• REFG acquires 40 acres of land in Utah to grow hemp, applies for state license
• Company also buys SpeedyGrow, which is licensed to grow and process hemp in Colorado
• REFG’s Green is an integrated gateway that is FinCEN compliant and creates a virtual banking environment for licensed cannabis providers, available for online sign up
• Company has doubled down on its cannabis activities, both entering the cultivation and extraction space in Utah and offering Green to licensed cannabis merchants/ dispensaries

Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions Inc. (OTC: REFG) has diversified its commitment to the cannabis industry, as both a licensed grower and processor, while also marketing its financial system ‘Green’, which is designed to help licensed cannabis merchants and dispensaries create a safe and cashless environment for transactions.

REFG offers both licensed dispensaries and retail merchant clients ‘Green’, a financial processing system that creates a cashless digital world of banking. It offers cannabis merchants online signup and is fully FinCEN compliant. Additionally, the company is a first tier payment processor.

REFG has also acquired 40 acres of land to grow hemp in Utah and plans to seek a state license under the recently passed H.B. 302. That license will enable the company to grow industrial hemp as part of the state’s Department of Agriculture and Food licensing program (http://ibn.fm/tbO0T). It has also acquired SpeedyGrow, a Wyoming-based company licensed to grow and process hemp in Colorado. At the same time, it bought SpeedyVeg, a proprietary soil nutrient designed to maximize plant yield. These activities represent an expansion of REFG’s footprint in the state-sanctioned cannabis space (http://ibn.fm/cZPXK).

Utah’s legislature this year passed S.B. 130, the Cannabidiol Product Act, which permits the cultivation, production and possession of hemp. It also legalizes the sale and use of cannabidiol (CBD) products (http://ibn.fm/rPlDC).

In a news release, Jeremy Roberts, CEO of REFG, said, “We weren’t initially anticipating entering this space. But after careful consideration, the opportunity to expand our footprint in the state-sanctioned cannabis space was too good of an opportunity for our shareholders to pass up.”

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Take.Green

• Cannabis trends leading to greater consumer spending
• Cannabis pioneer Derek Pedro joins the BLOCKStrain advisory board
• Company provides an elegant solution, establishing itself as a major player addressing core issues within the global industry

The accelerated pace of legalization in the medical and recreational cannabis industries of North America is leading to a projected increase in consumer spending. By 2027, it is estimated that spending on legal cannabis worldwide will reach $57 billion, with North America projected to dominate the market with an expected growth from 2017’s $9.2 billion to $47.3 billion in 2027.

According to Tom Adams, editor-in-chief at Arcview Market Research and principal analyst at BDS Analytics (http://ibn.fm/5lzn8), “…data shows positive indicators across the board for the legal cannabis industry, in North America and around the globe. The passage of the 2016 ballot initiatives and continued maturation of the existing Adult-use are the primary drivers of the growth this year. That’s nothing compared to what we can expect in 2018 and beyond from Nevada’s tourism, and California and Canada planning to launch Adult-Use sales in 2018.”

This is good news for BLOCKStrain Technology Corp. (TSX.V: DNAX), which aims to provide integrity and transparency for cannabis producers, marketers and consumers. BLOCKStrain is a full-service software company that registers and tracks cannabis intellectual property from genome to sale. This proprietary integrated blockchain platform establishes a single source of truth for cannabis strains and their owners. The software has the potential to protect a grower’s intellectual property and provide governments with accurate tracking and tracing of cannabis shipments.

Recently, BLOCKStrain announced that Derek Pedro, described as a cannabis pioneer, agreed to join the company’s advisory board. In a news release, Robert Galarza, CEO of BLOCKStrain, stated, “There are very few people in the world who have the breadth and depth of knowledge of our industry as Derek Pedro. He is both a pioneer and a legend in this industry, and his knowledge of strain genetics and production systems is incredibly beneficial to us as BLOCKStrain builds and adapts its platform for licensed producers and other industry stakeholders in Canada.”

Highlights from Pedro’s impressive resume include:

• Co-founder and master grower at Maricann Group Inc.;
• Design, cultivation and production partner at WeedMD Inc.;
• First cultivated cannabis for medical patients in 2003 under the older Medical Marijuana Access Regulations;
• Built the first hybridized cannabis greenhouse in Canada;
• Under the ACMPR, brought 54 live strains and 25,550 seeds into the legal cannabis system; and
• Involved in research and development as one of Canada’s premier breeders of new cannabis strains, including WeedMD’s most popular strain, Pedro’s Wine Gums.

BLOCKStrain’s platform that allows for the tracking of intellectual property from genome to sale is making the supply chain safe and reliable. Pedro is looking forward to joining the advisory board, as he sees the company’s software as an elegant solution, positioning the company as a major player addressing core issues in the global cannabis industry. He added, “A while ago I was asked by a colleague, ‘how can you protect your intellectual property of the strains you develop in this industry,’ and my answer was, ‘right now, you can’t.’ But I had long thought it was very important that we develop such a system, so when the team at BLOCKStrain explained what they were doing, and how they were doing it, I was very excited.”

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

• Anticipated network of 1,000 self-service digital payment kiosks in California
• Cross-border payment solution between the U.S. and Latin America
• A joint venture of cutting-edge digital payment solutions and strategic leadership in growth finance strategy

QPAGOS (OTCQB: QPAG), a U.S.-based provider of digital payment services in Mexico, and DPW Holdings, Inc. (NYSE American: DPW), a diversified holding company, have agreed to establish a joint venture to launch a network of 1,000 self-service digital payment kiosks in California (http://ibn.fm/kojR8). This joint venture is contingent upon expected operating, credit facility and supply agreements with Innovative e-Payment Solutions, LLC on or before July 1, 2018. Innovative e-Payment Solutions will work to leverage QPAGOS’s digital payment solutions with DPW’s strategic leadership to maximize this joint venture’s growth potential.

These cutting-edge digital payment kiosks will feature consumer payment to an anticipated library of over 10,000. These kiosks are an innovative cross-border payment solution between the U.S. and Latin America that will provide solutions between consumers and participating vendors, utilities and service providers, actively accepting both domestic and international payments. It is anticipated that these kiosks will provide access to mobile top up service, money transfers, cryptocurrency purchases and payments and micro lending transactions.

QPAGOS is already recognized as the leading kiosk self-service payment solution in Mexico and other countries and is excited by this new joint venture to enter the U.S. market. The U.S. is primed for growth and innovation of digital payment options, making this an optimal time to enter the market.

In a news release, Gaston Pereira, CEO of QPAGOS, stated, “We are thrilled to have been chosen by DPW Holdings, Inc. as their strategic technology partner in this endeavor. Our technology, successfully deployed in Mexico and a dozen of other countries, should provide Innovative e-Payment Solutions with a unique competitive advantage, allowing it to cater to specific consumer needs for both domestic and cross-border payments.”

DPW Holdings, Inc. is a diversified holding company with a growth strategy of acquiring undervalued assets, disruptive technologies, sustainable solutions and exciting ventures for incubation and development to their full potential for long-term growth and investor returns. The company has a profound understanding of growth finance strategy and a 20-year track record of activist investment.

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

• Non-disclosure contract will identify economic prospects of Irgon Pegmatite Dike
• Company identifies additional “lithium soil anomaly” of interest on Cat Lake-Winnipeg River site
• Lithium continues to garner interest amid environmentally conscious drive to transform auto industry

A recently signed NDA contract through which spodumene mineralization at QMC’s Irgon Project located in Manitoba’s bountiful Cat Lake-Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field serves as evidence that QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (OTC: QMCQF) (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) continues to advance toward the eventual reboot of a lithium mine that was shuttered some six decades ago. This news release announcing the agreement states that an Asia-based manufacturing company will test Irgon lithium (spodumene) mineralization identified during recent channel sampling at the site to ascertain if it “meets end-use requirements of the manufacturer’s customers.”

QMC announced the NDA agreement, by which the company is bound to a contractual non-disclosure of details, following recent news which documented impressive channel sampling results and the completion of 3-D modeling of the historical development. “Recent assay results received from the 2017 channel sampling program were very positive, supporting the original development work on the dike … with very encouraging individual sample grades of up to 4.31%, 4.0% and 3.05% Li2O over one-metre sample intervals.” These data indicate the potential to define additional untapped tonnage along the eastern and western strike extensions of the Irgon Dike, outside the area where historical (1950s) exploration was carried out by The Lithium Corporation of Canada Ltd. (“LCOC”) (http://ibn.fm/usr1M).

The company’s news release also notes that its reevaluation of historical assessment reports produced by the nearby Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada (“TANCO”) led it to identify an additional exploration target encompassing “a large, untested lithium soil anomaly” more than 3,600 feet long and up to 1,150 feet wide across the southern part of the property. QMC will focus in on this lithium soil anomaly, identified but never tested by TANCO when it held title to the property in the 1970s. Several lithium-bearing pegmatite dikes have been identified along the eastern and western peripheries of this anomaly located south of the Irgon Dike. This suggests the potential for discovery of additional lithium resources that may be the source of this lithium soil anomaly.

QMC has hired SGS Canada (“SGS”) to provide technical support and consulting services for the company’s field exploration and drilling program this year, and SGS will prepare a technical report compliant with current NI 43-101 standards that is expected to confirm and potentially increase the historical resource.

Lithium has become the subject of a precious metals race as world governments seek ways to limit the environmental harm from fossil fuel pollutants emitted thanks to the pervasive and insatiable need for rapid transit around the globe. Electric vehicles are gaining new gravitas through Renault in France and Britain’s plans to end the sale of petroleum-consuming vehicles by 2040 (http://ibn.fm/aEdUi), as well as through strong EV-promoting regulations in China and California, for example. Lithium is a key to current EV battery technology, thanks to its ability to efficiently process a large amount of energy with a low amount of counterproductive heat.

The historical assays of QMC’s site conducted by LCOC in 1955 show underground channel sampling results of up to 2.3 percent lithium oxide over 7.3 feet, with overall reported historical resource of 1.2 million tons grading 1.51 percent lithium oxide over a strike length of 1,198 feet and to a depth of 700 feet (http://ibn.fm/wZJbP). However, the results were not reported in a manner that meets the criteria of modern regulations for identifying the potential economic feasibility of a mining venture that may appeal for public investment, hence the need to investigate the current state of the property and produce a report consistent with Canada’s NI 43-101 standards.

“This historical estimate is believed to be based on reasonable assumptions, and neither the company nor the QP has any reason to contest the document’s relevance and reliability,” the company’s news release stated this month. “Although the historical estimates are believed to be based on reasonable assumptions, they were calculated prior to the implementation of National Instrument 43-101. These historical estimates do not meet current standards. Consequently, the issuer is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves.”

Eventual determination of whether the lithium surveys qualify as mineral resources or mineral reserves would indicate their readiness to be extracted in an economically feasible manner.

In addition to its rare-metal (Li, Cs, Ta, Nb, Rb, Be) Irgon Mine Property, QMC Quantum Minerals holds title to two base metal resource properties that may prove to be economically profitable (http://ibn.fm/RJCnT). The two properties, collectively known as the Namew Lake District Project, encompass about 23,000 hectares (57,000 acres) and are located in the prolific, metal-rich Flin Flon/Snow Lake Volcanic Massive Sulphide (“VMS”) mining district of Northwestern Manitoba.

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

• An industry pioneer, master grower and premier breeder of new cannabis strains, Pedro has a history of participating in Canada’s legalized cannabis industry since 2003
• Robert Galarza, DNAX CEO, says Pedro brings expertise to board as company develops its software platform for licensed producers and industry stakeholders
• Pedro seeks protection for growers’ intellectual property (IP) and ability of government to “track and trace” cannabis shipments, two issues that are the focus of DNAX’s software

BLOCKStrain Technology Corp. (TSX.V: DNAX) has named Derek Pedro, an industry veteran of the legalized cannabis industry in Canada, to its advisory board. For joining the advisory board, Pedro will receive 500,000 stock options.  A master grower, Pedro is particularly interested in protection of the IP of cannabis producers, as well as governmental tracking of cannabis shipments worldwide. These are issues that DNAX solves with its proprietary system, he says (http://ibn.fm/Ay8OP).

Based in Vancouver, Canada, DNAX has developed the first integrated blockchain platform to both register and track cannabis from genome to sale. The goal is to protect the IP of growers while reinforcing the integrity and safety of the product. Further, it is intended to ensure that product licensing is accurate and provide assurance of revenue, offering transparency and a strain variety protection platform.

Referring to Pedro in a news release, Robert Galarzo, DNAX CEO, said, “He is both a pioneer and a legend in this industry, and his knowledge of strain genetics and production systems is incredibly beneficial to us as BLOCKStrain builds and adapts its platform for Licensed Producers and other industry stakeholders in Canada.”

IP protection for cannabis companies and “track and trace” for cannabis shipments by governments are both important to Pedro, who has been a premier breeder of new cannabis strains.

“BLOCKStrain’s system addresses both these issues with a very elegant solution, and I have no doubt that this company and its software will play a major role in the growth of the legal cannabis industry, not just in Canada, but around the world,” Pedro added.

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

• Company announces Stephen Gould Corp. as the new fulfillment and distribution partner to support Elevacity Global
• Success of debut contributed to the flawless execution of go-to-market strategy, in addition to quality products and training
• Stephen Gould Corp. excited about partnering with young company and impressive team

Sharing Services, Inc. (OTC: SHRV), a diversified holding company specializing in the direct selling industry, recently announced that it has appointed Stephen Gould Corp. as the new fulfillment and distribution partner to support its wholly owned subsidiary, Elevacity Global. By consolidating the fulfillment and distribution process with the company’s in-house personnel, Sharing Services CEO John “JT” Thatch estimates a savings of 58 percent from the current model and faster fulfillment of orders for customers. “We interviewed several companies in the selection process to find the right partner and feel that Stephen Gould can best service Elevacity Global’s current rapid growth cycle and will be a valuable asset as we look to expand internationally in the coming months,” Thatch stated in a recent press release (http://ibn.fm/ZUbuz).

Elevacity is a company created to elevate the consumer’s health, wealth and happiness through patented nutritional products that are coupled with virtual success training and integrated with a unique rewards program. The company offers products such as ketogenic coffee creamer, appetite suppressants, skincare products and nutritional supplements. This health-and-wellness company is a newly debuted division of SHRV utilizing the direct selling power of home-based independent sales representatives called ‘Elepreneurs.’ The debut of Elevacity contributed to SHRV’s significant sales growth in March. Thatch attributes the success of the debut and sales growth to the Elepreneurs flawless execution of a go-to-market strategy coupled with quality products and training.

“We are excited about our new strategic partnership with Elevacity Global. They are a young company with an impressive team and growth outlook. We look forward to establishing a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership in which we will be able to provide them with a complete end-to-end solution, beginning with packaging design/development, kitting, pick and pack and all needed logistics and warehousing required. Stephen Gould and Elevacity will take full advantage of the partnership by utilizing the products and services that are needed today and the ability to rapidly ramp up for the growth that we see based on their business model and projections,” added Todd D. Harmon, senior division leader of Stephen Gould.

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

• ChineseInvestors.com is a leading financial information website
• The company is ready to launch its online Bitcoin Trading Academy
• Bitcoin Trading Academy will provide live account executives to serve its customers

A fintech company headquartered in San Gabriel, California, ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (OTCQB: CIIX) focuses on providing financial information and services. ChineseInvestors.com is a leading financial information portal that provides real-time market commentary and analysis, as well as education-related services, to Chinese-speaking investors, all in Chinese language character sets. ChineseInvestors.com’s focus is also on providing advertising and public relations-related support services to companies interested in reaching that large and unique market. In June, ChineseInvestors.com hosted the opening ceremony for its new Flushing, New York, office, with close to 60 guests attending, including city council officials.

Recently, Warren Wang, CEO of ChineseInvestors.com, talked about the company’s pending launch of its Bitcoin Trading Academy when he spoke with Donald Baillargeon of MoneyTV. Per the interview, the Academy will launch in July, and the company will promote its bilingual (English and Chinese) website (bta168.io) in Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, and throughout Malaysia).

The Bitcoin Trading Academy will educate investors regarding bitcoin, cryptocurrency and blockchain. The Academy’s emphasis will on providing first-rate information to those who have heard of these terms regarding decentralized digital currency but remain unfamiliar with how it really works.

In essence, the Bitcoin Trading Academy will educate investors on how to be adept at utilizing this fast-developing medium of exchange. The platform will be like a private club in that ChineseInvestors.com will first test it with its clients and investors. It will not be open to the general public. The company will invite its customers to use the innovative bitcoin learning platform.

ChineseInvestors.com is targeting an audience demographic ranging from 35-70 years old. The Bitcoin Trading Academy will offer a variety of courses. An example of courses includes Basic Fundamentals, What are Wallets and Technical Analysis. The company will provide its customers with live account executives on the Bitcoin Trading Academy platform as part of its commitment to providing premier customer service. In addition, users will have a 1-800 number available to call to address their questions and concerns.

ChineseInvestors.com will charge a yearly fee of $300-$500 to use its service. Furthermore, the company will give all those who open an account in Asia (non U.S. investors) zero-fee, commission-free access for all of their particular trading activity. This will be for a specific time frame, for example a six-month period or more.

The interest in cryptocurrency and its possibilities is compelling investors to investigate it further. BitStarz.com notes that, “Bitcoin is what’s leading the crypto market and will likely do so long into the future” (http://ibn.fm/EAtdB). ChineseInvestors.com is poised to leverage this interest and teach investors with its upcoming Bitcoin Trading Academy.

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

• The events industry generated over $330 billion in direct sales in 2016, with huge potential for growth in this field
• Net Element also exploring innovative technologies like blockchain for the purpose of enhancing its payment solution portfolio
• Company focusing on a partnership and an expansion on the Russian market enabling it to explore new markets that have yet to develop innovative payment solutions

Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE), a global technology and value-added solutions group, is providing innovative payment solutions for the events industry while also expanding its presence in Russia. The aim of both initiatives is to carve a space in previously underserved niches, according to a company audio press release (http://ibn.fm/Mkf9l).

The company is known for its payment-as-a-service transactional services platform targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises. It is operational in the U.S., as well as a number of select emerging markets.

As the global payments industry is thriving, companies like Net Element are offering innovative ways for payment management. Its operations are through various subsidiaries, enabling the provision of payment services in an array of industries. Unified Payments, one of the Net Element subsidiaries, has been rated among the fastest growing companies in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine. The company has developed an award-winning payment solution, tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized clients.

The Unified Payments development is specifically formulated for the needs of operators in the events industry (http://ibn.fm/jVkGD). Through integration with point-of-sale systems and kiosks and through multi-channel payment capabilities, the system creates a comprehensive and seamless payment option. The Unified Payments solution provides added bonuses for users in the form of Fast Pass Funding (a same-day funding service) and Zero Pay (a cash payment discount program).

In 2016, the events industry generated over $330 billion in direct spending (http://ibn.fm/uaR2w) and $845 billion in business sales. There were over 1.9 million meetings held over the course of the year, attended by more than 251 million people. The meetings sector supported more direct jobs than the entire manufacturing sector, making it an industry with tremendous potential for growth.

To increase the scope of its services, Net Element has also embraced new technologies and reached out to markets like Russia.

Recently, the company released a proprietary multi-channel payments platform called Netevia, providing a system for effortless connection between merchants and customers. Netevia unifies payments across different channels and it can effortlessly integrate with an array of platforms to streamline everyday financial transactions that businesses have to address. On June 12, Net Element announced an extension of the Netevia platform to include a smart solution aimed at enabling secure vendor payments (http://ibn.fm/CikEs).

While these payment solutions are becoming available on existing markets, Net Element is also spreading across new parts of the world. PayOnline, a Net Element subsidiary, announced a partnership in Russia with Bank Sputnik. The company will be offering a multi-channel payment facilitator to small and medium-sized businesses. Currently, business operators in Russia do not have access to a similar solution.

The digital payments market in Russia is expected to grow at a rapid pace. According to a World Bank report (http://ibn.fm/yYyeC), Russia is one of the countries that can benefit the most from a digital transformation. The ecommerce sector remains underdeveloped, but the potential for expansion is significant. The Russian digital payments sector was valued at $27.9 billion in 2016 (http://ibn.fm/Mo4re) and is expected to reach a volume of $39.5 billion by the end of 2018.

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

• EV battery market set to triple to $67.7 billion by 2022
• Asian dominance in Li-ion batteries prompting pushback in Europe and North America
• Large battery manufacturing projects now underway by Tesla in North America and Northvolt in Europe

Asian dominance of lithium battery manufacture is causing concern. That disquiet became even more acute after Bosch announced in March 2018 that it had abandoned plans to make batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), highlighting the challenges faced by North American and European manufacturers as they seek to retain market share. The German industrial giant said that it would cost too much “to reach its target of creating 200 gigawatt-hours of manufacturing capacity a year,” output capacity estimated at around one-fifth of the EV and stationary storage markets by 2030. Reuters labelled the move “a blow to European politicians and car manufacturers who have called for companies to band together to create a regional battery cell producer to compete with Asian players such as Samsung and Panasonic.” Not everyone is throwing in the towel, however. There are plans afoot in Sweden to build what would be Europe’s largest lithium-ion battery factory. Major customers that close would certainly be good fortune for QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (OTC: QMCQF) (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ). The junior exploration company is proposing to re-open the historic Irgon lithium mine located within the Cat Lake-Winnipeg River pegmatite field of Manitoba, Canada.

Asian hegemony of lithium battery manufacture is complete. The top five producers, who together claim 63 percent of the global market, are either Chinese, Japanese or South Korean. After Q1 2018 sales, Panasonic Sanyo of Japan remains top dog with a market share of 21.1 percent. Second is Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited of China with 14.4 percent, and LG Chem of South Korea is in third place with 10.6 percent. BYD Auto of China (11 percent) and South Korea’s Samsung (5.6 percent) grab the fourth and fifth spots, respectively (http://ibn.fm/JK4WT).

Yet, the global lithium-ion battery market is really only now developing and is projected to grow to $67.7 billion by 2022, three times its present size (http://ibn.fm/4qHDl). Naturally, much of this growth will be fueled by rising demand for EVs. In 2016, the automotive sector’s share in the lithium-ion battery market was at 25 percent. That figure will undoubtedly rise, since lithium-ion batteries can account for as much as 50 percent of the total cost of an EV.

It is developments in the EV market like this that prompted Bosch’s botched foray into lithium batteries (http://ibn.fm/0D6tq), but the Germans are not the only ones now licking their wounds. Earlier this year, Chicago grid equipment company S&C Electric announced that it was winding down its battery manufacturing line of business, and GE has also scrapped plans to launch its Durathon brand. Still, the Europeans seemed determined to hold the fort. In early May 2018, Swedish battery cell maker Northvolt announced that it would begin building Europe’s largest lithium-ion battery cell factory, a facility that will require a tremendous amount of lithium. Its CEO, former Tesla executive Peter Carlsson, has planned a project as big as Tesla’s Gigafactory in the Nevada desert. He is targeting an annual cell production equivalent to 32 gigawatt-hours by 2023 (http://ibn.fm/HwhVd).

Those lithium supplies may come from QMC Quantum Minerals. The company is exploring for lithium at Cat Lake, where its property hosts several rare-element granitic pegmatite occurrences, including the Irgon Dike. The Irgon Lithium Mine Project, located immediately north of Cat Lake, Manitoba, is also home to several other pegmatite dikes rich in lithium (Li), with accompanying cesium (Cs), tantalum (Ta) and beryllium mineralization. The former owner of the property, the Lithium Corporation of Canada Limited, carried out substantial underground developmental work on the Irgon Dike, and the deposit is estimated to contain a historical resource of more than 1.2 million tons of spodumene-bearing pegmatite grading at 1.51 percent lithium oxide. Overall, the Irgon Property, which hosts the Irgon Dike occurrence and several other known pegmatite dikes, is comprised of 13 adjoining mineral claims covering 6,538 acres.

QMC’s portfolio also includes two volcanic massive sulphide (VMS) properties – the Rocky Lake and Rocky-Namew, known collectively as the Namew Lake District Project – which contain base metal-rich mineral deposits. These claims extend over approximately 23,000 hectares (~57,000 acres) in one of Canada’s most productive mining regions – the Flin Flon/Snow Lake VMS mining district of Northwestern Manitoba, Canada.

As Western producers struggle to stay in the lithium-ion battery game, junior explorers like QMC will begin to take on increasing supply and strategic importance, particularly if trade arrangements are affected by questions of national security.

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

• Developments in information technology are revitalizing the staid energy industry
• Convergence of smart controls, home building automation and energy solutions
• Zenergy’s ‘Zero Cost Program’ may reduce energy costs by up to 60 percent

To the casual observer, Zenergy Brands, Inc. (OTC: ZNGY) may look like just another utility company; however, there is more to this Texan outfit than meets the eye. The company appears to be singlehandedly creating an entirely new industry built on the convergence of the young and the old—a sector that melds fast developing internet trends such as smart controls with energy consumption and conservation. Traditional energy companies employ traditional energy conservation methods. You will find reminders to turn your lights off when not in use on their websites and bills or prompts to buy fluorescent bulbs. No doubt, such methods work for domestic installations; however, industrial and commercial enterprises require more robust solutions, such as those offered by Zenergy. The company’s suite of cost-saving energy solutions employing smart controls is now available to corporate customers across America.

Developments in information technology are disrupting the status quo, destroying some industries while creating others. No business sector, it seems, lies beyond the reach of the technological changes of the digital age. The management team at Zenergy embraces these changes. Its members believe that we are at the embryonic stages of changes that are going to impact and sweep across the home alarm, smart controls, building automation systems (BAS) and retail energy services sectors and sub-sectors. Moreover, they expect these market sectors to be consolidated and expanded over the next decade, which will result in the amalgamation of diverse business areas such as smart controls, home building automation, energy consumption, and energy conservation and efficiency. It will be a convergence driven by developments in the Internet of Things (IoT) sphere and advances in hardware peripherals and devices. A few examples are worthy of note: on-site battery storage from upstart companies such as Orison Energy, smart appliances by Samsung, smart doorbells, LED lighting and, of course, voice-controlled smart devices such as Amazon’s Echo (Alexa). These emerging smart energy solutions offer small businesses a variety of ways to improve their bottom line.

Zenergy’s flagship ‘Zero Cost Program’ is one such solution. It allows corporate clients to upgrade their energy gadgets to more efficient, cost-reducing appliances, at no additional expense. The program reduces utility bills by 20-60 percent by furnishing energy conservation, smart controls and efficiency-based products and services to residential, commercial, industrial and municipal end-use customers, without requiring any upfront expenditure. The ‘Zero Cost Program’ is a turnkey solution that enables the upgrade of older, inefficient energy infrastructure and allows the retrofit of HVAC and refrigeration motor controllers, load factor improvement technologies, building-envelope-based technologies, weatherization-based technologies, smart controls, LED lighting and other energy-saving solutions, all at no upfront or backend cost to the customer.

The program was developed based on an industry standard contract known as a Managed Energy Services Agreement (“MESA”). Under the MESA, Zenergy will act as an intermediary between the customer and the utility and take on the obligation to develop, finance and maintain all energy efficiency measures and equipment that the company installs. The MESA is expected to last a minimum of five years, with an average of seven years’ duration, which means that each installation could potentially provide a stream of revenue lasting seven years. The company has currently completed four such installations and is aiming to complete fifty more soon.

Zenergy also plans to enter the retail electricity market. Under the terms of an agreement between Zenergy’s wholly owned subsidiary, Zenergy Power & Gas and Enertrade, the former will acquire 85 percent of Enertrade. Though this acquisition, Zenergy will become a Retail Electric Provider (REP).

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