• Bitcoin has seen an overall decrease of 57% since November 2021 (an all-time high) and a YTD decrease of 37%
• Investor Mark Cuban tweeted that he believes cryptocurrency is in a lull period, much like the early internet, and expects the industry to bounce back – especially for those utilizing smart contracts for business productivity and profitability
• Political and economically driven, green energy initiatives for mining Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are rising – companies like Canaan Inc. have already begun implementing the necessary changes to strive for carbon-free emissions
• With blockchain fees high, Robinhood has created a new Web 3.0 wallet, which it plans to have available by the end of 2022 to customers, specifically designed to absolve the fees, making it a free wallet to use – one of the first of its kind

Despite reaching an all-time high in November 2021, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have seen major shifts in value almost daily in recent weeks. According to analysts and market experts, there is a long way to go before recovery from the current crash starts. “While BTC’s price indicates that we’ve still got a long way to go before a rally or an early recovery, data from glassnode showed that addresses with at least 0.01 BTC passed the 10 million mark for the first time. While we already know that institutions made large BTC bets last year, this metric indicates that retail investors are continuing to remain bullish about the digital asset,” said Darshan Bathija, CEO and co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange Vauld (https://ibn.fm/VPsFv). Other industry investors believe that cryptocurrency is just experiencing a ‘lull’ and will bounce back bigger and better than ever. Bitcoin has seen a decrease of 37% YTD (57% over the highest reported value in 2021), but investor Mark Cuban tweeted, “Crypto is going through the lull that the internet went through. After the initial surge of exciting apps, NFTs, DeFi, P2E, we saw the imitation phase as chains subsidized the movement of those apps to their chains (ala bandwidth and storage subsidies by startups in the 2000s).” Cuban also believes that the investors who choose smart contracts to improve business productivity and profitability will be those that win big (https://ibn.fm/NLaPj). A smart direction cryptocurrency investors could be heading in is the implementation of clean energy initiatives in the mining sector, with more companies focused on this green approach as a result of political, social and economic pressures to reduce the carbon footprint of crypto mining. Companies such as Canaan Inc. (NASDAQ: CAN), a developer of supercomputing chips and digital blockchain equipment, are answering the call, making it ever clearer that the future of Bitcoin is linked to green energy. Based in China, Canaan is world-renowned for the invention of the first ever application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”)-powered Bitcoin mining machine in 2013, which was one of the catalysts of the mining sector’s subsequent growth. As part of its commitment to lowering energy requirements for mining, the company released the world’s first 7nm ASIC chip in 2018, thus offering energy-efficient computing technology to the industry. Canaan remains dedicated to expanding its suite of advanced technologies to further lower cryptocurrency mining energy needs and propel the industry toward sustained growth. Another technological advancement that can help drive industry growth and serve as a boon for investors relates to changes in blockchain infrastructure designed to enable faster, more affordable transactions and ultimately attract a higher number of users. From Bitcoin’s Lightning Network to Robinhood’s new Web 3.0 wallet with no fees, the blockchain infrastructure is constantly changing. The basic blockchain transaction is slow and costly, which has required new technology overlays to both speed up and make the process more inexpensive, especially as the acceptance of cryptocurrency as payment becomes more common. “At Robinhood, we believe that crypto is more than just an asset class. Our web3 wallet will make it easier for everyone to hold their own keys and experience all the opportunities that the open financial system has to offer,” Robinhood CEO and co-founder Vlad Tenev stated, discussing his company’s new endeavor (https://ibn.fm/IKQ5T). The company has not disclosed which blockchains the wallet will be compatible with but plans to have it operational and available to customers by the end of 2022. Given the projected growth of the crypto mining hardware market, from $1.49 billion in 2020 to an estimated $2.58 billion by 2028 (https://ibn.fm/hkNqI), as well as the impressive growth technologies such as the Lightning Network have seen in recent months (https://ibn.fm/mOzLC), it is safe to conclude that technological innovation remains one of the key drivers of the cryptocurrency market in general, and an essential driving force for the industry’s expected comeback and future expansion. For additional information on Canaan Inc., visit https://ibn.fm/Vuw0b.

• Recent study indicates psychedelic compounds show significant promise in treating a range of mental-health disorders
• Participants given psilocybin therapy reported a rapid, sustained improvement in their depression
• Cybin’s CYB003 has demonstrated less variability, faster onset, shorter duration and better brain penetration than oral psilocybin

A new study sponsored by Imperial College London reports that psychedelic compounds may be effective in treating mental-health disorders (https://ibn.fm/xSdZv). The study supports efforts made by Cybin (NEO: CYBN) (NYSE American: CYBN), which is focused on progressing psychedelics to therapeutics by engineering proprietary drug-discovery platforms, innovative drug-delivery systems, novel formulation approaches and treatment regimens for mental-health disorders. “Psychedelic compounds like LSD, Ecstasy and psilocybin mushrooms have shown significant promise in treating a range of mental-health disorders, with participants in clinical studies often describing tremendous progress taming the demons of post-traumatic stress disorder, or finding unexpected calm and clarity as they face a terminal illness,” states a recent New York Times article reporting on the study. “But exactly how psychedelics might therapeutically rewire the mind remains an enigma.” The article notes that a group of neuroscientists wondered if advanced neuroimaging technology studying the brain might provide answers. They conducted a study with 43 participants suffering from severe depression. During the study, participants were given either psilocybin, which is the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, or a conventional antidepressant; the participants were not told which one they received. As part of the study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) took two snapshots of brain activity for each participant; the images were taken the day before receiving the first dose and then approximately three weeks after the final dosage was administered. “What they found, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, was illuminating, both figuratively and literally,” the New York Times reports. “Over the course of three weeks, participants who had been given the antidepressant escitalopram reported mild improvement in their symptoms, and the scans continued to suggest the stubborn, telltale signs of a mind hobbled by major depressive disorder. Neural activity was constrained within certain regions of the brain, a reflection of the rigid thought patterns that can trap those with depression in a negative feedback loop of pessimism and despair.” The article continues, “By contrast, the participants given psilocybin therapy reported a rapid and sustained improvement in their depression, and the scans showed flourishes of neural activity across large swaths of the brain that persisted for the three weeks. That heightened connectivity, they said, resembled the cognitive agility of a healthy brain that, for example, can toggle between a morning bout of melancholia, a stressful day at work and an evening of unencumbered revelry with friends. Although the authors acknowledged the limitations of the study, including its small size and short time frame, they said psilocybin appeared to have a ‘liberating’ effect on the brains of people with severe depression.” It is precisely these types of results that fuel Cybin’s ongoing focus on developing psilocybin for undertreated mental-health disorders. Currently, Cybin’s proprietary biopharmaceutial version of psilocybin — CYB003 — has demonstrated less variability, faster onset, shorter duration and better brain penetration than oral psilocybin. The proprietary deuterated psilocybin analog is the focus of the company’s upcoming phase 1/2a clinical trial. CYB003 will be the first psilocybin analog to be evaluated in phase 1/2a development for the treatment of major depressive disorder (https://ibn.fm/G0RUS). Cybin is a leading ethical biopharmaceutical company, working with a network of world-class partners and internationally recognized scientists, on a mission to create safe and effective therapeutics for patients to address a multitude of mental-health issues. Headquartered in Canada and founded in 2019, Cybin is operational in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Cybin.com. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to CYBN are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CYBN

• Ethereum 2.0 is billed as the single-largest change in the history of the blockchain
• The upgrade, set to be rolled out in phases, will involve migration from the current proof-of-work system to the proof-of-stake protocol
• ETH 2.0 will also cap the supply of Ether, the network’s native token, potentially triggering price increases via scarcity
• BIT Mining Ltd. believes the proof-of-work and proof-of-stake systems will coexist

The Ethereum blockchain has long been a victim of its own success. Having lured software developers who built decentralized applications on top of the network, Ethereum has been accounting for the vast majority of total transaction volume within the decentralized finance (“DeFi”) space. While desirable, this market share catalyzed network congestion that has continuously pushed transaction fees (known as gas prices within the crypto market) upwards, slowed the transaction speeds, and led to the rise of competing blockchains. According to the latest statistics from YCharts, the average Ethereum gas price was $28.80 on May 15, down from a high of $474.57 on May 1 and $81.30 a year ago. The figures represent a sharp rise from a range of between $2 and $4 in late 2020. Even at its cheapest, Ethereum was still more expensive than the Binance Smart Chain (“BSC”), whose current average transaction fee per YCharts was $0.2496 on May 15, down from $0.5072 a year ago. BSC’s frugality has seen the number of daily active users grow to 1 million as of April 2021, a figure that had grown to over 2 million by early November. Forced Rethink The shortcomings of the Ethereum blockchain have forced a rethink, with the network’s developers now gearing up for the phased rollout of an upgrade named Ethereum 2.0. Also known as ETH 2.0, Ethereum Merge, or Serenity, the upgrade is designed to move the network from proof of work (“PoW”)-based functionality, which also underpins the Bitcoin blockchain, to a proof of stake (“PoS”) system used by the likes of the Cardano blockchain. Potential Benefits of Ethereum 2.0 ETH 2.0, which has been in development and testing for several years now, aims to solve the inefficiency that has long dogged the PoW consensus. “The Ethereum merge could speed up processing and offer greater security and stability, and a 98% or greater reduction in Ethereum’s energy consumption,” writes one author in an article published by Time magazine. “Competing protocols such as Solana and Polkadot could see added pressure from the Ethereum ecosystem, as the upgrade will allow the network to scale, bring down transaction costs, and attract additional adoption of blockchain technology,” the article continues. Experts and observers are billing the Merge as inclusive of changes that could stop Bitcoin’s blockchain dominance, which “suffers from a variety of real-world limitations, not least of which is its inability to scale,”  an article on Computer.org reads. The article describes the staged rollout of the upgrade expected to begin in the first half of 2022, further noting that should the stages “go without any issues, the new Ethereum 2.0 should emerge from the process in a great position to finally end Bitcoin’s long reign as the cryptocurrency king. It will be a trusted system with far fewer scalability issues and a much larger feature set than its primary competitors.” In addition to improving scalability – thanks to a process known as sharding, which partitions a database into smaller sections that are more manageable – and performance, ETH 2.0 could benefit holders of Ether – Ethereum’s native token – as it could increase the price of the token. This is based on the fact that the upgrade will cap the supply of Ether, which subsequently will make Ether more scare. Potential Negatives of Ethereum 2.0 The Merge will impact miners in a big way. By ditching the PoW system for PoS, Serenity will adopt a new approach to rewarding miners, who will no longer earn from facilitating transactions by solving complex mathematical problems. Instead, the new arrangement will require them to part with an amount of Ether (stake) that will be locked in a pool, earning staking rewards based on the number of coins in the pool and a random selection criterion. The more Ether that a miner stakes, the higher the chances the algorithm will pick the miner to forge a block of transactions and earn as a result. However, large stakes may still not predispose a miner to selection. But as an article on Livemint writes, a lot could go wrong with Ethereum 2.0 – which represents the largest change of its kind in the blockchain era. From hacks and bugs to miners creating an alternative PoW-based network that runs parallel with the PoS system or redirecting their resources to other blockchain networks. Built-in Mitigation Measure However, Ethereum’s core developers have implemented kill switches that will activate as soon as they detect issues, one of which is a drop in the hash rate as miners respond to the upgrade by powering off their mining equipment or redirecting their resources to other blockchain networks. But BIT Mining Ltd. (NYSE: BTCM) believes the PoW and PoS will exist together. “We believe PoW and PoS will coexist for a period of time after the switch,” Danni Zheng, Vice President of BIT Mining, told Livemint. And according to the article, BIT Mining is in fact expanding its staking services. BIT Mining is a leading technology-driven cryptocurrency mining company that owns BTC.com, the world’s top blockchain browser, and has been expanding its mining operations worldwide. In a January 18 press release that provided an update on the construction and buildout of its Ohio mining site in the United States, the company celebrated achieving about 50 megawatts (“MW”) of power capacity at the site. Ultimately, the data center at this mining site is expected to have a planned power capacity of up to 150 MW. The site will not only house BIT Mining’s self-mining operations but will also host third-party miners. The press release also featured an update on the computing power the company had deployed as of mid-January. BIT Mining had:

• 344.7 PH/s of deployed Bitcoin computing power in North America against a theoretical maximum of 532.8 PH/s
• 146.8 PH/s of deployed Bitcoin computing power in Kazakhstan against a theoretical maximum of 292.7 PH/s
• 4,800.0 GH/s theoretical maximum Ethereum computing power in Hong Kong, of which 4,747.2 GH/s had been deployed
• About 491.5 PH/s Bitcoin computing power in aggregate with estimated daily production of about 2.56 BTC
• Approximately 4,747.2 GH/s Ethereum computing power in total with estimated daily production of about 72.29 ETH

According to the update, additional machines were awaiting testing and deployment. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.BTCM.Group

• Flora Growth’s Vessel brand just got listed on the Ontario Cannabis Store (“OCS”)
• Vessel also launched its direct-to-consumer online store to take control of its customer relationship journey
• Flora, through this expansion, seeks to tap into the growing Canadian cannabis market, which is valued at an estimated CAD 5.9 billion in 2022
• The company has also expanded its operational footprint in Europe and the U.K. in a move that furthers its international growth strategy

Flora Growth (NASDAQ: FLGC) just announced that its Vessel brand just got listed on the Ontario Cannabis Store (“OCS”) in a move that significantly increases the brand’s footprint in the Canadian cannabis marketplace. In addition, Vessel also announced the launch of its Canadian direct-to-consumer online store, www.VesselBrand.ca, to allow the brand to take control of its customer relationship and journey (https://ibn.fm/xirU8). Vessel brand is a leader in the premium cannabis accessories market, having been acquired by Flora Growth back in November 2021. Known for its go-to-market strategy for direct-to-consumer sales in the United States and international cannabis markets, this brand has achieved year-over-year growth of over 90%. Following the acquisition, Flora set out to invest in expanding its market share both in the U.S. and internationally. Its expansion into Canada marks a significant milestone and the beginning of many more expansions. “We’re elated about our partnership with the OCS and are looking forward to bringing the full Vessel experience to our loyal customers across Canada,” noted James Choe, the Chief Strategy Officer (“CSO”) at Flora. The partnership with OCS will see the launch of two novel Vessel products in the luxury battery and dry herb categories. It is a significant move, mainly since OCS is a crown agency solely owned by the Province of Ontario, providing safe, responsible access to legal recreational cannabis and ancillary products for adults 19 years and older. According to Flora Growth’s management, the Canadian cannabis market is estimated at around CAD 5.9 billion in 2022, with the ancillary category accounting for $350-$475 million. Through its Vessel brand, the company looks to tap into this market and carve out a significant market share with time. “The market potential, coupled with our expectations around meaningful retail door penetration across the country, signals promising growth in this market,” noted Mr. Choe. Flora Growth also announced the expansion of its operational footprint in Europe and the United Kingdom. This move to further its international growth strategy will see the London-based offices serving as the new regional headquarters for Flora’s sales force and managing its distribution centers in the U.K. and Netherlands. “Establishing our roots in the U.K. and E.U. will not only afford us opportunities to increase our distribution and grow market share, but it will generate actionable market insights for our team to continue to innovate and deliver the most compelling experiences we can,” noted Luis Merchan, the President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of Flora (https://ibn.fm/4AQio). Flora has further bolstered its strategic positioning in this region by partnering with Hoshi, a fully integrated, European-focused medical cannabis enterprise with strategic assets along the entire value chain. Hoshi will handle the distribution of Flora’s broader product portfolio to 11 countries, including Germany, Portugal, the U.K., Italy, the Czech Republic, Poland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Macedonia, Denmark, and Malta. “The latest global expansion highlights our commitment to driving exponential growth and scale,” noted Mr. Merchan. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.FloraGrowth.com. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to FLGC are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/FLGC

• Global meal-kit, delivery-services market size is expected to reach $64.3 billion by 2030
• By collaborating with executive/celebrity chefs, Home Bistro has taken the meal-delivery market to the next level
• Earlier this year, Home Bistro reported record-breaking first-quarter revenue

As the meal kit delivery market grows — a recent report projects that the market will reach more than $64 billion by 2030 (https://ibn.fm/hjRyc) — a few companies are distinguishing themselves as leaders in the space. Home Bistro (OTC: HBIS) is one of those, as it has built a reputation for creating a leading online meal-delivery platform for celebrity chef-inspired, gourmet and lifestyle ready-made meals. According to a recent ResearchandMarket.com report, the global meal-kit, delivery-services market size is expected to reach $64.3 billion in the next several years. “The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 17.4% from 2022 to 2030,” the report notes. “Increasing preference for homemade meals among millennials is expected to be a major factor contributing to the growth of the market. Meal kit delivery services are popular among busy parents, millennials, those juggling multiple jobs, working couples or people with special diet needs who prefer preplanned ingredients or meals so that they can quickly prepare meals.” Home Bistro has taken the basic idea of home delivery meals and elevated it — every direct-to-consumer, heat-to-eat gourmet meal the company offers on its tempting and tasty online menu is inspired by a renowned executive or celebrity chef. The list of chefs who have partnered with the company is impressive and includes Cat Cora, owner of more than 18 restaurants and the first-ever female iron chef judge on the “Family Food Fight” TV show; bestselling cookbook author Daina Falk who has created Hungry Fan, a lifestyle game-day brand; and Claudia Sandoval, winner of the sixth season of “MasterChef U.S.” and judge on “MasterChef Latino.” Other chefs who have created menu offerings include Richard Blais, winner of “Top Chef All-Stars” and mentor on Fox TV’s “Next Level Chef,” and Ayesha Curry, a bestselling author, restaurateur and television host. In addition, executive chef Roblé Ali, one of the most recognizable chefs and one of the few young African-Americans in the culinary world with national notoriety, is slated to launch a line of creative cuisine in the coming weeks. The company also recently unveiled a line of desserts created by celebrity chef Melanie Moss (https://ibn.fm/9ZAsS). Home Bistro’s approach of collaborating closely with renowned chefs is clearly working. Earlier this year, the company reported record first-quarter revenue (https://ibn.fm/C0Ddc), with sales for Q1 2022 up 101% to $802,000; that increase, in part, was attributed to growing product sales of celebrity chefs Cat Cora and Daina Falk, as well as the mid-quarter launch of Claudia Sandoval and Richard Blais product offerings. “It takes up to 12 months for a newly launched celebrity chief to fully establish their cuisine on our platform and achieve significant traction,” said Home Bistro CEO Zalmi Duchman. “Understanding this timeline makes first quarter a solid performance as it is only now that menu offerings of Iron Chef Cat Cora are beginning to gain meaningful traction. Hungry Fan chef, Daina Falk, who launched on our platform last October, is expected to continue to build increasing momentum through this year. Newly launched Claudia Sandoval and Richard Blais will likely begin generating meaningful product sales second half of 2022 and into 2023 with an additional three celebrity chefs already signed and contracted expected to launch on our platform over the next two quarters with the likelihood to hit their revenue stride later this year and into 2023.” For more information, visit the company’s website at www.HomeBistro.com. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to HBIS are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/HBIS

• In addition to its flagship offering (Fan Pass Live), Friendable acquired Artist Republik and FeaturedX – creating a 360 platform offering for independent artists looking to remain in control of their music
• With the platform, artists can now produce, distribute, and market their music without the control of labels
• Artists earn revenue instead of paying the majority of it to labels and managers
• Friendable is using music tech to disrupt the $62 billion music label industry

When the Rositano brothers (Robert and Dean) created Fan Pass Live they did it because they believed artists, musicians, and creators should have access to tools and support to create awareness and generate revenue for their work – without the restrictions of a record label. The brothers expanded this offering when they announced in January 2022 that they had successfully completed the acquisition of Artist Republik and FeaturedX. Together with their flagship offering (Fan Pass Live), Friendable (OTC: FDBL) would be the first to offer a complete 360 platform offering for independent artists looking for freedom from label control – the “anti-label” movement. The platform was designed to address what is a glaring problem with the record label industry. On average, artists are losing 90% of their streaming revenue to their label, 10% to booking agents, and 15-20% of their overall income to management. Additionally, many artists who sign with a label feel a lack of support and a massive burden of being controlled by these labels. What might have worked a decade ago is no longer working today, and the labels have to adapt if they wish to keep their clientele. The Rositano brothers are using music technology to disrupt this industry, currently valued at $62 billion (https://ibn.fm/W9A2p). Friendable’s 360 platform changes how independent artists experience the industry – through Fan Pass Live, Artist Republik, and FeaturedX. There are no intermediaries, no gatekeepers, and artists remain 100% in control of their careers. The Fan Pass Live offering provides artists with the production, distribution, and marketing avenues necessary to “be their own boss” by using the one-stop shop 360 platform offering. When signing up for the 360 platform, artists benefit from:

• Music Distribution and Management
• Music Production Assistance
• Press Release and Instagram Promotion
• Digital Storefront Activation
• Artist Marketplace for Collaboration
• Merchandise, Logo, and Promotional Design Support
• Virtual Concert Booking and Ticketing
• Mobile Streaming Service
• Live Streaming Support
• Revenue From Fan Tips, Monthly Artist Contests, Merchandise, and Ticket Sales
• Access to Fan Data and Performance Analytics
• Monthly Artist Contests
• NFT Development and Metaverse Performances (Coming Soon!)

Collectively, with fans, artists also get the experience of participating in exclusive fan/artist interactions, discovering new music on the platform, and proactively supporting artists (as a community). Since the acquisition, Friendable has seen a dramatic increase in key metrics. Robert A. Rositano Jr., CEO of Friendable, explained that the reward of seeing results continues to motivate and point the team in the right direction, as their collective efforts of testing, iterating, testing, testing, and more testing pay off. “We must constantly look at the macro vision and direction, but it’s the micro-levels of detail that provide the most valuable data as we seek the next milestones in artist sign-ups, fan engagement, and conversions to purchases of all kinds,” he added (https://ibn.fm/Eaegq). Rositano Jr. underlined that the company is on the right path, doing everything at a pace the business can keep up with while continuing to explore new growth avenues. “I can’t say it enough, but without our talented team internally and all of our partners, we would certainly never have made it to this place; it’s sometimes hard to believe how far we have come with the launch of our first artist offering less than 20 months ago, an acquisition just over three months ago, and the team continues to move through each challenge and deliver an amazing product with an unmatched level of support, and that’s not coming from me, this is straight from the artists and reviews being received by the company.” For more information, visit the company’s websites at www.Friendable.com or www.FanPassLive.com. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to FDBL are available in the company’s newsroom at http://ibn.fm/FDBL

• Lexaria Bioscience Corp., through its patented DehydraTECH technology, is improving the way many drugs enter the bloodstream
• In June 2021, the company proved that an antiviral drug enhanced with its technology was effective at inhibiting the COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 virus
• With the global antiviral market projected to hit $66.7 billion by 2025, Lexaria plans to capitalize on this growth by pushing its DehydraTECH technology and exploring multiple avenues of related application

Today, it is estimated that infectious diseases account for a quarter to one-third of mortality globally. This has mainly been attributed to increased travel, globalization, populated cities, urbanization, and changes in human behavior, among other reasons. These mortalities occur despite significant advancements and developments in the pharmaceutical industry, as has been well evidenced by recent virus outbreaks, including Covid-19, SARS, and Swine Flu, among others (https://ibn.fm/vwyZq). The current concerns surrounding virus-related and other diseases encourage the medical industry to revisit its approach to treating such conditions. A viable solution that has been identified is the improvement of the bioavailability of pharmaceuticals, ultimately increasing their efficiency in the body. One company helping to push this solution forward is Lexaria Bioscience (NASDAQ: LEXX). Regarded as a global innovator in drug delivery platforms for its patented DehydraTECH(TM) technology, Lexaria is at the forefront of improving the way active pharmaceutical ingredients (“APIs”) enter the bloodstream. The technology achieves this by increasing the body’s ability to absorb fat-soluble APIs. From an economic standpoint, Lexaria’s DehydraTECH allows for less expensive, fast-acting, and more effective oral drug delivery, allowing for the potential of better and faster treatment of various ailments and conditions. So far, the company has filed for patent protection for the delivery of antiviral drugs, testosterone, cannabinoids, nicotine, NSAIDs, PDE5 inhibitors, and more, with additional classes of APIs under investigation. In June 2021, following the VIRAL-C21-3 clinical study, Lexaria announced that remdesivir and ebastine processed with DehydraTECH proved effective at inhibiting the COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 virus. This study was the highlight of the company’s 2021 antiviral drug R&D program and a demonstration of DehydraTECH’s potential, not just for SARS-CoV-2 but also for HIV and other infectious disease-causing viruses (https://ibn.fm/QnsSo). The antiviral drug market was valued at $52.1 billion in 2021. It is projected that by 2025, this industry will be valued at over $66.7 billion, mainly driven by a significant increase in the rate of viral infections. Lexaria recognizes this opportunity and is working towards being at the forefront of satisfying the need in this market. With its DehydraTECH technology, Lexaria is confident it could offer solutions that could benefit millions of people, from those dealing with infectious diseases to those living with hypertension. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LexariaBioscience.com. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to LEXX are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/LEXX

• The Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition (“CWCBExpo”) will be held in New York City between June 2-4, 2022
• The conference will feature dozens of expert speakers with expertise in developing brands, increasing efficiencies, and investments
• Hundreds of exhibitors and leading cannabis businesses will showcase cutting-edge product innovations
• In 2021, revenue from licensed marijuana of $24.5bn – $27bn in the United States eclipsed Starbucks sales throughout North America

The Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition (“CWCBExpo”) event will be held at New York City’s Javits Convention Center, Hall 3A on June 2-4, 2022. As the flagship event during Cannabis Week, a platform to bring the entire cannabis industry together for unprecedented learning, sharing, and business building, between Monday, May 30 – Sunday, June 5, the CWCBExpo is a business-to-business trade show event devoted to the legalized cannabis industry. The CWCBExpo has earned a reputation as the leading business and educational forum across the width and breadth of industry supply chain participants, including retailers, cultivators, manufacturers, investors, medical professionals, government regulators, legal professionals, and entrepreneurs within this dynamic sector. Legal recreational and medical cannabis sales in the US market during 2021 amounted to between $24.5 billion to $27 billion, topping Starbucks sales across North America, despite being available in only 39 states. In addition, sales for adult and medical use increased by approximately 30%, signalling a booming market (https://ibn.fm/CSIzS). New York and the tri-state area is one of the fastest-growing cannabis and hemp sectors in the country. With the rise in public support for legalization and with multiple states looking to pursue legislation in the coming years, efforts are being made to introduce cannabis reforms at a federal level. The upcoming CWCBExpo is the premier event to take a deep dive into emerging trends and enable the creation of new revenue streams. Attendees will benefit from a series of roundtables, keynote addresses, and a ‘talk show’ format hosting industry leaders. The conference schedule will include:

• Keynote: In Conversation with Chris Beals, CEO of Weedmaps
• Keynote: In Conversation with Nick Kovacevich, CEO and Chairman of Greenlane
• In Conversation with Tremaine Wright, Chair of the NYS Cannabis Control Board
• Inside the Industry: Thought Leadership Series in a ‘talk show’ format:
  • Day 1, Thursday: Investing and Industry Progress
  • Day 2, Friday: Policy and Legislation
  • Day 3, Saturday: Cannabis and Lifestyle
• Industry Update: Trends and Opportunities – Marijuana and Hemp Industries
• Investor Roundtable:
• Roundtables: Where is the Greenest Grass Growing and Flowing; Social Equity – Progress and Needed Change; Eco-Conscious Cannabis; Health and Wellness – Living your Best Life with Cannabis; Cultivation; Weed Meets Wall Street and Licensing and the Illicit Market
• Workshop Master Session – Dispensaries: The Rising Green Sun

The full conference agenda can be found at: https://cwcbexpo.com/conference-highlights/ The event shall also host a Networking Mixer on Thursday, June 2, from 5 – 7 pm, sponsored by Weedmaps, so that attendees can network or relax ahead of the continuation of the conference. On Friday, June 3, from 6 – 10 pm, CWCBExpo will host the Industry Yacht Party, where attendees can eat, drink and dance with their peers while taking in the majestic New York City skyline. This is a premier lead generation opportunity. The Networking Mixer and Industry Yacht Party require separate tickets and are open only to registered CWCBExpo attendees. Get your tickets now at the best price! Download the Cannabis Week Guide here: https://cwcbexpo.com/cannabis-week/ For further information on the CWCBExpo and to register, visit https://cwcbexpo.com/

• The blockchain technology industry is projected to grow to $450 billion by 2028, up from $3.67 billion in 2020, representing a CAGR of 82.4%
• The cryptocurrency market, which was valued at $1.5 billion in 2021, is projected to grow to $2.3 billion by 2028, representing a CAGR of 6.9%
• Bit Digital looks to tap into these two markets through strategic investments and technology
• The company is confident that the value of cryptocurrency will continue to rise, despite the recent drastic price fluctuations

Over the past few weeks, the price of many cryptocurrencies have reduced by more than 50%. Industry experts have cited a sell-off in the global stock market as the main reason for this decline. The two largest cryptocurrencies fared better than the average with Bitcoin posting a 24.69% regression and Ethereum posting a 31.7% decline (https://ibn.fm/vt28Z). In 2021, Bitcoin did quite well with a 70% gain prior to the close of the calendar year.  On the other hand, 2022 has seen a shift to more value-based investments instead of speculative stocks and alternative “store of value” investments (https://ibn.fm/9wHT0). One company, however, which maintains that there is still value and potential for growth in cryptocurrency, more specifically Bitcoin and Ethereum, is Bit Digital (NASDAQ: BTBT). Founded in 2017 and commencing Bitcoin mining in February 2020, this company recognizes the value in cryptocurrency and is at the forefront of pushing the conversation forward and redefining crypto mining. In addition to crypto mining, Bit Digital is also a key player in the blockchain technology sector. This market was valued at $3.67 billion in 2020, estimated to grow to $450 billion by 2028, representing a CAGR of 82.4%. With the growing adoption of blockchain technology by commercial and central banks globally for payment processing and issuance of their digital currencies, Bit Digital is well-positioned to capitalize on this opportunity to grow its market share and create value for its shareholders (https://ibn.fm/K9Y31). Cryptocurrency is gaining worldwide acceptance, a factor shaping the market’s growth. It is projected that by 2028, the cryptocurrency market will be valued at over $2.3 billion, up from $1.5 billion in 2021. This represents a CAGR of 6.9% over the forecast period. This potential growth is an opportunity that Bit Digital looks to tap into, as evidenced by its investment in infrastructure and partnerships in North America (https://ibn.fm/oVsSV). As of January 2022, only 18.9 million bitcoins were issued, leaving about 2.1 million yet to be mined. Bit Digital’s investment in the mining business hopes to tap into the cryptocurrency’s potential for growth and the opportunity to mine what is left of the yet-to-be-issued coins (https://ibn.fm/h16gO). After all the coins are mined, miners are expected to receive compensation solely through transaction fees. Cryptocurrencies might have been in the news recently for their volatility, having previously been considered a reliable asset during economic uncertainty. However, with over 2 million coins yet to be released, crypto mining is proving to have tremendous value. For Bit Digital, its investment in miners on the spot market and application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) chips allow for greater and faster output, resulting in increased returns for the company. Bit Digital is illustrative of the opportunity that exists in the cryptocurrency market. With over 27,000 miners as of September 30, 2021, the company is confident that it has what it takes to take on the industry and become the undisputed leader. For company information, visit the company’s website at www.Bit-Digital.com.

• Gartner predicts that SaaS spending will reach $140 billion this year
• SaaS spending is increasing a stunning 20% per year
• Nowigence’s flagship offering — Pluaris — makes it happen through this business model

A Gartner report has indicated that Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”) spending is projected to increase 40% in the coming years, an impressive future especially considering that annual spend has already reached hundreds of billions (https://ibn.fm/Lr8gT). That forecast is good news for Nowigence Inc. (NOWG), a savvy company that solves many of today’s information overload problems with a proprietary AI platform that is available through the SaaS business model. “Just how fast is SaaS and Cloud growing?” asks a recent article from SaaStr, the world’s largest community of SaaS executives, founders and entrepreneurs. “One thing we know — Fast. Still.  Even now, at hundreds of billions in annual spend. “Gartner’s latest report illustrates just that,” the article continues. “Cloud software spending grew a stunning 23% in 2021, from $270 billion to $330 billion. But that’s just the start. After polling CIOs, Gartner found that total SaaS spend will grow from $100B in 2020 to $140B in 2022.” SaaStr goes on to note that budgets and spend are increasing an impressive 20% a year in SaaS and that enterprises are spending an additional $20 billion on SaaS each year. “No matter what, the wave of enterprise spending that fueled 100 SaaS and Cloud unicorns is just getting bigger and strong,” the article concludes. “This is your time, folks. Go make it happen.” Making it happen is precisely what Nowigence is doing with its Pluaris offering. Pluaris works 24/7 reading and analyzing content identified by its users as relevant, important and interesting. This content comes from a huge array of public and private data sources. Users identify information that they need in their professional lives in order to make decisions, lead, and succeed and in their personal lives because the topics are of interest. Pluaris then gathers all the information together and provides summaries, extracted intelligence and graphical analysis. Using Pluaris, readers don’t have to wade through all the information themselves. Rather, they scan their news feed for key information, view analyzed content for unbiased importance ranking and identify what’s worth drilling down further on, reducing the sheer volume of reading material and increasing resources designed to provide exactly the information they are looking for. And they do it all based on a SaaS business model. By integrating state-of-the-art data processing techniques in an intuitive interface at an affordable subscription price, Pluaris allows and supports collaboration in the most efficient and effective way possible. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Nowigence.com. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Nowigence are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/NOW