, concentrating on being a supplier, Sugarmade will not directly engage in the cultivation, processing, distribution or marketing of cannabis.

Sugarmade has its strategic investment in Hempistry, Inc. It has committed to provide investment capital of up to $1 million over a 12-month period to Hempistry (http://ibn.fm/Vvy2u). Hempistry’s operations center on the cultivation of an ultra-high cannabidiol industrial hemp strain that contains under 0.3 percent THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).

Sugarmade’s plan is to enter into a cultivation agreement with Hempistry to advance additional revenue opportunities. Sugarmade has started planting an ultra-high cannabidiol industrial hemp strain on over 100 acres in Kentucky. Moreover, the company has signed an exclusive agreement that guarantees its rights to premier farmland encompassing 23,000 acres to grow this valued crop.

Sugarmade has now announced the signing of a binding definitive agreement to acquire Sky Unlimited, LLC (http://ibn.fm/4Fh1z). The company states that it expects this acquisition to be highly accretive to common shareholder value. It has increased its calendar 2019 revenue guidance from $30 million to $70 million. With this definitive agreement, Sugarmade will assume all operations, brand assets, customers and liabilities of Sky Unlimited. In addition, it will retain all employees.

Sky Unlimited, by way of its AthenaUnited.com operations and website, provides numerous hydroponic brands to a number of growing agricultural cultivation sectors. The majority of Sky Unlimited’s revenues come from the wholesale market and through commercial operations.

In a news release, Jimmy Chan, chief executive officer of Sugarmade, said, “Sky Unlimited and Athena are complementary to our existing business operations allowing us to not only increase our emphasis on brands, but also to diversify our revenue streams to now include the larger commercial cultivation operations.”

Sugarmade is one of the largest publicly traded hydroponics supply enterprises. It continues to focus on providing value for its stakeholders by using its expertise in acquiring and growing unique products and brands. Its value to its customers, employees and shareholders lies in its dedication to expanding its operations across cultivation sectors.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Sugarmade.com

• Latest Quantum Minerals exploration project will enhance Canada’s lithium production potential
• Additional significant spodumene mineralization identified
• Demand for lithium to outgrow supply

Canada has a viable opportunity to rank among leading lithium producers as local mining companies step up lithium exploration activities. While continuing the ongoing forward momentum to bring the Irgon Dike into production, QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (OTC: QMCQF) (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) is also exploring for additional spodumene-bearing pegmatite dikes that occur within the Irgon Lithium Mine Project. As recently as October 30, Canada-based QMC announced the identification of additional spodumene mineralization in pegmatite dikes located north of Cat Lake and immediately west of the Irgon Dike, within its Irgon Lithium Mine Project (http://ibn.fm/XNnyZ).

The first announcement on the project’s potential was released earlier in October, when significant visual spodumene mineralization was confirmed within the Mapetre Pegmatite Dike, a separate spodumene-bearing dike, located south of the Irgon Dike. This discovery will lead to extensive exploration and channel sampling in spring 2019 (http://ibn.fm/aUXFL).

Quantum Minerals’ assets are considered to be of particularly high importance in the process of developing Canada as a leading lithium producer. Currently, China and Chile have almost an exclusive monopoly over this market. China controls nearly 30 percent of the market, and further industrial acquisitions are expected to increase its share.

Quantum Minerals is benefiting from exploration and development previously undertaken at the Canadian Irgon Lithium Mine Site. The Irgon Dike was established as a lithium resource nearly 65 years ago. Drilling and underground development within the dike during that period resulted in an historic in situ resource that exceeded 1.2 million tons of lithium oxide and graded at 1.51 percent over a strike length of 365 meters (1,200 feet).

A 1950s development program at Irgon Lithium Mine saw the dike’s 74-meter deep (241 feet), three-compartment shaft excavated. At the 61-meter (200-feet) level, 341 meters (1,120 feet) of lateral drifting parallel to the dike was extended from the shaft, and seven crosscuts totaling 110 meters (361 feet) were cut. At surface, a 500 ton per day mill was also constructed on site. Work ceased due to the unfavorable economic climate at the time, and, in 1961, the mill was removed. Today, the massive global demand for lithium has contributed to the rediscovery of the mine and the continuation of exploration and development work there.

Global lithium production is currently at a level of 600,000 tons per year. In the coming decade, this demand is expected to grow to anywhere between 600,000 and 800,000 tons. The extensive adoption of lithium-ion batteries is one of the driving forces for this market expansion.

The demand for lithium is predicted to triple by 2025, driven primarily by the growth in popularity of electric vehicles (http://ibn.fm/09QHE). Developing a steady supply of lithium is expected to remain a major concern in the battery production supply chain, which experts indicate will continue to maintain upward pressure on future lithium prices.

According to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, lithium is now entering a second price run, because demand is continuing to increase faster than supply (http://ibn.fm/HLNzz).

Quantum Minerals Corp. is a Vancouver-based company that’s engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of lithium resources. All of the company’s properties are located in Manitoba. They include not only the Irgon Lithium Mine Project, but also two very prospective volcanic massive sulphide properties – the Rocky Lake and the Rocky Namew – both of which are located within the prolific Flin Flon greenstone belt of northern Manitoba.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.QMCMinerals.com

• Net Element payment processing tech options assist industries according to individualized needs
• Partnership with Russian bank set to boost country’s aging financial network
• Most recent reports show growing net revenues as company prioritizes market needs close to home

In a world where emerging business enterprises are continually searching for ways to move money when the businesses don’t fully conform to the rigid expectations of the banking and lending community, payment processing technology providers such as Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE) are helping to keep markets flowing on a global scale and providing a foundation for investors to stand on as they uphold entire industries.

Net Element’s decision to join its mobile payments operations with multi-channel subsidiary PayOnline increased its ability to serve small and medium-sized businesses and their customers with a growing number of payment options. The company works to adapt its platform so it can fit the individual needs of store front businesses and unbanked and web-based enterprises — all of which serve their customers in a variety of different ways.

While the company has scaled back its European activities, its recently announced partnership with Sputnik Bank in Russia to provide third-party bank processing to other banks throughout the country (http://ibn.fm/SefZV) shows its ability to work in the international arena and its drive to establish financial services wherever the need presents itself.

“We believe this is the first bank to provide a wholesale service to other Russian banks and if executed properly could be a huge success,” the company stated in a news release. “In the future, this entity could even be spun off into its own independent fintech company like many of the banks in the US have done.”

The news release added the company’s belief that all of Russia’s banks use in-house systems, many of which have not been upgraded to modern standards since the systems were created in the wake of the Soviet Union’s dissolution in the early ‘90s.

“Sputnik is expected to move its own in-house system over to this venture and will sell the processing service to small banks, third-party vendors, value-added resellers, credit organizations and sales organizations. Due to economies of scale of bank and payment processing, one large entity can more efficiently manage a system and the smaller banks will be able to outsource their IT at what is expected to be a much lower cost,” the company continued.

Closer to home, Net Element’s VIP Payments solution offers technological capabilities to hotel and tourism industry enterprises (http://ibn.fm/qLgmf); Netevia offers a subscription-based, transparent online payments solution for brick and mortar businesses’ e-commerce and B2B needs (http://ibn.fm/oDv91); Aptito provides support to the restaurant industry (http://ibn.fm/roG0r); and Unified Mobile Payments is designed with the kiosk and truck vendor in mind (http://ibn.fm/uB0ji).

“We work directly with payment card networks and banks so that our merchants do not need to manage the complex systems, rules, and requirements of the payments industry,” the company stated in its most recent 10-Q quarterly report.

Net Element’s 8-K report issued during the same period states that the company had a net revenues increase of $16.46 million for the three months ended June 30 of this year, which was an increase of two percent over the second quarter of 2017. The company’s net revenues for the six months leading up to the most recent reporting was up nine percent over the previous year to $32.45 million.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.NetElement.com

• Aziza Project – and by default the Aziza Coin – will own equity in several oil and gas businesses including 20% of Africa New Energies (ANE). This translates to a valuation of $100 million based on a bid that ANE rejected in 2017 and could go as high as $620 million.
• $11 million has been raised by ANE through crowdfunding initiatives to explore for hydrocarbons in Namibia. ANE holds a petroleum exploration license (PEL68), or concession, on Namibia’s eastern border. ANE has identified both the presence of oil and gas in the licensed project area.
• The Aziza Coin is a security token and not a utility token. This is accomplished through compliance with Aziza Project’s smart contract functionality as well as navigation of securities legislation in multiple jurisdictions.
• Aziza Project is a long-term project with a commitment to invest in and nurture the types of businesses it supports, and the communities involved. The concession is conveniently located near roadways and rail infrastructure, linking it to major South African and Namibian towns and ports.
• Aziza Project is an ethics-based business with established values and clarity of purpose. Transparency is essential with management committed to retaining a high level of communication with coin holders.
• The Aziza Coin looks to provide liquidity for the coin through secondary markets where investors get real-time pricing based on development of the ANE project. Various decentralized exchange options are being explored for optimal liquidity.
• Aziza Project is compliant with current U.S. federal regulations for Know Your Customer (KYC), Anti Money Laundering (AML) and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT).

Aziza Project LLC is a fund that tokenizes high potential oil and gas businesses in Africa, enabling them to raise funds for profit and social good. Aziza Project and its tokenization approach aims to address the obstacles associated with traditional fundraising by taking advantage of the benefits of blockchain technology to eliminate the cost and need for middlemen and complex administration. Aziza Project’s token, the Aziza Coin, is an asset-backed mid-to-long-term security token.

The First in the Fund

The vision for Aziza Project’s primary business is to light up Africa, bringing electricity to the 630 million people who currently have no access to the grid and typically depend on wood and paraffin for their energy needs, and in the process to deliver excellent returns to investors.

Through Aziza Coin, Aziza Project owns 20% of Africa New Energies (ANE), which holds rights to a 22,000-square-kilometer prospective hydrocarbon concession in Namibia. This potentially world-scale oil and gas deposit in eastern Namibia, bordering Botswana and the Kalahari Desert, could transform the region’s energy supply and provide a powerful boost to growth in Namibia. By using big data algorithms, the ANE project will be developed at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods.

In 2017 ANE rejected a $500 million unsolicited bid in the belief that this prime asset can deliver far more for investors, the local community and the people of Africa. The bid rejection has been superseded by an innovative fundraising model to unlock the value that ANE data indicates is under the ground. This sparked the genesis of Aziza Project, the creation of an oil and gas fund set up to raise capital to take ANE and other high potential oil and gas businesses to the next level smartly and efficiently.

Aziza Coins

Aziza Project is seeking to raise $60 million through the sale of Aziza Coins, an asset-backed security token compliant with the Ethereum blockchain’s ERC20 standard. The asset, a 20 percent interest in ANE, is estimated to be worth $100 million based on the value of the unsolicited bid. Funding raised by the Aziza Coin Initial Coin Offering, which began in October 2018, will be used to finance a 10 well drilling program for ANE’s Namibian concession and to develop an oil and gas fund. Proving a hydrocarbon resource will result in significant value creation for Aziza Coin holders. Proving of the project’s estimated 1.6 billion barrels of oil equivalent resource could value ANE at $3.1 billion, which would result in Aziza Project’s holding to potentially be worth up to $620 million.

The Aziza Coin seeks to create significant investor value that marries a compelling business case with the efficiency of crypto. People who buy Aziza Coins will have an indirect fractional ownership of the assets held by Aziza Project. And with tokens listed on exchanges, investors will have a degree of liquidity that private company shareholders do not have and with greater access to real returns. Aziza Coin token holders are the sole economic beneficiaries of Aziza Project’s investments and are assured that at least 51 percent of funds will be used to buy back tokens anytime a profit is made in a calendar year.

Typical investment funds charge a myriad of fees and administrative charges. These will not be present within Aziza Project LLC, with no annual fees, exit fees or salary expenses. The vision is to get as much of the investor’s dollar into the assets under management, and then on exit get as much of the asset value back to the investor. Aziza Project believes that tokenization of assets and securities is the future. Distributed ledger technology will be the catalyst for the benefit of both investors and businesses forging their way.

The Visionaries

The Aziza Coin ICO is different because its management team is very clear on valuations and laser-focused on the broader objective established by Aziza Project. The Aziza Coin is an asset-backed security token with a strong management team grounded in blue-chip corporate backgrounds and established real-world businesses.

CEO Robert Pyke has a professional background that covers consumer goods, consultancy and now cryptocurrency. Much of his career was spent at Unilever where he worked in a variety of finance roles, rising to become finance director for Unilever’s €20bn turnover Beauty and Personal Care division.

Aziza Project co-founder Shakes Motsilili has an Investments Administration background and worked for several years at Momentum Wealth as head of Actuarial Support. He resigned in 2012 to become an entrepreneur with a vision to electrify the whole of Africa.

Brendon Raw, CTO, is a South Africa-based software developer and investor in the energy technology, property and digital media sectors. Brendon was lead developer on the sales and revenue system of the one of the most valuable internet companies of its day – excite@home and was BP’s tactical application developer, creating several mission-critical commodity trading systems.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Aziza.io