• Company’s Hyperledger Agri-Blockchain-based system will facilitate informational transparency and efficiency within the agriculture and food industries
• Hyperledger Agri-Blockchain solution will enable food producers to pinpoint the exact origins of food contamination and launch narrow and focused product recalls
• Pacific Software’s other development efforts include Hyperledger blockchain solutions for the cannabis and pharmaceutical markets

The old adage says, “You are what you eat.” As food recalls and food-related illness outbreaks continue to make national headlines, consumers are more concerned than ever about what they’re eating—particularly where their food comes from and what it contains. A lack of transparency, data-keeping efficiency, information integrity and more within the food industry continues to exacerbate consumer insecurities regarding food products. However, one enterprising company aims to help solve these problems and bring transparency to the food chain through the cutting-edge technology of blockchain.

Pacific Software, Inc. (OTC: PFSF) is a master licensor of Hyperledger blockchain-based systems, focusing on developing systems with high throughput transaction processing, traceability or tracking, visibility or monitoring, and transparency throughout the supply and value chains. Through a working relationship with IBM, Pacific Software has gleaned deep learnings from a vast array of public and private supply chain implementations to leverage a variety of technologies.

One of the applications that Pacific Software, Inc. is currently developing is its Hyperledger blockchain-based technology, which may have far-reaching benefits for the agriculture and food industries. The use of its “Agri-Blockchain” will make it possible to track the provenance of food products from the buyer all the way back to the producer, including making available verified information regarding chain of custody and the issuing, validation and auditing of certificates.

Currently, the company’s Agri-Blockchain development efforts are targeting “farm-to-table” beef exports, with the aim of increasing export transparency and diminishing the terrifying “zombie meat” problem and health risks associated with the shipping of tainted meat. This, however, is just the launch point for Pacific Software’s Agri-Blockchain technology, which can be used to track all manner of exports and has far-reaching applications within the food industry to help ensure the safety and quality of all types of food products.

Pacific Software, Inc.’s solution will not only provide consumers with reassuring transparency and verified, tamper-proof information regarding where their food has come from; it can also save companies significant time and resources when one of their food products is subject to a recall. In the case of food contamination, for instance, this blockchain-based technology can pinpoint the exact origin of the contamination and facilitate a narrow and focused recall of affected products.

When it comes to imported food products, transparency and trust are often lacking at present. The majority of compliance data and information is currently stored on paper or in decentralized databases, leaving the data vulnerable to various informational problems, including fraud, corruption, error (both on paper and in IT systems), lack of digital record integrity (due to both human error and data tampering), double-spending of certificates and more. The current system is not only vulnerable and inefficient; it is expensive. With blockchain technology, costs are lowered substantially, and efficiency is significantly enhanced.

The application of blockchain technology can significantly enhance existing B2B integration technologies like EDI, XML and API-based B2B, providing a new shared visibility overlay for transaction and information flows. The current B2B workflow via EDI or any other B2B application is inefficient and hard to trace, lacking transparency and discouraging information sharing. It’s also insecure and prone to hacking. In contrast, integrating blockchain to B2B:

• enables shared ledgers, augmenting point-to-point communications with a new multiparty visibility overlay for information and event flows;
• is decentralized and distributed, shared by multiple parties with high fault tolerance;
• is transparent;
• facilitates immutable and irreversible transactions; and
• is faster, cheaper and better overall.

Pacific Software, Inc.’s efforts to develop a blockchain-based solution for the agricultural and food industries includes Internet of Things (IoT) integration, which is expected to allow the gathering and sharing of invaluable information about food products.

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

• Direct health care treatment for chronic health conditions totaled $1.1 trillion in 2016
• Total economic impact of $3.7 trillion in health care costs for chronic diseases in U.S. equivalent to nearly 20 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product
• Medical research into CBD-based therapies to treat epilepsy and other neuropsychiatric disorders holds great promise for affected individuals
• Development of CBD-based drug delivery platform that’s able to cross blood brain barrier via nasal route

Health sciences company PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H) is developing innovative options for preventive and curative therapies using some of nature’s most compelling and creative pathways. Consider, for instance, PreveCeutical’s approach to delivering the healing properties of cannabidiol (“CBD”) in an innovative formula created specifically for administration via the nasal pathways. The company’s Sol-gel delivery platform is expected to be the first sustained-release, CBD-based nose-to-brain delivery system targeting a range of indications including epileptic seizures, inflammation, pain and other neurological disorders, an article discussing the research states (http://ibn.fm/BI7QP).

Chronic diseases and recurring health care issues are taking an increasingly bigger piece of the economic pie and disrupting the lives of many millions of people. U.S. health care costs for chronic diseases totaled $1.1 trillion in 2016 and balloon to $3.7 trillion when lost economic productivity is calculated into the total economic impact. According to a new report by Grand View Research, people around the world, along with their governments, are starting to take notice of alternative medicines and forms of therapy for chronic ailments and long-term pain (http://ibn.fm/HSiuZ). The complementary and alternative medicine market is expected to generate revenue of more than $196 billion by 2025, the report states.

PreveCeutical is dedicated to developing preventative medical therapies based on the recognized health benefits of natural substances. A key component of its research and development program is the development of its sustained-release Sol-gel drug delivery platform, which would allow CBD-based therapies to become optimally bioavailable to patients dealing with a wide range of debilitating conditions.

The company’s Sol-gel drug delivery research program is being undertaken at the University of Queensland, Australia. The program is being conducted by PreveCeutical’s research partner, the Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence, and is led by PreveCeutical Chief Research Officer Dr. Harendra Parekh. Permits that allow the Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence at the University of Queensland to import cannabis plant material for research purposes have been secured from the Australian government’s Department of Health, and testing is underway (http://ibn.fm/C4wYd).

Adding to the progression of the research is the recent signing of a non-disclosure agreement with a globally recognized drug delivery device manufacturer for the supply of spray devices for the Sol-gel CBD-based therapies. Engineered Sol-gels present an ideal platform for these therapies, as they are in‑solution upon administration and rapidly gel upon contact with mucosal tissue. Additionally, Sol-gels will provide for safer and more reliable drug delivery of agents, such as CBD, that are rapidly metabolized or that would benefit from direct nose-to-brain CNS (central nervous system) delivery, a news release states.

As noted in a Crystal Equity Research Report on PreveCeutical (http://ibn.fm/K6Ssf), there is a growing global interest in alternative drug delivery methods, such as the company’s Sol-gel nose-to-brain delivery platform. PreveCeutical’s groundbreaking Sol-gel delivery system displays significant benefits to the patient, as it bypasses first pass metabolism in the stomach, intestines and liver, exhibiting a dramatic improvement in bioavailability. Sol-gels could offer a number of advantages over conventional liquid nasal sprays, including sustained delivery and therapeutic effects, reduced dosage requirements and reduced irritation and other negative side effects.

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

• Growing worldwide market for nootropics as a safe way for people to boost brain function and earn a competitive edge
• Non-prescription cognitive enhancers officially became a billion-dollar industry in 2015
• Koios, via its GMP-certified and FDA-compliant lab, has developed nootropic products that are made only with high-quality, natural ingredients and are available prescription-free
• Koios is available in stores and online and is distributed worldwide

Koios Beverage Corp. (CSE: KBEV) develops and distributes nature-based products that boost brain function, enhance health, and improve productivity. Its core vision is to help a billion people worldwide live more productively through the development of nootropics, which are supplements that improve cognitive abilities.

The company’s flagship product, Koios, is a GMP-certified dietary supplement. Made from natural ingredients and backed by science, Koios is designed to improve focus, memory, mental drive, clarity and energy. The company produces Koios in the following formulations:

• Powder supplements containing nootropics as well as caffeine and lion’s mane and chaga mushrooms;
• Vegan-friendly capsules;
• Canned beverages containing nootropics along with MCT oil to burn fat and increase metabolism.

Not to be mistaken with prescription-only drugs which are at times used for similar effects, nootropics are over-the-counter dietary supplements; some of which, like Koios, contain ingredients that are currently used in the treatment of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The global field of nootropics is growing rapidly and expected to reach USD $6,059.4 Mn by 2024 with a CAGR of 17.9 percent from 2016 to 2024.

According to media reports, there is believed to be significant and growing use of nootropics among high-achieving students and professionals. The UK’s leading Guardian newspaper found that nootropics are commonly used in Silicon Valley by computer industry professionals who want to “hack” their minds and maximize their productivity without any possible negative effects on the brain.

Koios was born out of the personal struggles of its founder and CEO, Chris Miller, who has ADHD. Miller found that the symptoms of his condition held him back when navigating the competitive modern workplace. Unhappy with the effects of the Adderall he was prescribed, Chris began a search for a natural remedy that would improve his attention and mental capacity.

Speaking of his struggles at this time, Miller says, “Coffee and energy drinks were no longer helping me. Eventually, I was drinking so much caffeine that I was beginning to notice negative and troubling health effects.” He adds, “I believed there had to be a better way. Better technology that the earth was providing that I could implement and not only boost my daily performance but take care of my brain and body long-term.” After years of experiments and with the help of leading scientists, he developed Koios, named after the Greek Titan who represented rational intelligence.

Koios contains the following ingredients, among others:

• Vitamin B12: Crucial for the function of the nervous system and the synthesis of DNA, B12 also helps in the creation of red blood cells.
• Vitamin B6: This vitamin is crucial for brain development among children and brain function in adults. B6 is also important in the production of key hormones: serotonin, which regulates mood, norepinephrine, which helps us handle stress, and dopamine.
• Huperzine A: Developed from the Chinese club moss plant, huperzine A is used on Alzheimer’s patients to boost their memories. It is also used to raise energy levels and alertness and is the subject of medical trials to test its efficacy when combined with other drugs.
• Bacopa: Also known as brahmi, bacopa is an Indian herb used in Ayurvedic medicine to improve concentration and memory. Modern science has recognized its effectiveness, and it is used to treat symptoms caused by Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD and anxiety.
• Ciwujia: Sports scientists have been interested in this herb since they heard of how mountain climbers in Tibet use it to boost their performance at high altitudes. Peer-reviewed research has shown that Ciwujia has clear positive effects on endurance.

A full breakdown of Koios’ active ingredients is available on the company website.

Additionally, safety is paramount for Koios, with all its products developed in a high-grade nutraceutical laboratory which is GMP-certified and in compliance with FDA guidelines. Koios only uses high-quality ingredients sourced from the best possible locations in order to deliver a product that is not only safe but also “one of the world’s greatest nootropic blends.”

The company’s products can be found online and in stores, both across the United States and internationally, via a continuously growing distribution network.

Koios CEO Chris Miller is supported by a team with strong credentials in medical supplement start-ups, corporate finance and sales, which includes CFO/Director Anthony Jackson, Director Scott Walters, Director Konstantine Lichtenwald and Vice President of Sales Gina Burrus.

With people seeking a mental edge and cognitive boost, Koios believes that there is an opening in the market for its nature-based, over-the-counter nootropics, especially when current prescription medicines have worrying side effects.

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

• Widespread global use of smartphones make them an ideal marketing platform
• Samsung is number one in smartphone market
• FANDOM SPORTS App approved for Samsung Galaxy App Store

The digital age has made the smartphone almost as ubiquitous as water on the planet. Go where you might; it’s unlikely you’ll be very far from mobile service. Even those attempting to scale Mt. Everest will be able to use their mobile phones, as far up as base camp, set at 18,000 feet, more than halfway up the mountain’s 29,029-foot peak. Such widespread adoption makes the smartphone the ideal vehicle to market and distribute a product, like the one being offered by FANDOM SPORTS Media Corp. (CSE: FDM) (OTCQB: FDMSF) (FRANKFURT: TQ42). The company has announced that its Android version mobile sports app has gained Galaxy App Store approval. Acceptance into the Samsung Galaxy App Store will ensure high quality exposure to Android users of Galaxy versions 7, 8 & 9, as well as future versions of Samsung’s Galaxy devices (http://ibn.fm/mbgsc).

Despite its attractive associations and loyal fan base, on a global basis, the Apple brand is not first choice for many smartphone owners. That prized position is held by Samsung, which, according to Statista, shipped 317.3 million smartphones in 2017 (http://ibn.fm/3OWHu). The South Korean company has consistently outsold rivals with its Galaxy line, first introduced in April 2009. It continues in the top spot with a market share around 20 percent. Applications specially designed for its phones are available from its “Galaxy Apps” online store, which Samsung has said will ‘eventually reach more than 130 million users across 161 countries’, according to PC Magazine (http://ibn.fm/0pKJZ). On such a global platform, the FANDOM SPORTS App will undoubtedly find application to a wide variety of sports.

The app was developed to provide sports fans around the world an uncensored social media platform that will allow them to express enthusiasm for their chosen games. It brings together fans in a social media setting, which many now find more comfortable and more convenient than traditional forums of physical interaction. The app is designed to entertain sports enthusiasts with real-time, interactive content that offers bragging rights and real-life rewards. True sports addicts will appreciate the app, which allows fans to pick a fight, create their own FanFights or rule over others as they trash talk their way to victory. The FANDOM SPORTS proprietary data centric “argument engine” measures and scores opinionated dialogue and establishes consensus, giving fans and users the ability to dive deeper into one-of-a-kind cultural moments, cheer on favorite sports teams and slam dunk some sweet rewards.

To touch base with sports fans, FANDOM SPORTS Media has hired an industry leading mobile app marketing and strategy firm to conduct aggressive marketing outreach (http://ibn.fm/3HZem). The campaign is designed to increase growth and discovery, drive engagement, refine potential revenue opportunities and better position the FANDOM SPORTS App for the successful rollout of its v2 product, which is scheduled for release in early Q4 2018. The v2 product is expected to have a simultaneous Android and iOS release date, with the trash-talking theme being parlayed around a “gamified” approach, utilizing elements of the micro-betting of FANCOINS.

The company is employing the tagline, “Pick a Fight”, signaling that it intends to go about acquiring users through an appeal to their competitive instincts… an appropriate strategy in the land of free competition.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.FANDOMSPORTS.net

• New appointment expected to strengthen EVIO’s Biosciences division
• Licensed cannabis sales expected to reach $21 billion by 2021 due to industry strengthening and legislative changes
• U.S. administration signals shift on cannabis legalization, considers leaving leave the decision with each state

A leading provider of testing services for the regulated cannabis industry, EVIO Inc. (OTCQB: EVIO) announced the appointment of a new member to its board of directors on June 19, 2018. Felipe Campusano has joined the EVIO board as an independent director. Campusano has extensive experience in operating Canadian pharmacies, which could prove to be invaluable for the EVIO business environment, including the company’s new biosciences division (http://ibn.fm/grT0h).

A University of Toronto Faculty of Pharmacy graduate, Campusano has accumulated interest in over 50 Canadian pharmacies over the past 12 years. He is the founding partner of Liver Care Canada (current president) and Cannabis Care Canada. The second organization was renamed ‘National Access Cannabis Medical’ after 51 percent of the entity was sold to National Access Cannabis.

In a news release, EVIO CEO William Waldrop noted that Campusano’s insight into Canada’s pharmacy industry, as well as his knowledge of the medical cannabis sector, will prove invaluable to the EVIO business model. His expertise in pharmaceutical business management is expected to strengthen the company’s ability to foster key partnerships in the health care field.

The appointment is also expected to strengthen EVIO’s new biosciences division, which was launched at the end of May 2018. The biosciences division will support cannabinoid research, focusing on emerging health benefits and advanced delivery models. Both in vitro trials and clinical research will take place to explore combination drug therapeutics.

Both moves aim to strengthen EVIO’s position on the market. The Oregon-based company is a leading provider of cannabis testing and research, operating across North America via its EVIO Labs division to ensure both the safety and the high quality of the licensed cannabis supply in the country. Currently, the company is working toward having 18 testing facilities by the end of 2018.

These developments are in line with the evolution of the U.S. licensed cannabis industry. Even though marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, sales generated over the course of 2017 reached nearly $9 billion, according to BDS Analytics Managing Director Tom Adams, quoted by the CNN (http://ibn.fm/LVQgT). These statistics were released before the opening of the California market in January 2018 – a development that’s expected to have a massive positive impact on the industry over the year. According to Adams, national sales are expected to jump to $9 billion in 2018 and to $21 billion by 2021, due to the addition of the Californian market.

Legislative changes are expected to help the growth of the industry even further. On June 8, President Donald Trump announced that he was likely to support a legislative proposal pertaining to cannabis legalization (http://ibn.fm/S22SV). The proposal, introduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), suggests that it should be up to each individual state to decide on whether or not to legalize marijuana.

For the time being, marijuana is legal for medicinal or recreational purposes in 30 states and the District of Columbia. The new bill would enable the principle of federalism to prevail, Gardner explained. At present, a person distributing medicinal marijuana in Colorado, for example, is complying with state regulations while violating federal laws. The aim of the new bill is to overcome this dichotomy.

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

• U.S. legislation to legalize industrial hemp makes significant headway in Congress
• Non-psychoactive cannabidiol (“CBD”) extracted from industrial hemp expected to become a $1 billion market by 2020
• Industrial hemp increasingly seen as an economic boon for farmers seeking alternative agricultural revenue sources
• Cash Crop Today Investor and Business Resource Summit delivers successful launch during U.S. Hemp History Week

Global Hemp Group Inc. (CSE: GHG) (OTC: GBHPF) (FRANKFURT: GHG) has a vision when it comes to industrial hemp – “One world, one plant.”  This seemingly simple statement about an ancient plant with so many beneficial uses is ringing true to investors, business owners and entrepreneurs. Global Hemp Group CEO Charles Larsen notes that rising interest in the value of industrial hemp could be seen at the first Cash Crop Today Investor and Business Resource Summit (“IBRS”), held June 8-9 in Beverly Hills, California.

Global Hemp Group recently acquired a 50 percent equity interest in Cash Crop Today Media, LLC (http://ibn.fm/cb0uQ), which hosted the event that attracted various innovators in the industrial hemp and cannabis industries. Industrial hemp is used to make everything from apparel and foods to body care products and building materials, along with pharmaceutical and wellness products containing the non-psychoactive cannabidiol (“CBD”) extract.

“The first Investor and Business Resource Summit was a great success,” Larsen said in a news release heralding the summit that provided multiple perspectives from industry pioneers. “This was a unique opportunity to bring investors, entrepreneurs and business owners together to network and learn about the industry. We look forward to hosting the next IBRS later in the year.”

Held during U.S. Hemp History Week (June 4-10), the summit delivered intimate, in-depth discussions on licensing and permits, wholesale, distribution and financing options, as well as grounded advice for launching a prosperous business in the rapidly emerging industry. The event’s timing also coincided with legislative action taken on June 13 by the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee. The 20-to-1 vote to endorse the Farm Bill, also known as the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (http://ibn.fm/UdGdn), would move hemp out of its current Schedule I drug status and make it legal for the nation’s farmers to grow the versatile plant. While more legislative action is needed to move the bill through Congress, industry leaders are hopeful that it will be expedited, since the current version of the Farm Bill is set to expire on September 30.

It looks like the world of hemp in the U.S. is about to enter a new phase, and Global Hemp Group is making its mark in this exciting new sector (http://ibn.fm/KpWup).

Global Hemp Group is creating a strong presence in the industrial hemp industry, both in the United States and Canada, as it focuses on corporate acquisitions and joint ventures across all sectors of the hemp industry. Global Hemp Group’s portfolio features networked “soil-to-shelf” businesses that share its commitment to revitalizing and strengthening hemp’s reputation as a valued agricultural resource.

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

• 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