• As the world rapidly transitions toward electrification and renewable energy, copper has emerged as an essential metal in creating a sustainable, electrified society. 
• Aston Bay is working on promising copper projects to help meet rising demand.
• The company’s commitment to exploration positions it to supply copper for future green technologies and contribute to sustainable mining practices.

In an electrified world, the demand for copper is set to rise dramatically, emphasizing the need for robust exploration and production efforts to ensure a stable supply. Aston Bay Holdings (TSX.V: BAY) (OTC: ATBHF) is a publicly traded mineral exploration company exploring for high-grade critical and precious metal deposits, including copper.

As the world rapidly transitions toward electrification and renewable energy, copper has emerged as an essential metal in creating a sustainable, electrified society. This metal, with its excellent conductivity, durability and malleability, plays a foundational role in renewable energy systems, electric vehicles, power grids, and countless other applications that are driving the global shift toward cleaner, greener energy solutions. 

Copper’s unique conductive properties make it indispensable in virtually all electric systems. As society pivots toward renewable energy, copper’s role will become even more significant, as it is used extensively in wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles (“EVs”) and power transmission. In wind energy, copper is found in the wiring, generators and transformers that connect turbines to the grid. Solar panels rely on copper wiring to transmit energy efficiently from photovoltaic cells to storage systems or directly into the power grid.

The electric vehicle industry is another major driver of copper demand. EVs require at least double the amount of copper as traditional combustion-engine vehicles due to their batteries, inverters and extensive wiring (https://ibn.fm/eLbTD). As automakers work to meet global demand for EVs, this need for copper is expected to grow. Moreover, the infrastructure required to support EVs, such as charging stations and enhanced grid capacities, further increases copper usage.

In addition, electric power grids are undergoing modernization to handle the increased load from renewable energy sources and electric vehicles. Copper is a crucial component in grid infrastructure (https://ibn.fm/8tYRQ), enabling efficient power transmission over long distances and contributing to reliable energy storage systems that can handle fluctuating supply and demand. The electrification of public transportation, including rail systems and bus networks, also depends on copper-heavy infrastructure.

A more electrified and sustainable world offers numerous advantages, from reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to improving air quality and human health. Renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and hydroelectric power significantly lower carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels, directly combating climate change. Widespread electrification also promotes energy independence, as countries can rely more on locally sourced or renewable energy rather than imported fossil fuels, stabilizing economies and contributing to energy security.

Additionally, the transition to renewable energy and electric vehicles improves urban air quality by reducing pollutants associated with burning fossil fuels. Cleaner air can lead to fewer respiratory and cardiovascular issues among populations, creating a healthier society with potentially lower healthcare costs.

To support this transition, companies such as Aston Bay are focused on discovering and developing new copper sources. Aston Bay, a Canadian exploration company, is working on promising copper projects to help meet the rising demand. With a portfolio of projects, including the high-grade Storm Copper Project in Nunavut, Canada, Aston Bay aims to contribute significantly to the global copper supply. 

As the company develops its projects, it aligns with the urgent need for sustainable copper sources in North America and globally. The company’s commitment to exploration in remote and potentially high-grade areas positions it to supply copper for future green technologies and contribute to sustainable mining practices. As the global push toward an electrified future intensifies, efforts by exploration companies like Aston Bay are critical. By advancing copper projects, Aston Bay aims to meet both industrial demand and environmental sustainability goals, helping close the supply gap and reduce dependence on nonrenewable energy sources.

For more information, visit AstonBayHoldings.com.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to ATBHF are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/ATBHF

• Excessive operating costs contribute to high failure rate among new hospitality businesses, with many closing their doors within the first five years.
• The single biggest challenge for hospitality operators is skyrocketing labor costs and an inability to find available, reliable employees.
• Nightfood Holdings’ Future Hospitality Venture’s Robotics-as-a-Service model enables businesses a lifeline in the rapidly changing environment.

Starting a restaurant or hotel demands a substantial initial investment, creating significant barriers that many entrepreneurs find severe. However, those who fail to embrace automation face obsolescence in an increasingly cutthroat market. Integrating robotics in hospitality not only liberates businesses from extinction due to being unable to compete with those that successfully transition, but it slashes operational costs and allows for efficient handling of repetitive tasks. Nightfood Holdings (NGTF) and its subsidiary, Future Hospitality Ventures Holdings Inc., are making expensive automation attainable for operators in the hospitality sector, helping businesses adapt before it’s too late.

Costs to enter the hospitality space include acquiring a location, licenses, equipment and supplies as well as labor expenses, quickly adding up to a significant financial burden. Because the industry is labor intensive, many new establishments find themselves unable to afford the staff needed for competitive service, especially during peak hours. Additionally, rising minimum wage standards, particularly in states such as California, New York and Washington, have further impacted labor costs, making it impossible for many new ventures to turn a profit. This economic reality contributes to the excessive failure rate among new hospitality businesses, with many closing their doors within the first five years.

Enter the world of robotics. With today’s nature, this technology is not just a look into what is to come but offers the only solution to problems hospitality businesses cannot control. Additionally, kitchen robots can streamline food preparation, increasing efficiency and reducing the number of small issues that ultimately hurt businesses over time. Using service automation eliminates the fluctuations and uncertainties inherent in a gig-based labor force.

However, the set-up costs involved include not only the robots themselves but also the necessary software, installation and ongoing maintenance. As a result, many smaller enterprises face a life-and-death dilemma.

Robotics-as-a-Service (“RaaS”) offers a flexible alternative, enabling businesses to adopt robotics without excessive upfront expenses. With RaaS, businesses lease or subscribe to their automation solutions, paying a monthly or usage-based fee rather than buying the expensive equipment outright. This model allows businesses to access the benefits of robotics while maintaining liquidity and their overall livelihood.  

Nightfood Holdings’ subsidiary, Future Hospitality Ventures, has made the RaaS model accessible across the hospitality sector (https://ibn.fm/yJazN). Recently, Future Hospitality launched a line of robotic solutions targeting smaller operators, including restaurants and hotels. The company’s highly profitable RaaS business model integrates automation systems that are designed to seamlessly plug into existing operations, allowing businesses to automate customer service and back-end processes. This technology can be especially transformative for smaller businesses struggling with tight margins, as robots can perform repetitive tasks consistently and cost-effectively.

The subsidiary is working to build partnerships with franchises and institutional service providers, signaling an expansion into a wide range of establishments that need automated services. With a plug-and-play approach, Future Hospitality Ventures enables operators to adopt robotics quickly, providing access to the latest tech without the costs typically associated with automation systems.

Rapidly changing technologies do not wait for businesses to catch up. Nightfood enables hospitality operators a crucial lifeline during this time of tectonic transition. Through Future Hospitality Ventures, Nightfood is providing the technology hospitality operators need to survive in the coming years. 

Nightfood Holdings is a forward-thinking holding company dedicated to identifying and capitalizing on explosive market trends within the consumer goods, hospitality and food service sectors. The company’s mission is to create outsized upside potential in industries ripe for innovation and growth by leading newly emerging categories and seizing opportunities in markets undergoing transformational upheaval. Through these strategic initiatives, Nightfood endeavors to drive significant value and growth for its shareholders.

For more information, visit the company’s website at https://nightfood.com

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to NGTF are available in the company’s newsroom at http://ibn.fm/NGTF

President Biden has rolled out a new plan aimed at enabling the U.S. to harness AI for national security purposes amid a global race that is seeing different countries scrambling to tap this new technology for their own interests. He outlined his plans in an NSM (National Security Memo) that centered on artificial intelligence, emphasizing that the U.S. government should be at the forefront of AI development in order to ensure that it is secure, safe and trustworthy.

He called upon American agencies to strengthen their supply chains of semiconductor chips, integrate considerations of AI into any new technology plans they have while also making it a priority to gather intelligence on any foreign entities making attempts to thwart the U.S. from taking the lead in artificial intelligence. A U.S. government official asserted that the country must out-compete its enemies and take steps to mitigate any efforts of enemies focused on leveraging AI against U.S. interests.

The memo from the White House underscored the need to deploy artificial intelligence towards protecting democratic values and human rights. The memo stressed that Americans should know when systems can be trusted to perform reliably and safely.

To attain the objective of ensuring safety, the memo from the White House stipulates that relevant agencies are expected to assess, monitor and then implement measures aimed at mitigating any risks that artificial intelligence is found to present in terms of triggering discrimination and bias, privacy invasion, abusing human rights and threatening the safety of groups or individuals.

Additionally, this directive calls for the creation of a framework through which the federal government can collaborate with its allies for purposes of ensuring artificial intelligence development happens in ways which conform to existing international regulations and laws while also safeguarding fundamental freedoms and human rights.

This memo comes as the U.S. government gears up for an expected intense intelligence and military competition between world powers. This competition is expected to prominently feature AI.

It should be noted that the recently published NSM isn’t the first action that the current U.S. administration has taken in relation to AI. Last year, the president issued an executive order to curb the risks posed by AI to workers, minority groups, national security and consumers. However, several civil rights organizations complained that the government isn’t being transparent about its use of AI, and the entities urged that stronger safeguards be incorporated within the NSM.

The growth trajectory of the artificial intelligence industry looks to be just beginning, and as private corporations, security agencies and other entities scramble to leverage these technologies, the demand for various minerals used to manufacture AI chips and other AI infrastructure is set to rise rapidly. Companies like McEwen Mining Inc. (NYSE: MUX) (TSX: MUX) that produce these metals in favorable jurisdictions are well positioned to ride this boom and boost the shareholder value.

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

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to MUX are available in the company’s newsroom at http://ibn.fm/MUX

• Shift in Exploration Focus: Junior explorers traditionally fueled major metal discoveries through capital investment, but recent trends prioritize existing deposits and exhausted brownfield plays, jeopardizing future metal supply crucial for economic growth and a transition to renewable industries.
• Torr Metals’ distinct approach is focused on uncovering new district-scale copper and gold discoveries in underexplored regions, leveraging its 100% owned strategic land holdings, excellent infrastructure access, and proximity to mines owned by majors.
• Promising Project Results: Torr’s Kolos Copper-Gold Project in British Columbia and Filion Gold Project in Ontario show strong potential, with significant undrilled soil anomalies and high-grade outcrop mineralization, positioning the company for potential key breakthroughs in North America’s exploration landscape.

Time is Now for Greenfield Discoveries

Historically, junior explorers have been the lifeblood of new major metals discoveries. Investors and institutions provided the exploration capital that small companies used to find large deposits, which attracted the attention of majors that would come in to buy the junior and develop a mine. With ESG becoming a buzz word, cost controls running rampant, and technology becoming all the rage, investor interest has shifted to the detriment of young explorers and the mining faithful.

Junior explorers have long driven the discovery of new major metal deposits, fueled by investor and institutional capital that enabled them to uncover large resources, which were later acquired and developed by major mining companies. However, with ESG becoming a buzz word, cost controls running rampant, and technology becoming all the rage capital for early-stage exploration has dwindled with shifting investor focus – putting at risk new major metal discoveries essential for sustaining economic growth and meeting future resource demands.

As noted by McKinsey & Company, capital expenditures in mining plummeted from about $260 billion in 2012 to $130 billion in 2020.

Today, companies of all sizes are pouring more time and resources into squeezing value from existing deposits and heavily explored brownfield projects, most of which have yet to yield significant new results despite decades of effort – all while shying away from the higher-risk, higher-reward pursuit of finding the next potential mother lode.

This is not the M.O. of Torr Metals (TSX.V: TMET). As President and CEO Malcolm Dorsey emphasizes, Torr is pursuing cost-effective strategies with higher potential for returns, focusing on district-scale areas with low exploration maturity and strong prospects for new copper and gold discoveries. With 100% ownership of nearly 1,200 km², Torr’s projects enjoy direct highway access, proximity to power grids, and established mining infrastructure, allowing operations near local towns and cities. In short, Torr is unlocking underexplored regions with major discovery potential, where operation costs are low and mining giants are already invested with dwindling mines that will require feed.

“My background is in structural geology,” Dorsey explained in a MiningNewsWire podcast. “I like to start with the bigger picture, then scale down to pinpoint districts where I believe major new discoveries can be made. I’m not chasing after old frontiers with familiar outcomes – finding something new requires piecing together the puzzle to uncover that ‘needle in a haystack,’ which is precisely what structural geology enables. With Torr we have adjacent infrastructure and newly defined, large-scale undrilled anomalies, which sets the stage for potential breakthrough discoveries that create substantial upside for investors as we unlock fresh value in underexplored regions.”

Finding the Needle

Torr Metals is already seeing results with its strategic approach through the staking acquisition of the 240 km² Kolos Copper-Gold Project in southern BC and 261 km² Filion Gold Project in northern Ontario late last year. Next door to major highways, neither area contained more than very limited historical prospecting, paving the way for Torr to be the first to complete regional soil and rock sampling surveys, followed by a ZTEM geophysical survey on the Kolos Project. The results have been highly promising, with a 4 km-long copper-gold soil anomaly delineated on the Kolos Project, coincident with geophysical anomalies extending over a kilometer deep with outcrop mineralization yielding grades up to 0.52% Cu and 4.24 g/t Au.

That isn’t the only needle, with initial results from the Filion Project identifying six paralleling gold soil anomalies up to 1.2 km in strike-length and soil grades up to 1.32 g/t Au. In a bold push for expansion, Torr’s 2024 exploration program is testing nearly 6 km of additional strike potential, targeting 17 historical trenches along a rich trend where past sampling revealed 91.4 g/t Au over 0.3 meters in chip samples and rock grabs as high as 9.1 g/t Au. This year’s efforts aim to unlock Filion’s full untapped potential for a district-scale discovery in preparation of a planned maiden drill program in 2025.

“These findings, all of which are road-accessible and untested by drilling as they are new, highlight our abilities and success in uncovering previously unrecognized targets in underexplored prolific areas,” says Dorsey, emphasizing Torr’s commitment to advancing North America’s next district-scale copper and gold discoveries.

Fix Funding, Fix the Problem

The funding shortfall for junior mining companies in North America highlights the urgent need for the U.S. and Canada to take decisive action to secure domestic supplies of critical and precious metals. As many metals are produced at a deficit, this reliance on imports threatens economic growth and hampers the transition to a renewable energy future.

For instance, the supply-demand balance for gold remains stable, primarily due to the recycling of materials. With the U.S. considering Canada a domestic source, supporting new Canadian mines is a strategic move to meet future demand. In 2023, U.S. gold imports increased significantly to 200 metric tons, up from 138 metric tons in 2022.

A key concern is the pressing need for a sustainable domestic supply chain for essential critical minerals, which are vital for technology, renewable energy, and economic stability. Without a robust domestic mining sector, the ability to source these materials will be severely compromised, impacting industries that rely on them.

Companies like Torr Metals are stepping up to address this gap by implementing innovative exploration strategies to uncover district-scale deposits. The Canadian government has recently enacted new policy to expedite mine development, and both the President Trump and President Biden administrations have prioritized the domestic production of critical metals, highlighting the urgent need for reform.

As outlined by the National Mining Association, a comprehensive metals strategy is essential. This includes reshoring processing capabilities, strengthening partnerships, and expanding domestic metals production to secure a sustainable supply.

Junior mining companies play a vital role in discovering new mineral deposits, but their potential is constrained by inadequate funding and government support. Companies like Torr Metals are adopting forward-thinking strategies to enhance investor value while pursuing new funding opportunities, tax incentives, and streamlined permitting processes. These initiatives will facilitate the rapid development of new mines, reducing risks for investors and ensuring that critical mineral projects come to fruition.

Building a robust domestic critical metals industry is no longer just a competitive advantage—it is essential for supporting economic growth and the transition to a renewable energy future. By investing in junior mining companies and fostering domestic production, the U.S. and Canada can ensure a sustainable supply of critical metals that will drive their economies forward.

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

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to TMET are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/TMET

• Calidi’s unique OV platforms are engineered to protect and amplify virus efficacy, enhancing tumor targeting and patient safety.
• Calidi’s lead programs, CLD-101, CLD-201, and CLD-400, are advancing through key development stages, with major milestones anticipated, including Phase 1b/2 enrollment for CLD-101 in Q1 2025 and Phase 1 trials for CLD-201 expected in 2H 2024.
• The company targets a $13-15 billion U.S. market across multiple high-need cancer types, including GBM, TNBC and lung cancer.
• Calidi’s leadership team combines business, scientific and operational expertise, with a track record of successful exits and growth.

Calidi Biotherapeutics (NYSE American: CLDI) is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company pioneering proprietary technology that empowers the immune system to combat cancer. Calidi’s innovative, off-the-shelf cell-based platforms use allogeneic stem cells to deliver potent oncolytic viruses (“Ovs”) across multiple oncology indications, including high-grade glioma (brain cancers) and solid tumors. In addition, Calidi has presented a breakthrough systemic technology, RTNova, which utilizes an exteracellular enveloped virotherapy. RTNova is pre-clinical and has been extremely well-received by market analysts and large-cap biopharma – opening the door for potential collaboration.

These cell-based platforms are engineered to protect, amplify and enhance the efficacy of oncolytic viruses, resulting in improved patient safety and potentially advancing treatment outcomes for metastatic disease. By employing a dual approach that combines OV delivery with immune activation, Calidi’s therapies aim to not only treat but potentially prevent the spread of metastatic cancers.

The company’s development pipeline leverages this technology to address pressing needs in cancers such as glioblastoma (brain cancer), metastatic melanoma, triple-negative breast cancer, head & neck cancer, and lung cancer. Calidi’s approach has shown early signals of efficacy and safety, establishing it as a distinctive player in the growing OV market, which is projected to increase significantly in value over the next decade.

Calidi is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Products

Calidi’s product pipeline includes advanced cell-based platforms targeting a variety of oncology indications, each designed to harness the power of oncolytic virotherapy for improved cancer treatment outcomes.

• NeuroNova (“CLD-101”): A platform designed for treating high-grade gliomas (“HGG”), NeuroNova employs neuronal stem cells combined with an engineered adenovirus (“CRAD-s-Pk7”) to selectively target glioma cells. After a successful Phase 1 safety study in newly diagnosed HGG, NeuroNova has now progressed into Phase 1/1b trials for recurrent cases. FDA clearance for a Phase 1b/2 trial at Northwestern University was received in September 2024, with patient enrollment expected to begin in Q1 2025. This trial will utilize multiple-dose intracerebral administration to maximize safety and efficacy in newly diagnosed HGG patients.
• SuperNova (“CLD-201”): Built on Calidi’s foundational technology, SuperNova utilizes an engineered Vaccinia virus (“CAL1”) delivered via allogeneic adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells to target advanced solid tumors, including head & neck, triple-negative breast cancer, and soft tissue sarcomas. Early studies with autologous stem cells demonstrated both safety and promising efficacy, and Calidi plans to begin a Phase 1 trial with multiple dose regimens for SuperNova in the coming months.
• RTNova (“CLD-400”): Calidi’s systemic delivery platform for lung and metastatic cancers, RTNova employs an extracellular enveloped virotherapy (“envRT-01”) technology for intravenous (“IV”) administration, simplifying the treatment process and expanding its potential applications. Currently in preclinical stages, RTNova focuses on demonstrating efficacy and safety through systemic administration. A clinical trial targeting metastatic lung cancer is anticipated for Q2 2026, using a single-arm monotherapy with dose escalation. Calidi has partnered with SIGA Technologies (NASDAQ: SIGA) to support the development of this program.

Market Opportunity

The global oncology drugs market was valued at $201.75 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow to $518.25 billion by 2032, with a CAGR of 11.3%. The oncolytic virotherapy market in particular is growing rapidly, driven by increasing approval rates and significant unmet needs.

The market for OV treatments is expected to expand from one approved product generating $150 million in the U.S. in 2021 to 6-8 approved therapies generating $2.4 billion by 2030. As a leader in OV technology, Calidi is well-positioned to address these high-demand areas in oncology.

Alongside global trends, the American Cancer Society projects nearly two million new cancer diagnoses in the U.S. in 2024, reflecting a 28% increase since 2010. This underscores the urgent need for novel therapies that not only treat disease progression but also enhance patient quality of life, reinforcing the demand for Calidi’s innovative approaches.

Management Team

Allan Camaisa, CEO, Chairman and co-founder, is a seasoned leader with extensive experience in scaling businesses to successful exits. Mr. Camaisa previously led High Technology Solutions, growing it from two employees to over 500 with $50 million in revenue. He also served as CEO of Parallel6 Inc. and is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate with further studies at Harvard Business School.

Antonio Santidrian, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, leads all research and development initiatives at Calidi and is the coinventor of the company’s CLD-201 (“Supernova”) and CLD-400 (“RTNova”) platforms. Since joining Calidi in 2015, he has applied his 20+ years of expertise in academia and biotech, focusing on anti-cancer translational research, to drive the company’s innovative drug pipeline. Before Calidi, Dr. Santidrian led translational studies at The Scripps Research Institute, advancing treatments for breast cancer metastasis, and contributed to the development of ACADRA for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (“CLL”) at the University of Barcelona, Spain.

Boris Minev, M.D., President of Medical and Scientific Affairs, is a renowned physician-scientist with expertise in Immuno-Oncology, stem cell biology, and oncolytic viruses. Previously, Dr. Minev served as Director of Immunotherapy and Translational Oncology at Genelux Corporation and remains an adjunct professor at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center. His background includes research at the National Cancer Institute.

Andrew Jackson, CFO, has held executive finance roles with experience in biotech and clinical-stage companies, including Eterna Therapeutics and Ra Medical Systems. Mr. Jackson holds an MSBA in Finance from San Diego State University and a BSB in Accounting from the University of Minnesota.

For more information, visit the company’s website at https://www.calidibio.com/.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to CLDI are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CLDI

The Benzinga Future of Digital Assets and Fintech Deal Day conference is merging into a single event, uniting nearly 1,000 founders, operators, and investors at the forefront of financ

The conference’s 130+ speakers represent the full spectrum of today’s financial landscape. A list of some of the most recognized individuals includes:

• Grant Cardone: Founder and CEO of Cardone Capital, managing a $4.5 billion real estate portfolio, renowned for raising over $1.2 billion in equity via social media, bestselling author of The 10X Rule, and creator of the 10X Growth Conference, the world’s largest entrepreneur event.
• Jan van Eck: CEO of VanEck, has been a driving force behind the firm’s growth since 1991, leading its ETF business to global prominence and earning industry accolades, including ETF.com’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Mario Nawfal: Founder of IBC Group and host of one of Twitter’s largest shows that reaches millions weekly, focusing on digital assets and entrepreneurship.
• Anthony Pompliano: Founder and CEO of Professional Capital Management and host of one of the most popular finance and crypto podcasts, a well-known advocate and investor in the cryptocurrency space with regular appearances on CNBC, Fox Business, and Bloomberg.
• Dan Tapiero: Chairman, Founding Managing Partner, CEO, and CIO of 1RT, 10T & Zenrock, manages $1.4 billion across the Digital Asset Ecosystem and has co-founded several ventures, including Gold Bullion International and the Agricultural Company of America, with a strong focus on macro investing and digital assets.
• Perianne Boring: Founder and CEO of The Digital Chamber, the world’s largest blockchain trade association, advocating for policies that promote innovation, investment, and job creation, with frequent media appearances and recognition by Forbes and CoinDesk as one of the top figures in tech and blockchain.
• Maja Vujinovic: A seasoned investor and innovator in emerging technologies, specializing in blockchain, AI, and digital payments, with a global track record that includes leading blockchain initiatives at GE, facilitating Tether’s first bank acquisition, and guiding $4B in investments through her company, OGroup.
• Dan Morehead: Founder of Pantera Capital, a leading blockchain investment firm managing over $1 billion in assets, previously Head of Macro Trading and CFO at Tiger Management, and Goldman Sachs’ first Asset-Backed Securities trader, with a magna cum laude degree in Civil Engineering from Princeton.

Building on the success of last year’s event, this year’s promises even more industry-defining collaborations. Attendees can connect with hundreds of capital markets leaders during high-impact networking sessions and roundtables. The conference has facilitated over 4,000 one-on-one meetings in the past through its speed networking format, building game-changing relationships with industry titans.

“This isn’t just another fintech and digital assets conference,” says Jason Raznick, CEO of Benzinga. “We’re bringing together traditional finance veterans and digital innovators to shape the future of capital markets. Last year’s event led to multiple major partnership announcements, and we expect even more groundbreaking collaborations this year.”

The Future of Digital Assets and Fintech Deal Day conferences offer an unmatched opportunity to gain insights, interact with industry leaders and trailblazers, and stay ahead of emerging trends.

Register now at https://ibn.fm/DigitalAssets2024Discount to guarantee your spot. Early registration is recommended, as space is limited, and previous events have sold out.

To learn more, please visit https://ibn.fm/3J1iu (use discount code “IBN20” for 20% off).

• Brera Holdings leverages a unique muti-club ownership strategy, expanding its global portfolio of men’s and women’s sports clubs, especially in emerging markets of Africa and Asia, as well as in Europe.
• The company is growing the portfolio with increased opportunities to earn tournament prizes, gain sponsorships, collect transfer fees, and provide other professional football and sports related consulting services.
• Brera’s commitment to delivering social impact programs, flowing through its teams to their communities, was recognized with the 2024 Social Impact Through Soccer Award at IMPACT 5050.

Brera Holdings (NASDAQ: BREA), the only publicly traded multi-club ownership company focused on football (soccer), has engaged the services of multifaceted financial news and publishing company InvestorBrandNetwork (“IBN”) to spearhead its corporate communications efforts and reach a wide audience of investors, journalists and the general public (https://ibn.fm/SHOXO).

Headquartered in Ireland and with additional offices in Milan, Italy, Brera Holdings is an international holding company that specializes in expanding a global portfolio of men’s and women’s sports clubs by leveraging a unique multi-club ownership strategy.

The company focuses on expanding its global portfolio of men’s football and women’s volleyball sports clubs with increased opportunities to earn tournament prizes, gain sponsorships, collect transfer fees and provide other professional football and sports related consulting services to enhance the valuation of its clubs. Moreover, the company is actively expanding its Global Sports Group by acquiring football and other sports clubs in emerging markets in Africa, Asia and Europe.

Brera Holdings’ strategy for growth is focused on unlocking value from undervalued talent and sports clubs. The company has targeted top-division soccer teams in non-mainstream markets, which can help strengthen its position in regional tournaments such as those organized by the Union of European Football Associations (“UEFA”). Brera is currently finalizing the purchase of a top soccer club in Italy’s Serie B league. Such acquisitions are also expected to create new opportunities for growth and sponsorship revenue.

In all its endeavors, Brera Holdings builds on the legacy of Brera FC, an Italian soccer club known as “The Third Team of Milan,” and the first football club that was acquired by the company in 2022. Brera FC has been building a football legacy since its founding in 2000 and has twice won the Internet Marketing Association’s Social Impact Through Soccer accolade for its global perspective and positive contributions to society.

The company has completed several club acquisitions and expanded into emerging markets since 2022, further cementing its competitive position:

• March 2023: The company entered Africa by establishing Brera Tchumene, a team admitted to the Second Division League in Mozambique.
• April 2023: The company acquired 90% of the European first division football team Fudbalski Klub Akademija Pandev in North Macedonia, a country with participation rights in two major UEFA competitions.
• July 2023: The company completed the acquisition of a majority ownership in the Italian Serie A1 women’s professional volleyball team UYBA Volley S.s.d.a.r.l.
• September 2023: The company assumed control of Bayanzurkh Sporting Ilch FC, a football team in the Mongolian National Premier League, which became Brera Ilch FC when the football season resumed in March 2024.
• January 2024: The company initiated a search for an Italian Serie B football club, aligning with its goal of bringing multi-club ownership opportunities to mass investors.
• June 2024: The North Macedonian women’s football club Tiverija Strumica officially became part of the Brera family with the establishment of a joint-stock company controlled by Brera Holdings called Women’s Football Club Tiverija Brera AD Strumica (“Brera Tiverija”).
• September 2024: The company announced that it signed an exclusive letter of intent to acquire an Italian Serie B club. According to prior research by a CFA valuation expert, this strategic transaction has a potential estimated purchase price of $21.6 million and would possibly add first-year annual revenue of $10.8 million to Brera, and that revenue could increase by 25% each year for the next three years.

The company’s dedication to continuing to build shareholder value while delivering social impact programs through its teams to their communities was recognized again in October 2024, when Brera received the 2024 Social Impact Through Soccer Award at IMPACT 5050, an annual event honoring leaders and innovators who significantly impact their industries and communities. This was the second time Brera won the award.

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

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to BREA are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/BREA

• GCAC’s leading solution is Efixii Uplift Web 3.0, providing an end-to-end data chain, ensuring transparency and efficacy in cannabis products from cultivation to consumption.
• Patent approved in 2022, this Layer-2 Ethereum blockchain platform is designed to strengthen the relationship between cannabis brands, retailers and consumers.
• The platform uses NFT coupons for consumers, powered by an Ethereum wallet, as well as reward tokens for businesses, as well as a USDC bridge that removes intermediaries.
• Their unique marketing model integrates Uplift coupons into ads displayed on Citizen Green TV, the only dedicated streaming platform for veterans available on Roku, Google and Apple TV apps.
• Efixii technology’s versatility make’s this unique ad model ideal for deployment in other industries, including agriculture, wine, organics.

Global Compliance Applications (CSE: APP) (OTC: FUAPF) (“GCAC”), a global leader in developing innovative blockchain and machine learning solutions, is dedicated to leveraging its blockchain-powered technology model in combination with a streaming initiative in order to improve the lives of medical cannabis patients, especially veterans. There are more than 16 million veterans in the U.S. and Canada together, many of whom struggle with access to non-opioid-based alternatives, including cannabis and CBD. Of these, at least 20% use cannabis and spend an average of $300 monthly (https://ibn.fm/9m8qK).

GCAC’s leading solution is Efixii Uplift Web 3.0, which provides an end-to-end data chain ensuring transparency and efficacy in cannabis products, from cultivation to consumption. This Layer-2 Ethereum blockchain platform is designed to strengthen the relationship between cannabis brands, retailers and consumers, driving trust and better health outcomes for veterans. The company received a patent for Efixii in 2022.

Uplift is a decentralized app that connects cannabis brands, retailers and consumers. The platform uses NFT coupons stored on a consumer’s smartphone and powered by an Ethereum wallet, which ensures privacy and security. Some of the app’s unique features include a USDC bridge that removes intermediaries from the business, as well as reward tokens for businesses helping veterans.

The Efixii blockchain and Uplift have already had a significant impact, particularly in improving connectivity between brands, retailers and customers, enhancing brand loyalty and consumer trust. To further increase customer engagement, the company has launched a one-of-a-kind veteran engagement program, the Citizen Green Project and the only dedicated streaming platform for veterans, Citizen Green TV (CGTV).

As part of this program, the company works with CBD and cannabis brands and retailers to provide discount NFT coupons on Uplift for veterans, with additional discounts available to friends and family. Every Citizen Green veteran has access to 330+ free episodes on CGTV and other veteran resources through the project’s website, www.citizengreen.io.

CGTV integrates Uplift coupons into ads, generating revenue for content creators while driving app downloads and cannabis product sales. Now available on Roku, Google TV and Apple TV, the platform can reach over 168 million potential U.S. viewers, amplifying its mission to deliver veterans high-quality content, product advertising and a community-driven experience, according to a company news release (https://ibn.fm/wN1pP). As an OTT platform, CGTV operates outside FCC cannabis ad restrictions, offering a unique opportunity to expand the cannabis industry’s reach.

This unique blend of blockchain and streaming TV is driving a new wave of interactive consumerism, redefining how consumers engage with brands in meaningful, frictionless ways, the company explained in a blog post about the CGTV-Efixii Uplift partnership (https://ibn.fm/ENaQQ). The collaboration with the Grunt Style Foundation further reinforces CGTV’s commitment to veterans, enhancing credibility within the veteran community and fostering deeper connections with cannabis users through trusted brand alignment.

Integrating Uplift NFT coupons into CGTV ads enables consumers and brands to connect directly, without sign-ups or data – just real-time rewards, anonymous feedback, and a blockchain ledger that guarantees transparency. This approach simplifies the process and removes intermediaries, creating a smooth user experience where viewers become engaged customers in seconds.

Given the versatility of the Efixii technology and the wide reach of streaming platforms, this model can be successfully deployed in multiple other industries, GCAC notes. “The agricultural, organic, and wine sectors are already exploring the possibilities of blockchain technology, and the Uplift coupon model is poised to disrupt these industries too. From tracking wine production to organic certifications, the Efixii blockchain can bring the same level of transparency and trust to these markets,” the company said in its blog post.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.globalcompliance.app.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to FUAPF are available in the company’s newsroom at http://ibn.fm/FUAPF

While it is common knowledge that investors in tech firms like Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) are accumulating fortunes from AI, the island of Anguilla is also minting serious cash from this industry. This started at about the time ChatGPT went public and set off a frenzy among companies wishing to get websites ending in .ai.

Cue in Anguilla. This British territory in the Caribbean didn’t know it had struck future gold when, by a stroke of luck, it was allocated the .ai internet address back in 1995. Each country has a unique internet address for sites located within its jurisdiction, and Anguilla found itself with the .ai address for its internet traffic. It should be noted that it isn’t compulsory for a website to contain the internet initials of the country where it is domiciled, but many still include that address as part of the website address.

So, Anguilla got the right address, but the good tidings came decades later. At the moment, many companies are rushing to include .ai in their website addresses, and given that Anguilla is the legal holder of those initials, it is reaping from its good fortune. For example, Google is currently using google.ai as a way to showcase the AI services it offers, just as x.ai is the address for the chatbot Grok offered by Tesla owner Elon Musk.

In the same vein, Perplexity, a startup bent on taking as big a cut of search traffic from Google as it can, also owns an .ai address. Many companies also have such addresses, and many more are in the process of acquiring them in order to tell site visitors right off the bat that they are in the business of providing services leveraging artificial intelligence.

Anguilla is earning money fist over fist as the modern “gold rush” plays out. The country is paid for each domain that is registered with the .ai initial at its end. This revenue quadruped to $32m in 2023. On the surface, this figure may not be ground-shaking, but it now accounts for a significant 20% of the government’s revenue. Prior to the boom in AI, the fraction hovered at approximately 5%. The country also gets paid each time one of these domains is renewed.

Demand for sites with this ending has skyrocketed to the extent that the government of Anguilla has contracted Identity Digital, an American-based firm also hired by Australia, to manage this domain registration and renewal process. The domains are so much in demand that some have been sold at multiples of $10,000!

This island, which is famous for its premium tourist attractions (clear waters, coral reefs and white sand beaches teeming with palm trees) favored by the ultra-wealthy as a holiday destination, is using this uptick in revenue to expand the country’s airport, provide free healthcare services to the elderly, and also complete a tech training institution on the island.

Amidst the frenzy of the AI boom, much of the spotlight remains on tech giants and trailblazing innovators. Yet, underpinning this high-tech revolution are essential “workhorse metals”—silver, gold, and copper—that make the infrastructure for AI possible, from advanced graphics processors to expansive data centers. Companies like McEwen Mining Inc. (NYSE: MUX) (TSX: MUX) that focus on mining these critical metals are positioned to benefit from AI’s burgeoning demand. Just as fortunes were made by supplying shovels during the California Gold Rush, today’s mining companies play a pivotal role by providing the foundational resources that fuel the AI industry.

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

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to MUX are available in the company’s newsroom at http://ibn.fm/MUX

• The Biden administration aims to weaken Russia’s financial stability through sanctions, limiting its ability to sustain its war efforts in Ukraine.
• Imposing sanctions on Russian titanium and palladium would create several strategic advantages for the U.S.
• Sanctions on Russian palladium and titanium could be especially advantageous for existing producers and emerging palladium mining projects outside of Russia.

The United States recently called on its Group of Seven (“G7”) allies to consider imposing sanctions on Russian titanium and palladium supplies, a move that, if approved, could have a profound impact on global metals markets as well as on Russia’s economy (https://ibn.fm/Q9sHS). Companies operating in the metals sector, including Platinum Group Metals (NYSE American: PLG) (TSX: PTM), majority owner and operator of the Waterberg PGM Project in South Africa, are watching closely to see what action the G7 might take.

“Biden administration officials floated the [sanction] possibility during a meeting of G7 deputy finance ministers on Tuesday in Washington,” a Bloomberg article reported. “Finance officials from around the world have gathered in the U.S. capital for annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The Biden administration aims to weaken Russia’s financial stability further, limiting its ability to sustain its war efforts in Ukraine. 

“Sanctions targeting these specific metals would strategically restrict Russia’s economic inflow from two of its major exports, as titanium is essential for the aerospace and medical sectors, while palladium is critical in automotive, electronics and tech manufacturing,” the article continued. “One major challenge is that Europe is reliant on the metals and has shown little appetite to target them in the past. G7 members Germany, France and Italy would also need the backing of the other 24 members of the European Union for such sanctions.”

If G7 sanctions materialize, Russian companies, which currently dominate global palladium production and control a significant portion of the titanium market, would face restricted access to the international marketplace. This change would diminish Russia’s export revenue and limit its resources, directly impacting its ability to finance military operations.

Sanctions on Russian palladium could be particularly advantageous for non-Russian producers and emerging mine developers such as Platinum Group Metals Ltd. operator of the Waterberg PGM Project. PGMs are critical for pollution control in the automotive sector, including traditional internal combustion engines (“ICE”) and the growing gasoline hybrid and plug-in hybrid (“PHEV”) segments. PGMs also play a critical role in fuel-cell technology and the production of hydrogen.

For more information, visit www.PlatinumGroupMetals.net.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to PLG are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/PLG