• U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) decision to remove certain CBD products from its Schedule 1 list of controlled substances will make CBD clinical studies easier to plan
• ETST’s pipeline includes CBD-based pharmaceutical formulas; company expects its pure hemp oil and new formulas to eventually be sold worldwide
• ETST will be a licensed distributor and plans to work closely with pharmacists and researchers to serve this market; it plans to launch two CBD nutraceutical formulas

Earth Science Tech, Inc.’s (OTCQB: ETST) anticipation that its pure hemp oil and new formulas will eventually be sold globally and that it will be a licensed distributor and will work closely with pharmacists and researchers to serve the cannabis market has been strengthened by the DEA’s recent decision on CBD (http://ibn.fm/47mHo).

The DEA decided to remove some CBD products from its Schedule 1 list of controlled substances. It voted to reclassify FDA-approved drugs that contain cannabis-derived CBD and contain less than 0.1% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as Schedule V, the lowest restriction classification.

ETST sees this ruling as an opportunity. In a news release, Dr. Michel Aubé, CEO and chief science officer of ETST, said, “In 2018, we have a much deeper understanding of cannabinoids, cannabinoid-receptors, and the endocannabinoid system than we did decades ago when CBD was classified as a schedule 1 drug. We are pleased to see that the DEA has shifted its stance amid conclusive evidence that CBD is not addictive but has both anti-psychotic properties and the opposite effect of THC.”

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

ETST has announced that it will soon launch two CBD-based nutraceutical formulas under a provisory patent. These include a neuron protector and a breast protector. The company is also developing a new brand for these formula patents.

The company said that the Quebec Agrifood Innovation Center (QAIC) is completing the standardization of the formulas. By the end of October, TransBiotech is expected to conduct in vitro testing of the biological activities of the formula, comparing the level of protection offered by ETST’s hemp oil alone versus its hemp oil with other natural ingredients.

Nickolas S. Tabraue, president and director of ETST, added, “The results obtained from TransBiotech will help us understand the mechanism of action of CBD and will open the doors for the research needed to develop revolutionary CBD-based pharmaceutical drugs.”

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

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

• Youngevity is a top omni-direct lifestyle business
• The company is leveraging growth opportunities related to cannabidiol oil
• Company added two new hemp-derived cannabidiol products, expanding HempFX line to five offerings

Youngevity International, Inc. (NASDAQ: YGYI) is among the ‘Top 100 Global Direct Selling Companies’. Along with unique services, Youngevity offers products from the top selling retail categories. These categories include health/nutrition, home/family, food/beverage, spa/beauty, fashion, essential oils and photo. The company distributes its products and services via a worldwide network of preferred customers and distributors. A foremost omni-direct lifestyle company, Youngevity International has its corporate headquarters in Chula Vista, California.

Youngevity offers a hybrid of the direct selling business model. This model encompasses person-to-person selling relationships, which consist of a “network of networks.” This model additionally offers e-commerce and the power of social selling. The company offers a host of consumer products and services. This includes its diverse gourmet boutique coffee blends from wholly-owned subsidiary CLR Roasters. CLR Roasters’ products are produced through a vertically integrated “farm-to-cup” pipeline.

Furthermore, Youngevity is in the process of entering the cannabis market. The company’s plant-based nutrition experts are guiding its team toward the development of a complete line of proprietary hemp-derived cannabidiol oil products (http://ibn.fm/GZFUo).

Cannabidiol supplements are set to burst out ahead of biopharma as the Farm Bill legalizes hemp. This is according to CannabisNewsAudio, which recently announced an Audio Press Release (APR) regarding this milestone featuring Youngevity International, Inc. Furthermore, the complete legalization of recreational marijuana is set for Canada this month, so opportunities exist in this marketplace (http://ibn.fm/qWZvA). In addition, cannabis is swiftly moving toward decriminalization throughout the worldwide marketplace.

Youngevity International is positioned to take advantage of growth opportunities to serve the new demands of consumers. The company just announced the expansion of its HempFX line with the launch of two new hemp-derived cannabidiol products: HempFX Hydration – Sleep and HempFX Hydration – Pure. In a news release, Steve Wallach, chief executive officer of Youngevity International, said, “Plant-based nutrition is fundamental to our product development philosophy. That’s why we’re especially excited to enter this rapidly growing market with two new products.”

The company is employing its “field-to-finish” strategy regarding its hemp-based cannabidiol business. This strategy is much akin to its coffee business strategy and involves a complete approach to cultivation, production and distribution. Strict quality control is the primary aim.

The company’s new proprietary HempFX line of hemp-derived cannabidiol oil products perfectly complements its product development philosophy. With this philosophy and its business strategy, Youngevity International foresees growing revenue opportunities across the vertical as it innovates with pioneering products and services.

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

• Vertically integrated company presents an international approach to the multibillion-dollar cannabis industry
• Cannabis Strategic is currently developing a CBD-based luxury skincare and haircare line with True Promise Beauty, slated for release during winter 2018
• Company is focused on acquisition, incubation and development of startup and growth-stage cannabis companies

Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (OTC: NUGS) is a Los Angeles-based firm offering a battery of services to help launch and grow emerging and existing cannabis brands. The company’s chief focus is acquiring, incubating, developing and partnering with startup and growth-stage companies in the cannabis industry, as well as ancillary sectors across the globe, providing them with capital, consulting services and other assistance to help them become category leaders in the cannabis market.

Through the ongoing expansion of its portfolio of brands and hard assets, Cannabis Strategic provides a public vehicle for investors seeking to invest in a vertically integrated company that approaches the cannabis and cannabidiol (CBD) industry from an international standpoint. The company’s portfolio is more than merely a series of companies; it is a network comprised of supportive founders and entrepreneurs who work together as a family.

The company’s product portfolio includes:

• Halo Filters: Innovative filter material designed to protect the lungs from harmful toxins and chemicals;
• Fitamins: Proprietary joint formula infused with CBD to enhance health and wellness;
• The Asher House CBD: Whole plant-based CBD for pets; and
• Pure Organix: Premium cannabis oil sourced from top-quality flowers.

Cannabis Strategic’s subsidiaries include Worldwide Staffing Group, which operates within the company as an independent and separate wholly owned subsidiary, offering non-cannabis-related employment and staffing services. Pure Applied Sciences, another of the company’s subsidiaries, produces the Pure Organix product line and represents a broad portfolio of ultra-high-quality products, excelling at complying with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and meeting FDA guidelines for active pharmaceutical ingredients (API).

The company also recently announced that it has forged a strategic partnership with True Promise Beauty to develop a new line of CBD-based luxury skin and hair products called ‘LYXR’ (http://ibn.fm/RXpbW). This new product line will be developed using phytocannabinoids and other natural components and is slated to be available for purchase in early winter 2018. Under the terms of the agreement between Cannabis Strategic Ventures and True Promise Beauty, Cannabis Strategic has acquired access to a proprietary hemp-derived CBD-infused formula developed by True Promise Beauty and has also gained access to well-established distribution channels.

Cannabis Strategic continues building its robust portfolio and helping to cultivate leading brands within the cannabis space, along with other prime services offered through its subsidiaries.

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

• Company achieves positive proof of concept in Phase IIa study of its lead product candidate, Bria-IMT, in advanced breast cancer patients
• Efficacy data comparable to that of other approved breast cancer therapies in a similar stage of development
• Combination study with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the works, enrollment already open

BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (OTCQB: BCTXF) (TSX.V: BCT), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of proprietary targeted immunotherapy for advanced breast cancer, has achieved proof of concept and reported promising results from a Phase IIa study of its lead clinical candidate, Bria-IMT.

Study data indicates promising anti-tumor activity for Bria-IMT in heavily pre-treated advanced breast cancer patients, according to a company press release (http://ibn.fm/fXxxL). Additionally, results highlight the outstanding safety and tolerability of BriaCell Therapeutics’ lead product candidate, with efficacy data similar or superior to other approved breast cancer drugs that are in a similar stage of development.

“This top-line data compares very well with data from existing breast cancer therapies which have a sizable market share when they were at a similar stage of clinical development, as well as with other promising breast cancer treatments currently under study,” BriaCell CEO and President Dr. Bill Williams stated in a news release.

A total of 31 patients with advanced stage breast cancer were enrolled in the Phase II Bria-IMT monotherapy study. The proof of concept and mechanism of action work is based on the results observed in the first 20 patients, while assessment of the remaining 11 patients is still in progress.

The preliminary data seems to confirm the company’s HLA Matching Hypothesis and support its strategy for the development of Bria-OTS, the first off-the-shelf personalized immunotherapy for advanced breast cancer, designed to provide treatment without the high costs and difficult manufacturing generally associated with personalized therapies. The technology is applicable to other types of cancer, as well.

“Bria-IMT appears to be most effective in patients who match with Bria-IMT at 2 HLA loci (types) further supporting BriaCell’s HLA Matching Hypothesis, and the development of Bria-OTS to cover 90% of the patient population,” Williams added. “We are delighted with these positive clinical findings that confirm our HLA Matching Hypothesis in the Phase I/IIa trial in advanced breast cancer showing significant tumor shrinkage without serious side effects.”

The company has launched a Phase IIa combination study of Bria- IMT with pembrolizumab – marketed as Keytruda and manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) – or as ipilimumab – marketed as Yervoy and manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) – in advanced breast cancer. The combination study is listed on ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03328026.

These checkpoint inhibitors, pembrolizumab (anti-PD-1) and ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4), have come to the forefront in the fight against cancer with substantial benefits for some patients. Most recently, the significance of immune checkpoints was recognized by the Nobel committee, which awarded Drs. Honjo (PD-1) and Allison (CTLA-4) with the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

“In our view, the combination of Bria-IMT with Keytruda or Yervoy has the potential to provide a new therapeutic option and substantial clinical benefit in heavily pre-treated advanced breast cancer patients where there remains a significant unmet need,” Williams explained.

With the global cancer immunotherapy market expected to reach nearly $120 billion by 2021 (http://ibn.fm/WVGZ0) and with more than 266,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. this year (http://ibn.fm/qkuk8), BriaCell believes that it can leverage its proprietary technology to address the needs of the breast cancer medication market and also develop immunotherapies for other cancer indications in the near future.

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

• Global oil and gas equipment industry projected to be worth $205 billion by 2020
• 665 Energy’s three subsidiaries now integrated under new holding company with combined revenues of $12.6 million
• Expansion plans include move into oil drilling rig acquisition, refurbishment and resale business
• Financial audit underway with plans to become an SEC reporting standards company and move to OTCQB in Q4 2018

665 Energy, Inc. (OTC: SSOF), a holding company in the oilfield equipment and supply industry with facilities in Oklahoma, Germany and Dubai, specializes in supplying oilfield equipment, drilling rigs and drilling pipe. A recent name change from 66 Oilfield Services is designed to distinguish the corporate structure of the holding company from its three operating companies: Five Star Rig and Supply; Oklahoma Rig Fabricators; and 66 Oilfield Services, according to a recent news release (http://ibn.fm/2Bkeu).

The global market for oil and gas equipment is expected to grow from its current $194 billion to $205 billion by 2020, research firm Statista reported (http://ibn.fm/SqyGB). Jason Clayton, president and CEO of 665 Energy, noted in a news release that the company is moving into a new era that he expects will be beneficial for stakeholders. The company is proceeding with plans to partner with a rig debt financing company to fund the purchase of 11 identified oil drilling rigs – six 2,000 HP Rigs and five 1,500 HP Rigs – for a total of $40 million.

“This action represents an incredible opportunity to jumpstart the next phase of growth and expansion,” Clayton explained, noting that the company expects to sell each of the 2,000 HP Rigs at a base case of $13.75 million and the 1,500 HP Rigs at a base case of $8.5 million, all within six months of purchase. Once the cumulative transactions are complete, Clayton said that the company predicts the base case scenario will total $125 million with a net profit of $63.4 million before financing cost (http://ibn.fm/VOTyi).

Clayton comes to 665 Energy following the acquisition of Fluid End Sales, which is doing business as Five Star Rig and Supply. Clayton’s tenure at Five Star, which began in 1993, included working in and managing all areas of the company, notably customer growth and sales. He became president of Five Star in 2016 and is now advancing 665 Energy’s strategic goals as its new president.

665 Energy is a leader in supplying the industry with the right equipment at the right time and at the right price. As subsidiaries of 665 Energy, the following companies provide specialized attention and expertise in addition to customized solutions for the domestic and international oil and gas markets:

• Five Star Rig and Supply is a comprehensive oilfield supply and equipment company that caters to more than 300,000 SKUs through over 500 vendors. The company also manufactures a variety of oilfield equipment.
• Oklahoma Rig Fabricators to date has built and/or refurbished 37 oil rigs. The company offers complete drilling rigs, provides custom inspections and rig certifications and manufactures everything from pipe racks to complete mud pump packages and mud pit systems.
• 66 Oilfield Services specializes in providing a full range of drill pipe equipment and services to the oil and gas industry.

665 Energy’s primary customers are companies active in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the energy industry, including drilling contractors, well servicing companies, independent and national oil and gas companies, midstream operators, refineries, petrochemical, chemical utilities and other downstream energy processors. Beyond North America, 665 Energy’s key markets are focused on Latin America, the North Sea, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and the former Soviet Union. Sales are logged to over 300 customers operating in approximately 20 countries around the world.

According to a new report issued by Credence Research titled “Global Production Oilfield Services & Equipment Market,” the industry is expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 4.6 percent with a total projected value of $207.9 billion by 2023 (http://ibn.fm/6y2JS). The global production oilfield services and equipment market is expected to gain momentum due to increasing demand for fossil fuel and with recovery in oil prices, the report states.

665 Energy’s size and scale ensures potential customers that the right inventory is on-hand. The company’s headquarters are situated in Oklahoma City on 35 acres, providing enough space to build or refurbish up to three oil rigs at one time. An expansion into the oil drilling rig acquisition, refurbishment and resale business is well underway as the company prepares for further growth and expansion in energy-related businesses.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.665Energy.com

• REFG’s ‘Green’ payment system creates a comprehensive, safe and cashless environment for marijuana transactions in the legalized cannabis industry
• Green is being offered not only to medical marijuana retailers, but to the entire cannabis industry, as a digital and secure system that benefits both clients and patients
• Patients and customers can sign up for Green online, allowing cards to be branded to the vendor, encouraging client loyalty and enabling dispensaries and retailers to accept cryptocurrency payments

Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions’ (OTC: REFG) ‘Green’ is a first tier digital payment system that creates a safe and non-cash environment for cannabis dispensaries and retailers, solving the key issues that have been addressed at industry conferences – security and fraud prevention (http://ibn.fm/FE6mm).

Seminars and conference topics include accuracy and safety of transactions in a cannabis industry that’s underserved by traditional banking. REFG offers an important solution in Green. It is a tier one payment processing program that is Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) complaint. It not only creates a safe and secure environment; it is now offered to the entire cannabis market.

Green is also available for licensed merchants and marijuana dispensaries to sign up online. The customer or patient can then pay directly from a bank account without requiring cash. The consumer can also sign up for Green at the point-of-sale. Green also processes cryptocurrency payments.

REFG, a Nevada-based firm, has a diverse commitment to the cannabis industry. It recently acquired SpeedyGrow, a Wyoming-based firm licensed to grow and process hemp in Colorado (http://ibn.fm/YPRcS). The company says it will also apply for state licenses to grow industrial hemp in Utah (http://ibn.fm/MtkkT), as well as Vermont (http://ibn.fm/zp1pm).

Green enables dispensaries and other merchants to do business in a digital environment. In addition to processing transactions with customers, Green permits merchants to maintain their own operations more seamlessly by handling internal payments such as accounts payable, vendor payments and any other invoices incurred by small businesses.

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

• Ten million units consisting of common shares and share purchase warrants are being offered at a price of $0.10 per unit
• Results from San Roque gold exploration project’s latest core drilling and sampling program  found more good mineralization
• Company plans to expand drilling program to other zones in San Roque, where important new mineralization has been discovered by trenching

Marifil Mines Ltd. (TSX.V: MFM) (OTCQB: MFMLF), a Canadian junior exploration company dedicated to acquiring resource-rich properties in Argentina, continues to focus its efforts on gold exploration activities at its San Roque property in the South American country, after positive results of the latest diamond core drilling program expanded areas of known mineralization. In its current phase of operations, the company is preparing a new surface exploration program of geologic mapping, soil and rock chip sampling, and mechanized trenching aimed at refining drilling targets for testing new and exciting zones of recently discovered mineralization.

The company recently announced a financing initiative aimed at generating a cumulative amount of $1 million. The company said that it arranged a non-brokered private placement financing of up to 10 million units at a price of $0.10 per unit. Each unit consists of one common share and one share purchase warrant, which entitles the holder to purchase an additional share at a price of $0.15 each over a two-year period from the close of the financing.

All of the securities to be issued are going to be subject to a hold period that’s bound to expire four months from the day after the closing of the financing. Several conditions will apply to the financing, including the receipt of all regulatory approvals, such as approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, Marifil Mines announced in a recent press release (http://ibn.fm/0bgEU).

Earlier this year, the company closed another private placement of 20 million units at a price of $0.10 per unit, leading to gross proceeds of $2 million. The funds were used for acquisitions, another round of drilling on the San Roque property and general working capital.

Located near the Atlantic coast in the Province of Rio Negro, Argentina, San Roque is held by Minas San Roque S.A., which is jointly owned by Marifil’s wholly owned subsidiary, Marifil Mines S.A. (51 percent), and NovaGold Resources Inc.’s (TSX: NG) wholly owned subsidiary, NovaGold Argentina Inc. (49 percent). Marifil Mines is the project operator and has so far invested about $8 million in assessing the expansive precious and base metals property.

Promising results from the latest core-sampling campaign at San Roque were announced on September 11. Four HQ-size core holes totaling 846 meters (2,776 feet) were completed. One of the holes returned a 19.8 meter (64.96 feet) intersection of 1.86 g/t Au near the surface, adding substantially to the extent of a gold mineralized area known as Zone 34, which the company believes to hold potential for discovery of a heap leachable gold deposit. In another location more than a kilometer away on Zone 33, a drill hole hit a composited intersection of 83 meters (272.31 feet) at 0.50 g/t Au, which also contains significant lead and zinc sulfide mineralization.

San Roque is an advanced stage exploration property with 112 drill holes totaling 16,683 meters (54,734 feet). Each one of the holes intercepted some degree of mineralization, which is indicative of a widespread system of mineralization. Some of the holes are below the grade cut-off level, as presented by the company. In some instances, mineralization starts at the surface and continues to the bottom of the hole.

There are large areas of mineralization in six different zones scattered across four square kilometers of the San Roque property. Drilling has partially investigated four of these with encouraging results, and all remain open to expansion with continued drilling. The company plans to expand its exploration drilling program to include the two remaining untested zones.

In addition to the San Roque property, the company currently holds mining claims to 15,250 hectares (37,700 acres) of land in the Argentine Puna, within the famed ‘Lithium Triangle’, where it has revived its lithium exploration program, which was halted in 2009. The company also owns the Las Aguilas property in central Argentina, which is currently the country’s largest known nickel/cobalt property.

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

• Growing global market of governments and businesses conscientiously working toward energy efficiency goals with 2020 deadline
• Increasing concerns about climate change driving efforts to reduce pollutants, unnecessary utility usage
• Zenergy’s flagship Zero Cost Program, together with its recently acquired Texas retail electric provider, helping customers reduce carbon footprint through MESA contract

Next-generation energy utility Zenergy Brands, Inc. (OTC: ZNGY) is helping its corporate and residential customers upgrade older equipment and establish energy efficiency standards as part of the company’s loftier aim to make a difference against life-harming climate change.

Zenergy’s flagship Zero Cost Program uses a typical Managed Energy Services Agreement (MESA) to provide environment-friendly solutions for water, gas and energy consumption, offering its business and municipal clients a promise to reduce their carbon footprint and a contract in which Zenergy handles upfront costs associated with the necessary equipment. The customers pay a downward scaling part of their utility expense savings to Zenergy over the term of the agreement, projected at a five-year minimum for Zenergy.

For years, the European Union has been employing a strategy to improve its energy efficiency by 20 percent before 2020 under a binding Energy Efficiency Directive (http://ibn.fm/Pj8Wr). Many U.S. corporations have similarly set energy efficiency targets for themselves to reach by 2020 (http://ibn.fm/q2Il2) in keeping with the spirit of the so-called Paris Agreement that garnered multi-national support for limiting global climate change and rising temperatures worldwide (http://ibn.fm/418Dx).

Scientists have studied climate change, or the long-term consequences to weather patterns worldwide as a result of global surface temperature changes, out of concern for the impact on human, animal and plant life produced by those temperature changes. Climate change causes a change in the rate of polar ice sheet formation and melt-off, as well as a resultant rise in coastal sea levels, which has been blamed recently for adverse impacts on real estate (http://ibn.fm/z6xn5). An increasing severity or frequency of extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes, typhoons, droughts and heat waves, is similarly believed to be a result of the changing planetary temperature (http://ibn.fm/voERP).

Scientists have attributed much of the planetary temperature change to human activity — particularly pollutants from burned fossil fuels. Resultant rising concentrations of greenhouse gases such as carbon diode, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorocarbons have been measured at a significant rate of change over the course of the past century (http://ibn.fm/2y3c6).

Zenergy’s efforts to help its customers reduce their carbon footprint don’t only apply to automatically turning off light bulbs or lowering a thermostat when a room isn’t in use. In addition to its commitment to reducing demand on the nation’s electrical and natural gas energy supply, the company focuses on reducing the impact on the nation’s water supply as well. In the process, Zenergy aims to help its customers strengthen their bottom lines and improve enterprise value.

Also, of course, Zenergy aims to boost its own value for investors. In July, the company announced a seven-year agreement with BitPlus, Ltd. to gain a competitive advantage in the bitcoin mining industry (http://ibn.fm/MZMs2), and, on October 1 the company announced the rebranding of a Texas retail electric provider (REP) that it acquired earlier this year to provide “virtual utility” services.

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

• Russian ecommerce still 80 percent reliant on cash
• Net Element’s “PayOnline” payments platform to cash in on trend toward non-cash
• Strategic partnerships pave entry to Russian mobile and online payments market

In Russia, cash on delivery is not just a way to pay for takeout; it’s how over 80 percent of online purchases are remunerated, according to Ecommerce News Europe (http://ibn.fm/KXdrv). However, that is changing fast. In 2017, “financial cards and payments performed positively in Russia”, says Euromonitor International (http://ibn.fm/vglew). Russian consumers are changing their purchasing habits, it seems, as financial literacy and cashless payment solutions, like those offered by Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE), come to market. A recent report from Zacks notes, “Net Element is a growth company in the payments industry that should benefit from the adoption of mobile and online payments in the U.S., Russia and Eastern Europe.” In fact, Net Element is the only U.S. company listed on the Nasdaq that stands to benefit from the Russian electronic payments expansion.

Russian consumers are a cautious lot, paying only for goods when they are received. Merchants display an equal degree of circumspection; they typically prefer cash-on-delivery (COD). COD in America was widely employed during the heyday of mail order commerce but has since been superseded by debit cards, credit cards and web-based payment systems. In other countries, COD is still an option. In the Middle East, around 60 percent of online transactions are completed by COD, prompting one commentator to lament (http://ibn.fm/glxox), “Cash on delivery is the biggest challenge for e-commerce players in the region. There are high return rates, a big lag time between order and payment and the need for delivery people to carry cash is a major risk.” The same challenges beset ecommerce in Russia. However, a payment platform like the one developed by Net Element is catalyzing consumer acceptance of non-cash payment.

The potential of this emerging market is not to be underestimated. Citing a recent report from Morgan Stanley, this column discloses that in the five-year period from 2018-2023, the Russian e-commerce market will grow by more than two-and-a-half times – to 3.491 trillion rubles ($53.15 billion) – from 1.292 trillion rubles ($19.67 billion) in 2018. In 2017, “the Association of E-commerce Companies (ACIT) estimated the volume at 1.04 trillion rubles ($15.83 billion).”

Net Element is on it. In 2017, the company’s PayOnline subsidiary launched Apple Pay support in Russia (http://ibn.fm/vZqHy). The global number of Apple Pay users is growing at a rate of over one million per week, while transaction volumes are up 500 percent over the last year. Since launching in Russia on October 4, 2016, the number of Apple Pay users in the country has increased to an estimated 200,000 and continues to grow. As a fully integrated electronic commerce platform, PayOnline is at the forefront of the payments industry in the region and poised for expansion into Russia. It is well positioned to capitalize on this developing trend by enabling and supporting mobile and e-commerce merchants to accept Apple Pay.

PayOnline is also collaborating with Bank Sputnik to offer a comprehensive multi-channel payment facilitator solution for SMB merchants in the Russian Federation (http://ibn.fm/xluMR). This unique solution offers a set of tools not available from any other transaction processing company in the region and expands PayOnline’s offerings beyond electronic commerce. Under the exclusive partnership, Bank Sputnik will offer a fully compliant legal framework and bank sponsorship to enable PayOnline to process transactions as a payment facilitator. By provisioning a single, master merchant ID, PayOnline ensures that merchants and their clients benefit from an automated, real-time and seamless onboarding experience. The API-driven platform simplifies merchant account enrollment. A sub-merchant can be enrolled, approved, boarded and processing payments in a few minutes.

Net Element offers a broad range of payment acceptance and processing services that enable merchants of all sizes to accept and process over 100 different payment options in more than 120 currencies, including credit, debit, prepaid and alternative payments. The company also provides merchants with value-added services and technologies, including integrated payment technologies, POS solutions, security solutions, fraud management, information solutions and analytical tools.

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

• Ryan Fishoff, CEO of HIPH, believes that this distribution channel could result in revenue of more than $1 million over the agreement’s life, while also raising awareness for HIPH
• Agreement calls for HIPH subsidiary LALPINA Hydro CBD to distribute CBD beverages to two of SING’s e-commerce channels, SingleSeed.com and DIGSHydro.com
• LALPINA Hydro CBD will be the first hydro-nano beverage to be sold on both sites; its hydro-nano technology offers consumers up to 90 percent higher absorption rates than traditional CBD water

American Premium Water Corp. (OTC: HIPH) has signed a distribution agreement for its subsidiary, LALPINA Hydro CBD, to sell its beverages to two SinglePoint, Inc. (OTCQB: SING) e-commerce channels, SingleSeed.com and DIGSHydro.com (http://ibn.fm/mxKFy). HIPH will drop ship product to the customers.

HIPH hopes that the agreement will raise the awareness level of LALPINA Hydro CBD to a wider audience and also be a forerunner of future e-commerce collaborations. It is the first hydro-nano beverage available on each of the sites.

HIPH, based in Playa Vista, California, is a publicly traded holding company that owns a portfolio of subsidiaries, including LALPINA Hydra, Gents, Worthy and FashionCoinX. SING is a technology and investment company with a portfolio that includes mobile payments, blockchain solutions and ancillary cannabis services.

In a news release, Fishoff of HIPH said, “These e-commerce arrangements are going to be a pillar of our e-commerce distribution strategy. Third-party sites will not only drive additional impressions for the LILPINA brand, it will also drive awareness of the Company to a wider audience. I think this distribution channel could bring in excess of a million of revenue over the life of the agreement.”

Hydro-nano technology mixes hydro and encapsulates the CBD with nano technology. LALPINA turns the CBD molecule into a water-soluble compound. That maximizes its bioavailability and delivery to the body’s cells and tissues, permitting consumers to have up to 90 percent higher absorption rates than with traditional CBD water.

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