• GreenBox, through its technology, offer quick, easy transactions in real time
• Its blockchain gateway is TrustGateway
• The company’s products include QuickCard, Loopz and GreenBox POS

GreenBox POS, LLC (OTC: GRBX), a hardware and software technology company headquartered in San Diego, builds customized payment solutions for a host of industries. The company’s focus is blockchain secured ledger technology. This can include custom point-of-sale systems and kiosks. GreenBox has developed what it believes to be the quickest and safest way to send and process money employing blockchain technology.

With its advanced technology, GreenBox offers fast and easy transactions in real time. Businesses receive money immediately, the moment a transaction occurs. The company offers a highly customizable, all-in-one payment network. The network utilizes blockchain technology to provide cashless solutions for all kinds of businesses.

TrustGateway is GreenBox’s blockchain gateway. TrustGateway leverages IP correlations, biometrics, location matching and other information not available to standard gateways. The system automatically flags if someone attempts to assume another personality. It subsequently reverses the activity instantly. Therefore, no harm ever impacts the physical cash.

GreenBox’s product family includes QuickCard, Loopz and GreenBox POS. QuickCard permits merchants and customers to interact and pay without cash. The QuickCard kiosk handles all cash issues for cashless operations and legacy cash operations. QuickCard provides a blockchain technology-powered e-wallet. It confirms bank account availability right away and accepts cash, debit/credit card or ACH directly to most banks. QuickCard ensures security and privacy, as well as reliability.

TrustGateway and QuickCard are integrated systems. Together, they provide the security of an owned blockchain gateway. As such, they are highly resistant to fraudulent transactions. The design of the technology is for the largest platform in existence. It it will be analyzed by two major U.S. commercial banks and one of the largest payment infrastructures in the United States.

Loopz is a delivery software solution that uses an SAAS engine for tracking and organization. It provides service dispatcher back-end technology with automatic and manual modes. Loopz features two mobile applications – driver and consumer. These run on Android and iOS. Loopz offers direct reporting to point-of-sale inventory and utilizes pay for instant settlements.

GreenBox POS is a regular point-of-sale system. It employs innovative blockchain technology to pay and process money. GreenBox software features operational compliance, financial audit preparation, expense tracking, tax payments and register-specific features. It also features data fidelity controls, such as backup/restore, cloud security, privacy and more. The system integrates seamlessly with the company’s QuickCard system.

Being the gold standard for the way that all financial ledgers, for any industry, are created and maintained, GreenBox is advancing its technology via innovation. The company is set for even more growth upon the adoption of its technology by commercial banks and payment infrastructures. GreenBox continues to develop blockchain secured ledger technology to serve the needs of diverse industries.

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

• Partnerships with selective world class yacht manufacturers such as Johnson Yachts, Mazu Yachts, Sunreef Luxury Catamarans, Heliotrope Catamarans as well as yacht tenders’ manufacturer Argos Nautic
• Expert advice provided to guide clients through purchase or commissioning of next boat, yacht or ship with team of experienced sales reps, vessel and engine surveyors, yacht documentation experts, maintenance crew available
• Subsidiary Excalibur Trailers USA approved by SAE International to build custom, marine aluminum trailers for recreational boats, as well as for commercial boat transport
• Annual U.S. sales of boats, marine products and services totaled $39 billion in 2017, up 7 percent from 2016
• Florida led the nation in 2017 for sales of new powerboat, engine, trailer and accessories at $2.9 billion, up 10 percent from 2016

Victory Marine Holdings Corp. (OTC: VMHG) is a world-class yacht sales, brokerage and consulting firm with a sprawling inventory of new and used boats, financing, insurance, documentation and recreational marine accessories. Located in Miami, Florida – the “yacht capital of the world” – Victory Marine has over 20 years of experience in an industry hailed as “an American pastime and economic engine” by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (“NMMA”).

According to the NMMA, marine sales reached $39 billion in 2017. To capture its share of this market, Victory Marine has established partnerships with several selective manufacturers and is pursuing opportunities for vertical growth. While the company’s near-term focus is on expansion of its inventory and sales team, its longer-term plans reflect the current state of the broader yacht industry.

Marine sales are at a 10-year high, and though yacht manufacturers are operating at full capacity, delivery of some products can take longer than 18 months. As a result, Victory Marine is taking steps to establish its own pipeline. Management is currently in negotiations with several yacht manufacturers to build the company its own unique, private-label design, which would enable Victory Marine to quickly deliver a superior product to its clients.

Demand for recreational boat trailers is also on the rise, with growth reported for nearly all powerboat segments. Florida continues to ride the top of that crest with sales of powerboats, trailers, and accessories up 10 percent in 2017 to $2.9 billion, followed by Texas ($1.7 billion) and Michigan ($982 million).

Victory Marine’s wholly owned Excalibur Trailers USA subsidiary is set to take advantage of this market, and is approved by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International) to build custom marine aluminum trailers for recreational boats, as well as for commercial boat transport. Excalibur Trailers USA has filed the necessary paperwork to trademark its brand name and logo and is seeking a suitable manufacturing facility in South Florida for production of powerboat, sailboat, catamaran, powerboat and Jet Ski trailers.

Leading Victory Marine to capture its share of the market is company CEO Orlando Hernandez, whose experience in the marine industry includes negotiation, business planning, investor relations, operations management and sales. He is joined by veteran yacht broker Gary Beaver, who has more than 20 years of successful yacht sales and industry experience. Beaver brings to Victory Marine his portfolio of approximately 25 vessel listings, valued in excess of $10 million.

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

• DeepMarkit is an e-commerce technology company
• The company helps businesses use games to promote their brands and engage audiences
• Its gamification technology platform focuses on the creation of branded games

DeepMarkit Corp. (TSX.V: MKT) (OTCQB: MKTDF) has a strong patent-pending “Gamification” Technology Platform. Its platform enables businesses to create branded games, so they can convert players into leads and leads into customers. DeepMarkit’s management has wide-ranging experience in creating and marketing top-notch gaming products. DeepMarkit is the only publicly listed company focused on gamification. The company is based in Calgary, Alberta.

‘Gamify’ is DeepMarkit’s proprietary promotions platform. Gamify helps merchants build their newsletter subscriptions and email marketing lists. In addition, Gamify helps merchants convert store visitors into paying customers. The company’s Gamify Slide Out encompasses DeepMarkit’s conversion tools. The aim of the basic conversion tool is to be up and running in less than 10 minutes. Gamify Slide Out features monthly subscription plans, distributed by way of ecommerce platforms.

The free version of Gamify Slide Out is available for free download across numerous ecommerce platforms. These platforms include Shopify, Weebly, BigCommerce and WooCommerce. Gamify Slide Out is also available as a plug-in for WordPress. DeepMarkit’s focus is on converting its free customers into paying customers. Its strategy to accomplish this is an enhanced Gamify Slide Out with paid features to encourage users to upgrade to the company’s paid plans.

The primary benefit for businesses is that Gamification technology merges game-like features with a non-game platform. The goal is to collect useful consumer data from online games. Brick and mortar retailers see the benefit of collecting consumer data and providing better customer experiences. This assists them in competing with increasing ecommerce sales. DeepMarkit is addressing this issue by helping businesses engage consumers and other audiences via gaming. The company’s objective is to become a leader for physical in-store conversions.

Gamification is a growing trend. Consider that the worldwide gamification market is on course to reach $22+ billion in 2021/2022. Prescient & Strategic (P&S) Intelligence notes that North America has been the largest contributor to worldwide gamification revenue. The expectation is that the gamification market will experience considerable growth in the Asia-Pacific region in the near term (http://ibn.fm/FedeU).

To this end, DeepMarkit’s Gamify attracted a $1.5 million investment from Allstate International LLC in Hong Kong in June 2017. This gives Allstate International a significant opportunity to bring the Gamify platform into the burgeoning Asian gaming market. With this investment, Allstate received a 10 percent interest in DeepMarkit.

DeepMarkit’s aim is to help merchants use the data collected from gamification to efficiently expand their customer bases. The company’s new product line will enable businesses to create and run gamified campaigns outside their websites, throughout social media, as well as in paid advertisements. The result is more sales for businesses and growth for DeepMarkit and its shareholders.

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

• ETST finalizes agreement with Groupe Opmedic Inc. and its Procrea Fertility Laboratories for lab services to detect sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in women using Hygee
• ETST is in talks with an organic CBD grower and processor for it to provide an exclusive business/supply agreement that will give ETST a consistent industrial hemp source
• Company’s pipeline includes several CBD-based pharmaceutical formulas; ETST expects that its pure hemp oil and new formulas will eventually be sold globally

Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTCQB: ETST) has advanced on two fronts with its goals of further penetrating the CBD market and medical testing device field to detect STIs in women. Both could result in revenue growth for the company and a larger role in both of these markets.

For Hygee, it has reached agreement with Groupe Opmedic Inc. and its Procrea Fertility Laboratories to offer its lab services for the detection of STIs in women who use Hygee. ETST has already proven Hygee’s ability to detect chlamydia, and the company is now working to validate similar results for gonorrhea. Additionally, the company anticipates testing for other STIs and non-STI infections that will make the device even more important (http://ibn.fm/4kIrP).

“We are excited to be working with a partner that has the same vision as we do,” Dr. Michel Aubé, CEO and CSO of ETST, stated in a news release. “We are concerned for the health of all women and the babies they carry when pregnant. The CT test is so essential for infant’s health that the World Health Organization (WHO) encourages all sexually active women between the ages of 15 and 25 to be tested once a year.” Procrea Fertility offers an advanced range of lab testing of cervical cells.

On the CBD front, ETST is in discussions with an organic grower and processor for an exclusive business/supply relationship that offers the company its outdoor organic industrial hemp plants, mixing, extraction, bottling and packaging on an exclusive basis. ETST believes such an arrangement would enable a consistent, marketable industrial hemp source. If completed, it would create more revenues for ETST, according to Nickolas S. Tabraue, president, director and chairman of ETST (http://ibn.fm/ghbac).

ETST is a biotech company based in Doral, Florida, marketing and developing CBD products for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical fields. The company is focused on the cannabidiol, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical sectors, as well as the development, through subsidiaries, of medical devices and research. ETST’s goal is to become a world leader in the CBD space.

ETST holds several wholly owned subsidiaries. Cannabis Therapeutics is an emerging biotechnology company. KannaBidioiD manufactures and distributes in the recreational sector. Earth Science Foundation, Inc. is becoming a non-profit and accepts grants and donations to conduct additional studies. Earth Science Pharmaceutical develops medical diagnostic tools and vaccines. It also formed subsidiary Canno Inno Laboratories Inc., a strategic Montreal, Canada-based company that provides ETST with access to government grants.

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

• Co-sponsor of “Latin America Night” at 124th Canton Fair, China’s most influential import and export fair held in Guangzhou, China
• Promotion of B2B e-commerce trade solutions and Agri-Blockchain system for supply-chain management for cross-border transactions to be featured
• Proprietary multi-lingual e-commerce B2B and B2C trade platform under development
• Immutability of blockchain technology applicable for all industries, making complex supply chains safer and significantly more manageable

Pacific Software, Inc. (OTC: PFSF), an emerging development technology corporation and master licensor of Hyperledger blockchain-based systems, is slated to co-sponsor “Latin America Night” at the 124th session of the historic Canton Fair PDC Design Show. This highly anticipated international trade show spotlights innovative companies from around the globe with an emphasis on foreign trade and economic development (www.CantonFair.net). Pacific Software will promote its B2B e-commerce solutions and blockchain system for supply-chain management with a unique focus on Brazil and Agri-trade possibilities with China, a news release states (http://ibn.fm/NcUQh).

Pacific Software will actively promote “Latin America Night,” scheduled for October 31 at the Westin Pazhou Hotel, with a host of cultural and tourism exhibits from Brazil, including special food tasting demonstrations. Trade associations and delegations will be invited to learn more about Pacific Software’s unique e-commerce/blockchain platform that currently focuses on the agricultural supply chain between Brazil and China.

The multilingual platform being developed by Cobalt 47 Technologies Ltd., a spin-off of leading Chinese Microsoft distributor KBQuest Group, Inc., is set to launch in November of this year, a news release states (http://ibn.fm/ZhM7U). Pacific Software has developed a working relationship with the local government in the Brazilian state of Rondônia, one of Brazil’s largest agricultural regions, to assist in enhancing the exportation of agricultural products to China. While the primary focus remains trade and supply chains between China and Brazil, the possibilities are certainly more far-reaching with a much wider application, the company notes.

Pacific Software’s Agri-blockchain platform will improve transparency and trust in the origin and quality of food products by employing blockchain’s transformative ability to track products from origin to final destination. Any contamination source can speedily be identified, which can accelerate removal of the tainted item from agricultural channels, Pacific Software President Peter Pizzino said during an interview with New Economies (http://ibn.fm/vOq6V). Using IBM’s Hyperledger Blockchain “Backend as a Service” infrastructure, Pacific Software’s platform will be able to store, record and track digital product information from farm to fare, including batch identification numbers, expiration dates, factory and processing information, shipping details and more.

Pacific Software’s foray into China is bound to elevate opportunities as the company builds valuable relationships linking Brazilian agricultural suppliers with Chinese distributors.

More information about the 124th Canton Fair, celebrating ‘A Badge of Friendship: A Bridge for Trade’, can be found at www.CantonFair.org.cn/en

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

• As cannabidiol oil market explodes, Youngevity expands HempFX product line
• Product diversification reduces revenue volatility
• Direct seller with its own 1,000-acre coffee plantation
• Clinched $250 million five-year coffee supply contract

If diversification is the road to portfolio efficiency, then the expansion of its HempFX product line should take Youngevity International, Inc. (NASDAQ: YGYI) closer to optimizing its risk-return position. Already well diversified with its eggs in many baskets, Youngevity is a leading omni-direct lifestyle company offering products in the top eight selling retail categories of health and nutrition, home and family, food and beverage (including coffee), spa and beauty, fashion, essential oils, photo and innovative services. Expanding its cannabidiol oil product line takes the company further along the road of revenue stability and risk reduction. With the new products, Youngevity is also doubling down on its mission to promote healthy lifestyles. The therapeutic benefits of cannabidiol oil are being increasingly recognized.

Earlier this year, Youngevity announced its intention to enter the cannabidiol oil market with a proprietary line of hemp-derived products. The timing was auspicious, for the cannabidiol oil market is expanding rapidly. Indeed, the Hemp Business Journal projects that consumer sales of cannabidiol products will reach $2.1 billion by 2020, with $450 million of that coming from hemp-based sources. That would represent a 700 percent increase from 2016. Demand for cannabidiol oil has exploded as its uses have expanded. Cannabidiol oil can now be found in cosmetics, medications, food and health supplements (http://ibn.fm/6jnZv).

Youngevity introduced the HempFX product line at its August 2018 convention in San Diego, California. The three debut products were labeled with reassuring names – Soothe, Relax and Uplift – which emphasized their curative properties. Soothe supports a healthy immune system and soothes sore, tired and achy muscles and joints. It contains Youngevity’s proprietary hemp-derived cannabinoid oil, as well as a variety of herbs, minerals and a powerful antioxidant – glutathione. Relax has the same cannabinoid oil base found in Soothe, to which is added a number of calming botanicals, such as chamomile, lavender, valerian and melatonin, that naturally induce slumber. Uplift combines Youngevity’s exclusive hemp-derived cannabinoid oil with St. John’s Wort and a specialized set of natural terpenes (cannabinoid enhancers).

The HempFX additions are ‘HempFX Hydration – Sleep’ and ‘HempFX Hydration – Pure’, both of which come in tablet form. They are meant to be used with Youngevity’s Y-DR8+ proprietary, portable water bottle system, which produces great tasting water and reduces chemicals found in tap water. The cannabidiol tablets are housed in the system and dissolve as the water flows over them. The Y-DR8 filter features (ACC) activated carbon cloth and is portable to fit today’s “On the go lifestyle.”

‘HempFX Hydration – Sleep’ combines melatonin with organic, full spectrum, hemp-derived cannabidiol oil and is formulated to improve sleep patterns that contribute to a restful night. ‘HempFX Hydration – Pure’ is added to water and quickly dissolves as it is consumed. It contains 25mg of organic, hemp-derived cannabidiol oil per tablet and is designed to provide a daily dose of cannabidiol to anyone who wants a full-spectrum cannabinoid product. Both ‘HempFX Hydration – Sleep’ and ‘HempFX Hydration – Pure’ are expected to be available in November of this year.

The cannabidiol oil product portfolio takes the number of SKUs available from Youngevity to well over 2,000. Leveraging its direct-selling network, the company now offers products in a wide range of market segments, including apparel and accessories, business lending, health and wellness, home and garden, lifestyle products, nutritional supplements, skincare and cosmetics, packaged foods, pet care, telecare health services, weight management and gourmet coffee. Additionally, the company owns a 1,000-acre coffee plantation in Matagalpa, Nicaragua.

Through wholly owned subsidiary CLR Roasters, Youngevity has entered into a five-year contract for the sale and processing of over 41 million pounds of green (un-roasted) coffee on an annual basis (http://ibn.fm/JLaAL). Based on current coffee prices and coffee futures, this contract should generate revenues in excess of $50 million per year for each year of the five-year deal. The purchaser of the coffee is a major coffee importer and exporter that has, for over 70 years, been supplying some of the largest coffee brands in the industry. Revenue for this contract covers the period from 2019 through 2023, with first shipments to begin in January 2019.

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

• Gamification uses gaming elements to drive customer engagement
• Gamification market exploding at CAGR of 45 percent
• Market is expected to hit $23 billion by 2022

By 2022, gamification is expected to be a $23 billion dollar industry, an estimate of income that would place the fast developing sector, if it were a nation state, ahead of Malta, Iceland, Monaco and about 50 other countries. It’s already a significant business, with a value, in 2015, close to $2 billion, and it’s experiencing phenomenal growth – a CAGR of over 45 percent – due to advances in digital technology and the exponential growth in the use of smartphones and mobile devices (http://ibn.fm/NOldr). Gamification is being increasingly recognized as an effective way to engage online visitors and convert them into customers. Now, encouraged by these trends and the growing passion for gaming, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, DeepMarkit Inc. (TSX.V: MKT) (OTCQB: MKTDF) has launched its proprietary promotions platform, ‘Gamify’. Currently, it is the only public company focused on the burgeoning gamification sector.

Gamification is a way of harnessing the characteristics associated with our game-playing inclinations to achieve business and marketing objectives. It is an approach that incorporates gaming principles into phases of the customer engagement process or designs aspects of the process as games. It is proving to be a potently effective way of evoking a positive customer response, no doubt because of our naturally playful nature. The impulse to “play” appears to be encoded in the DNA of Homo sapiens. It is our natural pursuit as children and, as adults, our game playing goes on, driven by our delight in socializing, our demand for status, our need for self-expression, our competitive instincts, the desire to develop and master skills and many other psychological factors.

The DeepMarkit platform – Gamify – has been designed to encapsulate many of these properties by a team that has been developing games successfully for 15 years. Darold Parken, DeepMarkit’s president and CEO, was instrumental in building Chartwell Technologies, later sold to Amaya Gaming, now known as The Stars Group (NASDAQ: TSG), a company with a market cap that’s close to $8 billion. The Gamify platform uses games and gaming elements to generate leads, to promote products and deliver rewards, and to build brand awareness and customer loyalty. With it, customers can build branded games that incentivize audiences, generate leads and drive sales (http://ibn.fm/q5k7Q).

Gamification can improve conversion rates, turning visitors into customers. Having large numbers of visitors to an ecommerce site is just a starting point and contributes nothing to the top line if they leave without taking action. Typical “bounce rates” – the percentage of single interaction visits to a website – are around 50 percent, i.e., about half who visit an online store exit a click or two later. Consequently, incentives that increase their desire to stay play a vital role in closing sales.

The DeepMarkit Gamify platform is designed to reduce bounce rates. Through the use of unique branded games, the platform turns visitors into players, players into leads and leads into sales. It integrates a variety of gaming elements with interactive advertising and powerful visuals, including 3-D images, and is flexible enough to be scaled for campaigns of all sizes. The platform is also suitable for multi-channel and omni-channel approaches that incorporate web, mobile and social media. At present, both free and paid solutions are available (http://ibn.fm/fsUkA) on many major ecommerce platforms, including Shopify, BigCommerce and WooCommerce, and also as a plugin for WordPress, which opens the way for easy and broad adoption.

Gamify also offers a selection of easily customizable gaming apps featuring a customer’s branded e-store in addition to tailored landing pages, technical support, real-time analytics, data collection and an engaging marketing campaign. The platform’s patent-pending app comes complete with unique user incentives that draw consumers in with games and prizes, which in turn engage shoppers, turning them into buyers and brand promoters.

In June 2017, DeepMarkit attracted a $1.5 million investment from Allstate International LLC in Hong Kong. The investment gives Allstate a 10 percent stake in DeepMarkit and an opportunity to bring the Gamify platform into the growing Asian gaming market

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

• Cannabis industry set to quadruple to $47 billion over next 10 years
• Sugarmade strategy centers on supplying “picks” and “shovels” to growers
• Focused on the supply of hydroponic cultivation systems

Getting cannabis to market involves many stages. Before you can sell it, you have to grow it and perform myriad operations to ensure that’s done right. So, if you’re growing cannabis, it may be a good idea to turn to Sugarmade, Inc. (OTCQB: SGMD). The company is one of the largest publicly traded hydroponics supply companies, with brands that include Zen Hydro, Carry Out Supplies, BudLife Cannabis Storage Solutions and Cali Grown Supplies. With a finger in so many pies, Sugarmade is poised for growth as the cannabis industry continues its exponential expansion. Spending on legal cannabis is projected to quadruple to over $47 billion over the next decade from its present level of about $11 billion (http://ibn.fm/0xu9x).

Headquartered in Monrovia, Los Angeles County, California, Sugarmade has been operating in several areas. The company is a supplier of generic and custom printed products to the quick service restaurant sub-sector of the restaurant industry, but its main focus is on the supply of hydroponic and other cultivation systems, with particular emphasis on the cannabis industry. Sugarmade aims to become a major force in the cannabis cultivation market as a supplier; however, the company will not be directly involved in the cultivation, processing, distribution or marketing of cannabis. Sugarmade will simply be supplying the “shovels” need to work the cannabis “gold rush.”

A revealing piece published by CannabisNewsWire details the M&A activity currently taking place in the cannabis space (http://ibn.fm/gXKoQ). Sugarmade, one of the featured companies in that report, has been consolidating its position in the sector. Its four divisions run the gamut from grow solutions to storage. ZenHydro is its online hydroponics store, which offers grow tents, lighting, nutrients and additives, instruments and tools and nearly everything else you need to grow cannabis. Then there’s CarryOutSupplies, which serves the quick-serve restaurant sector with essential supplies such as cups and spoons and bottles.

Through this unit, Sugarmade is already a significant player in the market for generic and custom printed paper, as well as other goods for the quick service restaurant industry. The larger competitive suppliers that service this sector usually require restaurant customers to place large orders, but CarrryOutSupplies allows these smaller establishments to gain the marketing and advertising benefits of customized printed products without tying up large amounts of working capital. Plans are afoot to increase the number of products offered, and a new business unit – CaliRestaurantSupplies – will market and distribute those products, with the aim of increasing its customer base beyond the current 2,000 or so takeout establishments, restaurants and other food service operators.

The company’s fourth business unit is BudLife Cannabis Storage Solutions, which offers a novel way to preserve the quality of cannabis flowers over long periods. Introduced in late December, the BudLife system has been able to preserve the integrity of cannabis flowers for up to six months.

With so many bets placed on the burgeoning cannabis industry, one is bound to pay off for Sugarmade. After all, it’s been said that more money was made from supplying pickaxes, shovels and blue jeans than was made from mining during the great California Gold Rush.

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

• First Cobalt owns the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America and is looking at the necessary requirements to restart production there
• Three studies evaluated potential costs, supply chain options and permit issues
• The studies found that the refinery could be restarted within 18 months at a throughput of 24 metric tons of material per day
• First Cobalt is working to establish suitable feedstock sources and downstream financing, possibly through offtake agreements

Pure-play cobalt company First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) (ASX: FCC) is beginning to play its cards as it contemplates the possibilities of initiating North American production of the in-demand metal from facilities in eastern Canada.

On October 10, First Cobalt announced the results of three studies (http://ibn.fm/ZTPAe) examining the feasibility of restarting the company’s shuttered cobalt refinery in Ontario, the only permitted cobalt refinery on the North American continent capable of producing cobalt battery materials and, as such, a key potential domestic supply source of cobalt sulfate for the computer-powering lithium-ion battery market or, alternatively, cobalt metal for aerospace and industrial sectors.

First Cobalt has been focused on exploring the potential for mining cobalt from its flagship Iron Creek Cobalt Project site in the western United States in recent months, and it also holds significant past-producing assets in the famed Cobalt Camp region of Ontario where the refinery is located. Separate from this work, these three recent studies evaluated the refinery’s potential to restart production independent of any specific expectations for the company’s projects to provide feedstock. The analyses therefore present a baseline of expectations that could rapidly expand in terms of profitability if the Iron Creek site in Idaho proves to be a feasible mining operation. A maiden resource estimate completed in September provided encouragement toward that end (http://ibn.fm/y288n).

The three studies examined the estimated costs of restarting the refinery, as well as subsequent operational costs, the costs and time necessary to renew or obtain necessary permits and the product pipeline’s potential budgetary impacts in terms of cobalt sourcing and end-user offtake agreements to secure a client base.

The company determined that the refinery could be restarted within 18 months of securing feed utilizing its existing facilities and permits, even if those permits need to be renewed or amended (http://ibn.fm/QTuWd). Cobalt feedstock would likely come from three primary sources: concentrate from as-yet unspecified mining operations, hydroxide material from the Democratic Republic of the Congo that could be established as free of the ethical labor concerns that plague the DRC and recycled battery materials from North America. The output, at least initially, would be an expected 24 metric tons per day, or between 568 and 1,063 metric tons per year depending on a feed grade of between eight and 15 percent cobalt.

Restart capital injection costs are estimated at nearly $26 million, including a 30 percent contingency plan allotment. Yearly operating costs are estimated at over $6.7 million, with an estimated $2.5 million more for crystallization if sulphate is the preferred product.

“The First Cobalt Refinery is a strategic North American asset and potentially our quickest path to cash flow by producing cobalt materials for the North American market,” First Cobalt CEO Trent Mell stated in a news release. “The facility is in excellent condition with permits in place and a short timeline to potential production, as well as optionality for both sources of material and refined product… We believe that the single best use of the refinery is to provide cobalt for the U.S. market, which does not currently produce a meaningful supply.” Mell added that, “While no decision for start-up has been made to move forward, we are reviewing funding alternatives that would minimize equity dilution for our shareholders today and in the future.”

The first study, conducted by engineering firm Primero Group, examined the possibility of expanding production to as much as 50 tpd. The 24 tpd base case scenario rate relies on two autoclaves that exist in the facility, although the second autoclave wasn’t fully commissioned during previous operations. The 50 tpd expansion would require replacement of all processing equipment in the facility, which the company says is nearly complete.

First Cobalt’s permits include use of its tailing pond, which the company estimates would require expansion after eight years under the 24 tpd scenario. The news release notes that the company would then be able to use 80 acres to the north of the refinery for additional tailings storage.

Following the favorable review of First Cobalt’s prospects for firing up the refinery during the next year and a half, the company states that its next priorities are establishing suitable cobalt feedstock sources and deciding whether its best interests lie in producing sulfate or metal. First Cobalt can then begin detailed engineering and permitting while working to complete offtake agreements or other financing solutions.

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

• The global yacht and luxury vessel market is registering steady growth that’s expected to continue to 2025 and beyond
• Economic stabilization and an increased interest in marine and coastal tourism have ranked among the most prominent factors for the positive market trend
• Companies like Victory Marine Holdings provide excellent investment opportunities because of the tailored, comprehensive range of services available

Throughout 2018, Victory Marine Holdings Corp. (OTC: VMHG) has been working on ensuring vertical growth opportunities and increasing its number of core directions. Two of the primary objectives announced in September 2018 were to increase the company’s inventory and the size of its sales team. Both of these strategic improvements aim to respond to the growth of the yacht industry that occurred in 2017 and 2018 and that is anticipated to continue.

Per reports, 2017 was the busiest year for the market since the financial crisis. According to industry experts, the year marks the best results since 2007, and this positive direction is expected to remain unchanged in 2018 and beyond (http://ibn.fm/seW9p).

The U.S. market is still at the forefront, showing signs of strong economies and a positive overall outlook. The size of the global leisure boat market is predicted to reach $51.37 billion by 2025, which represents a CAGR of 4.3 percent over the forecast period (http://ibn.fm/Ucuni).

Apart from the U.S., other countries are also expected to drive the growth of the luxury vessel market. The Asia-Pacific and Middle East markets are expected to create regional opportunities for market augmentation. Developing economies, particularly those in the Asia-Pacific region, are also working on growing their yacht infrastructure. Such decisions will contribute to better opportunities for those interested in the acquisition of luxury vessels (http://ibn.fm/an1rd).

Several other factors will be contributing to consistent growth over the coming years. Marine and coastal tourism activities have been gaining popularity, and they’ll be one of the growth drivers. There has also been an increase in the number of high net worth individuals that will affect the yacht and boat market favorably.

Reports suggest that Europe and North America have been registering an increase in expenditure on sports and recreation. Furthermore, new technologies will be making yachts safer, easier to use and more accessible to a broader range of high net worth individuals.

Victory Marine Holdings is one of the leading players in the luxury vessels niche worldwide. In 2014, the company opened doors as a world-class yacht sales brokerage and consulting firm. Its management team has over 25 years of experience in the boating industry. Over the years, the company has partnered up with leading manufacturers, and the Victory Marine experts know what it takes to guide a potential customer through the purchase or commissioning of a boat.

VMHG’s credo is extensive communication and offering clients a “one-stop shop” approach. A portfolio of comprehensive services provides clients with opportunities to get specialized consulting, buy, rent and maintain yachts. Investment advice is also provided to those considering the purchase of a luxury vessel as an investment opportunity.

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