• Card fraud and data breaches cause billions of dollars in losses every year
• Netevia technology generates virtual single-use card numbers
• Targeted at $7.7 trillion global B2B payments business

Just like the single-use plastic shavers applied to remove a five o’clock shadow, credit card numbers have entered the realm of disposable goods. In response to the rising incidence of payment fraud and data breaches that expose millions of card numbers, innovative companies like Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE) are devising solutions to stay ahead of the criminals. The global financial tech company has extended its Netevia platform to include a smart solution for enabling secure vendor payments that employs single-use credit card numbers. With losses from card-not-present (CNP) fraud expected to surpass $6 billion in 2018, the Netevia B2B platform couldn’t have come at a better time (http://ibn.fm/nDho6).

Debit and credit card fraud disguises itself in many forms but, most often, materializes in CNP transactions. These are transactions in which the card is not physically presented, as when a consumer pays a utility bill using his or her desktop at home. The value of losses due to CNP fraud is set to reach $6.4 billion by the end of 2018, according to Statista, and will very likely continue to climb in the coming years, since the market for hacked card information seems to be thriving. In July 2018, American Banker reported that ‘the number of hacked U.S. credit cards whose information was offered for sale to other criminals on the dark web jumped by about two-thirds in the first half of this year.’ (http://ibn.fm/BOROu). Citing data from New York-based IntSights, the financial journal reported that ‘more than 4,000 credit cards per bank were on sale in the first half, up from about 2,400 in the second half of 2017.’

Also in July, retail giant Macy’s, which operates close to 700 retail outlets, said that hackers had recently (April-June) accessed customers’ card information. It wasn’t the first time such an attack had occurred. In 2014, the card information of 56 million customers was stolen from Home Depot, and in 2017, perhaps the largest security breach took place, when the credit card information of 143 million Americans was compromised after the systems of credit reporting agency Equifax were hacked.

One way to reduce CNP fraud is by using a different card number for each transaction, which is what the Netevia technology allows. With the Netevia platform, payments are safely and electronically delivered using a secure, single-use dynamic credit card number. These payments can only be processed by the designated single vendor for a specific amount, and have added controls for improved flexibility and security. Netevia works seamlessly with existing accounting systems and requires no complex setup or integration; it also comes complete with 24/7 customer support by phone, email or live chat. Netevia is a high-tech platform that looks set to act as a launching pad for NETE into the global B2B payments market, now valued around $7.7 trillion, according to the Statista 2017 B2B E-commerce report.

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

• Texas-based franchise of a well-known fast food restaurant chain enters into a Zero Cost Contract with Zenergy; projected 27 percent reduction in annual energy consumption
• Zero Cost Program offers a lasting impact on the environment while providing savings to clients
• Company is in early-stage engagements with three more franchisees
• Reducing utility consumption, carbon footprints and decreasing demand on the national energy grid and water supply in the U.S.

Zenergy Brands, Inc. (OTC: ZNGY), a business-to-business company offering energy services and smart controls, provides a flagship Zero Cost Program® to customers who desire a more efficient use of resources. Through this program, the company offers conservation and sustainability products and services to commercial, industrial and municipal end-use customers. Clients benefit from a reduction of utility consumption of 20 to 60 percent through the use of energy conservation and smart control technology installed by Zenergy at no upfront cost. Clients are able to upgrade older, inefficient energy infrastructure, thus creating savings as well as positively impacting the environment.

A Texas-based franchise of a well-known fast food restaurant chain has entered into a Zero Cost contract with Zenergy. The seven-year agreement for energy efficiency and conservation technology installation is for eight of the franchise’s Southeast Texas locations. Through this program, the franchise is forecast to experience a 27 percent reduction in annual energy consumption – over half a million in gross dollar savings – over the next 10 years. Zenergy’s analysts estimate that the impact on the environment will be equivalent to removing 1.4 million pounds of CO2 emissions from the atmosphere – a big win for the franchise, Zenergy and the environment.

“We are excited about this partnership and hopeful that this deal marks the beginning of an upward trend whereby we can secure more Zero Cost contracts with other similar franchises,” Zenergy Vice President of Business Development Jeff Bay-Andersen stated in a news release. “In fact, we have already commenced discussions and early stage engagements with three more franchises in recent weeks.” (http://ibn.fm/hKgU1).

Zenergy is working hard to provide commercial, industrial and municipal customers the ability to reduce utility consumption and minimize their carbon footprint while decreasing demand on the national energy grid and water supply in the U.S. As the company strives to be a good steward of the planet and its resources, it is equipping customers, like the Texas-based franchise, to do the same. Zenergy provides businesses with energy “road-mapping” to help them develop and execute a more efficient energy buying strategy. Through education, consumers with Zenergy’s smart solutions are changing the utility and energy industries.

A running data analysis of the impact of the Zero Cost Program to date can be found in real time at www.WhatisZenergy.com

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

• Announced plans to expand internationally to Australia and New Zealand
• Leveraging home-based sales representatives through services and products
• Revenue records set in 2018 set company goals for continued potential growth

The direct selling industry is growing, and Sharing Services, Inc. (OTC: SHRV) plans to leverage its home-based independent sales representatives in targeting an international customer base. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, this diversified holding company owns, operates or controls an interest in a variety of businesses specializing in the direct selling industry. The company offers services ranging from health and wellness, energy and technology to insurance services, training, media and travel benefits, and it sells directly to consumers through independent representatives that it calls ‘Elevated Entrepreneurs’, coined Elepreneurs. Through its services, Sharing Services aims to elevate the home-based entrepreneur in support of direct-selling programs.

In June, the company announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Elevacity Global, LLC, will launch its product line in Australia and New Zealand. The first steps from a legal and compliance standpoint have already been initiated, and plans to complete the process in 2018 in order to fulfill consumer demand are being expedited. In a news release, SHRV Chairman Robert Oblon stated, “I am confident that the team of professionals we are working with in Australia and New Zealand will successfully launch our products. We are pleased to continue our ‘Blue Ocean Strategy’ philosophy on the other side of the globe.” This first launch is part of a broader expansion strategy that will continue worldwide (http://ibn.fm/E7eYD).

The company has been setting revenue records in 2018. March saw $2.4 million in gross sales, doubling SHRV’s volume for February. In April, the company reported record revenue of more than $3.5 million. These record sales are attributed to customer satisfaction, quality products and the Elepreneurs’ ability to execute Sharing Services’ Blue Ocean Strategy. The company continues to look to the future, pursuing expansion, accommodating growth and bringing on experienced talent.

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

• Opioid epidemic driving search for safer, all-natural alternatives
• Recent studies indicate that CBD may be an effective treatment for certain ailments
• Relaxation on hemp cultivation could pave the way for distribution of CBD products

The continued scourge of opioid addiction across America is intensifying efforts to find safer alternatives to the use of narcotics. Drug overdose deaths are now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 55, knocking heart disease from the top position, according to The New York Times (http://ibn.fm/eGpVT). As a result, the population mortality rate, on the decline since 1963, is rising again. Preliminary data indicates that it rose in 2017, marking possibly, the “third straight year of decline in American life expectancy rates,” Bloomberg reports (http://ibn.fm/ScOY5). Still, powerful opioids like fentanyl continue to be employed in pain management regimens. Recent studies on the use of safer alternatives to manage one’s health, particularly cannabidiol (CBD), are gaining attention.

Coupled with relaxed restrictions on hemp cultivation, this has opened up a vista of opportunity for Marijuana Company of America (OTC: MCOA). Through wholly owned subsidiary hempSMART™, the company delivers all of the benefits of hemp-derived cannabidiol products, employing its unique affiliate marketing and distribution platform. MCOA is intent on building a portfolio of companies that operate in the legal cannabis and industrial hemp industries.

A number of recent studies, highlighted by a CannabisNewsWire release, indicate that CBD could be a safe alternative to perniciously addictive opioids (http://ibn.fm/azELY). Moreover, CBD is one component in Sativex, which has been approved for use in treating chronic pain in Canada and Europe. The World Health Organization (WHO), in late 2017, issued a statement, after studying CBD, that reads in part, “In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential… To date, there is no evidence of recreational use of CBD or any public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.” These developments appear to be removing the stigma that CBD has acquired by being a derivative of the cannabis plant.

The growing interest in CBD has come at a time when efforts to ease restrictions on the cultivation of hemp in the U.S. are underway. For example, a number of states have introduced legislation and regulations allowing for the cultivation of hemp, from which CBD oil can be extracted. Earlier this year, the Hemp Farming Act, which proposes, among other things, to remove hemp from Schedule 1 of the CSA, was introduced in the U.S. Senate. As part of its hemp promotion initiative, the Senate also declared June 4-10 to be “Hemp History Week”. This hemp hurrah comes after an exile of 60 years. Commercial cultivation of hemp in the U.S. effectively ceased after 1958.

Together with joint venture partner Global Hemp Group (CSE: GHG) (OTC: GBHPF), Marijuana Company of America is already executing its plans to cultivate hemp on a commercial basis in North America, with current operations underway in New Brunswick, Canada, and Oregon.  After promising results from the 2017 season, the two companies intend to plant a minimum of 125 acres of hemp in New Brunswick this year, increasing that, over the following three years, to 1,000 acres.

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

• GPS SmartSole in trials with the UK’s National Health Service (NHS)
• Could be issued across England through NHS
• GPS SmartSole set for distribution across the UK and Ireland

GTX Corp’s (OTC: GTXOD) GPS SmartSole, which is fitted with location-based technology, could soon become available in the UK through the country’s National Health Service (NHS), according to several British news reports (http://ibn.fm/FgZEN). The wearable GPS device is undergoing tests in Dorset, England, to assess its ability to keep track of dementia patients (http://ibn.fm/ve18a). A number of organizations that work with those suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia appear to be pushing for the product’s adoption, among them Tony Young, a national clinical director of NHS England, and Sally Copley, a senior official of the Alzheimer’s Society in the UK. Copley, who serves as the director of policy, campaigns and partnerships with the Alzheimer’s Society noted in a Barchester article (http://ibn.fm/EkWvF) that “the use of GPS tracking for people with dementia can provide reassurance and even save lives.” In light of the reports, GTX Corp and its distributor have begun to gear up. The company’s distributor in the UK is a well-established B2B health care and telehealth provider that sells and supports medical devices, along with the GPS SmartSole, across the UK and Ireland.

The number of people suffering from dementia in the UK is fast approaching one million. Their cognitive disability places them at great risk and causes relatives, guardians and caretakers concern. Dementia sufferers are notoriously prone to wandering off without telling anyone where they’re going. Moreover, in many instances, they don’t know themselves, as a result of which they can become disorientated, lost and likely to place themselves in peril. The numbers in the U.S. far exceeds those of the UK. Alzheimer’s disease afflicts an estimated 5.1 million Americans aged 65 years or older, a number that’s set to rise to 13.2 million by 2050 (http://ibn.fm/zNQSk), highlighting the possibility that the GPS SmartSole could enjoy the same widespread government support across other European countries and, ultimately, the U.S. health care market.

The GPS SmartSole is a sole insert that can be placed inside a shoe, making it invisible to the wearer. Settings on the device allow a specific area or ‘geo-fence’ to be designated as safe. Then, if the wearer steps outside that safe area, an alert will be sent to a connected digital device. The GPS SmartSole thus provides instant warning that something is amiss, prompting immediate remedial action. The system thus reduces risk to the wearer. Typically, seniors and other sufferers of cognitive disabilities are long lost before someone notices.

Alerts from the GPS SmartSole can be received on any internet-enabled device or smartphone, giving the location of the wearer so that he or she can be found quickly and significantly reducing the chances of harm. The device offers dementia patients increased independence and provides loved ones and caregivers with a reassuring peace of mind.

The distribution agreement, signed with Possum Ltd., will give GTX Corp access to a large market (http://ibn.fm/0PFmu). The privately owned British company develops, manufactures, supplies, installs and supports electronic assistive technology products and systems to the National Health Service. It also distributes and supports a wide range of products to the telehealth and technology-enabled care and support markets. Operating since 1961, Possum is a former holder of one of the most prestigious business awards in the UK, the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category. With such a partner and with backing from NHS England, GTX Corp seems to be launching a sort of British invasion with its GPS SmartSole.

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

• Assay work continues on gold drilling exploration results that could ‘significantly increase the fundamental value’ of Marifil Mines
• Marifil exploration targets backed by outsized global market demand for gold and lithium
• Company geologists recognize a large volume of mineralized earth similar in scale to many porphyry-type deposits

Assay work on the results of new drilling in Argentina’s gold-producing northern Patagonia region continues as Marifil Mines Ltd. (TSX.V: MFM) (OTCQB: MFMLF) awaits word about approximately 600 core samples taken in June from the company’s flagship property.

The samples retrieved from four new holes bored to a beginning-to-end distance of 846.5 meters (2,777.2 feet) at the San Roque property in southwestern Argentina’s Rio Negro province, where a large quantity of rock has been determined to be “well mineralized” by the company (http://ibn.fm/mmChB), are expected to add another layer of confirmation to a gold find at the site and expand the size of the find. More than 100 holes have previously been drilled at the site.

The San Roque property is an advanced-stage exploration project secured by 42,320 hectares (104,575 acres) of mining rights — more than 20 percent of which cover mineralization in which Marifil is particularly interested, including gold, lithium and cobalt, metals that are enjoying significant market attention because of outsized demand versus supply concerns. Lithium and cobalt have gained a lot of attention during the past year because of increasing interest in environment-friendly electric vehicles, which are powered by specialized batteries that rely on lithium and cobalt for their makeup.

Although a Canadian NI 43-101 report has not been completed on the San Roque site, the company states that a porphyry-scale deposit of mineralized material is indicated by all of the work done so far. The company intends to commission a NI 43-101 report upon completion of the current exploration campaign. Significant gold-silver-indium-lead-zinc mineralization averaging as high as 1.2 grams per metric ton of gold, 10 grams per metric ton of silver and 39 grams per metric ton of indium with 0.4 percent concentrations of lead and two percent concentrations of zinc has been reported over 120 meters in past drilling.

The mineralization occurs in areas with old volcanic formations, and geologists believe that it is part of a volcanic paleo-caldera that caps a deeper porphyry copper-molybdenum deposit, according to the company (http://ibn.fm/qtXSH). While some mining companies have found that their Argentine exploration stalled following implementation of the world’s first Glacier Protection Law there (http://ibn.fm/rnfO3), Canadian-based Marifil states that San Roque has “no known health, safety or environmental incidents associated with the project,” as well as no challenges from indigenous populations or concerns over protected or endangered fauna or flora. The property lies in a low elevation desert only 35 kilometers inland of the Atlantic coast and is readily accessible by highway.

Marifil is also advancing its lithium exploration efforts, inking a definitive exploration agreement earlier this year with Argentine company Minera Esperanza S.A. The agreement relates to a five-year exploration plan at two lithium-bearing properties in Argentina’s Catamarca province, far to the north of the San Roque site. Marifil has an option to purchase the lithium properties, which would expand its lithium portfolio to 15,267 hectares (37,725.6 acres) within the puna scrublands of the prolific “Lithium Triangle.”

In a news release (http://ibn.fm/rsmFd), Marifil president and CEO Robert Abenante noted that the agreement displays the company’s “continued aggressive growth within the lithium space in Argentina.”

The lithium and gold exploration have the potential to work out well for Marifil in a country where productive mining and a friendly political atmosphere have drawn corporate interests. Recently released results from a 2016 census of Argentina’s mining activity showed that over 1,500 mining companies were exploring in the South American country, with 73.1 percent of production focused on metallic minerals. Gold was responsible for 49.9 percent of the production (http://ibn.fm/bKV4a).

“Positive results at San Roque have the ability to significantly increase the fundamental value of the Company and bring the Property one step closer to being considered an economic minerals deposit,” Abenante added.

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

• Home-based, direct selling business start-ups are on the rise
• Sharing Services is focused on elevating home-based entrepreneurs through innovative programs addressing their specific challenges
• Company offers the direct-sell entrepreneur more options for health, wealth and happiness

Home-based entrepreneurs are on the rise. Though working from home requires self-discipline and presents a few challenges that traditional jobs do not, it also brings with it important benefits and is increasingly popular. The direct selling industry had $182 billion in sales logged globally in 2016 (http://ibn.fm/q97YN), with $35.54 billion coming from the United States (http://ibn.fm/qREE0).

Clearly, many are cashing in on a shift from store-front to home-based start-ups. According to Staples Workplace Survey, 43 percent of employees say that the freedom to work remotely is a must (http://ibn.fm/Xj2FS). When employers don’t adjust their workspace to accommodate this growing demand, employees start to look elsewhere. The flexibility of working hours, accessibility of technology and lower overhead all play into why people are ditching the office for direct selling, but these entrepreneurs face unique challenges – challenges that Sharing Services, Inc. (OTC: SHRV) is striving to overcome.

Sharing Services, headquartered in Plano, Texas, is a diversified holdings company that owns, operates, or controls an interest in multiple entities in the direct selling industry. One of the company’s main goals is to elevate home-based entrepreneurs, deemed Elepreneurs by Sharing Services, through support and training of direct-selling programs. When individuals choose the home-based entrepreneur model, they may struggle with things like access to training, insurance benefits that cover a variety of areas such as health, and vacation time. Sharing Services assists in filling that need.

The company offers travel concierges and wholesale travel with its payment programs to help compensate for the loss of paid leave from traditional businesses. It directs Elepreneurs to find insurance benefits that are right for their families and provides unique compensation and reward programs. When it comes to training, the company offers instruction through multiple venues, including live seminars, training events and streaming global TV/Radio Broadcast Network (http://ibn.fm/aU5am), among other support items. This online platform is a way to keep its Elepreneurs engaged, encouraged and always abreast of the latest in industry trends. It is one of SHRV’s strategic steps to continually elevate the entrepreneur, effectively positioning them as experts in the industry.

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

• Virtual Crypto’s solutions enable real-time confirmation of cryptocurrency transactions
• Company’s NetoBit ATM is the world’s first ATM to enable real-time bitcoin conversion, purchase and sale
• Virtual Crypto’s mission is to make instant, secure and user-friendly cryptocurrency financial services available to everyone

Regulatory sentiment in the United States seems to be shifting favorably toward cryptocurrencies – news that is very welcome for companies like Virtual Crypto Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP).

Virtual Crypto is a technology company focused on making cryptocurrencies accessible to the public, doing so through the creation of instant, secure, user-friendly payment solutions for businesses and consumers that combine APIs and mobile applications for implementation across ATMs, PCs, tablets and other mobile devices. The company operates with a vision that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies will become accessible to the general public – an idea that seems much closer to becoming a reality in light of recent happenings (http://ibn.fm/yU6RR).

Just last week, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was accepting public comment regarding a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) that was been proposed by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE). Public support thus far has been overwhelmingly in favor of a bitcoin ETF, despite hesitance from the SEC. MasterCard has also announced its intention to permit blockchain currency transactions via traditional payment channels. Exciting developments like these further validate Virtual Crypto’s vision of publicly accessible cryptocurrencies and the widespread use of virtual coins as a payment method.

Virtual Crypto is well-positioned to capitalize on such an eventuality, offering a variety of solutions designed to make crypto transactions accessible and user-friendly.

Through Virtual Crypto Technologies Ltd., the company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Virtual Crypto has developed NetoBit, a proprietary cryptographic algorithmic technology that can confirm the purchase or sale of any cryptocurrency in real time. This real-time confirmation ability gives Virtual Crypto a clear competitive edge when it comes to making cryptocurrency transactions user-friendly.

NetoBit software and hardware products are being marketed for the purchase and sale of cryptocurrencies through ATMs, tablets, PCs and mobile devices. Virtual Crypto’s suite of NetoBit products includes NetoBit Pay and NetoBit ATM, which is the world’s first ATM to enable real-time bitcoin conversion, purchase and sale.

NetoBit ATM, which was launched in June 2018, is a state-of-the-art automated teller machine that is unlike any other bitcoin ATM platform on the market. While most bitcoin ATMs only allow users to purchase bitcoin, NetoBit ATM is a bidirectional platform that allows users to both purchase and sell bitcoin (http://ibn.fm/Xbtzr). The device supports most common currencies and is available for purchase throughout the world. Because NetoBit ATM facilitates trading between fiat currencies and cryptocurrencies, Virtual Crypto views it as a crucial gateway to facilitating the growth and mainstreaming of digital currency.

Through its innovations, Virtual Crypto is additionally eradicating the problem of restrictive exclusivity faced by cryptocurrency users. Most cryptocurrency trade providers only allow users to interact with one exchange agency, effectively binding the customer to the exchange rate that a particular agency offers. Virtual Crypto, however, makes it possible for customers to simultaneously work with several crypto exchanges when transacting, enabling users to receive the best crypto exchange rates available at the time of their transactions. Common liquidity problems are also resolved, as Virtual Crypto’s system is able to divide a single payment across multiple exchanges, enabling the purchase of more than just a single exchange can facilitate.

As the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies moves closer toward becoming a reality, Virtual Crypto is poised to lead the way with innovations and solutions designed to make crypto transactions easily accessible to the masses.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Virtual-Crypto.com

• Sunniva’s CP Logistics to produce ultra-purified extracts under Cannabis Strategic Ventures’ Pure Organix™ brand
• Investment banking firm Canaccord Genuity initiates coverage of Sunniva
• Canaccord Genuity gives Sunniva positive share price valuation above current market performance and a “speculative buy” rating

Vertically integrated cannabis company Sunniva Inc. (CSE: SNN) (OTCQX: SNNVF) has announced an agreement to produce top-quality cannabis extracts for Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (OTC: NUGS) (http://ibn.fm/T49NL). Under the white label services agreement, Sunniva’s CP Logistics (“CPL”) subsidiary will produce ultra-purified cannabis extracts for the Pure Organix™ brand, owned by Cannabis Strategic’s subsidiary, Pure Applied Sciences, Inc.

From its Sun-Oil Facility in Cathedral City, California, CPL will extract cannabis oils for vape pen cartridges. Both companies expect that additional products will follow. The agreement, signed for an initial 12 months, will be open for extension.

Commenting in a news release on why his company chose Sunniva for this deal, Cannabis Strategic CEO Simon Yu said, “We have selected Sunniva because of its emphasis on creating great products for great brands… We created the Pure Sciences brand based on premium quality and sound manufacturing practices. Sunniva shares our values relative to the area and we are pleased to have them as our manufacturer. We are especially impressed with their plans to build greenhouse and extraction facilities compliant with Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) standards.”

Sunniva CEO Tony Holler added, “As one of the highest quality producers in the marketplace, we believe we are in an excellent position to provide brand product manufacturing services for Cannabis Strategic. Both of our firms share the vision of becoming leaders in providing clean, medical grade cannabis products to consumers.”

This news comes on the heels of a recent announcement that investment banking, wealth management and brokerage firm Canaccord Genuity has initiated coverage on Sunniva. In its first report, the company, a leading Canadian investment firm, gave Sunniva a “speculative buy” rating (http://ibn.fm/7mnuP).

In a comprehensive 51-page report created to inform clients about investment prospects, Canaccord Genuity recommends a target price for Sunniva of C$13.00 (US$9.84), well above current trading levels. The report, titled “Bringing quality and scale to the world’s two largest cannabis markets,” goes into detail about Sunniva’s operations in Canada and California, drawing out points that will be of key importance to potential investors.

Canaccord Genuity predicts high growth for the cannabis industry in California and Canada, Sunniva’s areas of operation. It highlights Sunniva’s strategy of vertical integration as being key to its potential success in the cannabis market, noting, “As one of only a limited number of U.S. cannabis operators with access to public market capital, we believe the company is well positioned to transition to a fully vertically integrated operator by acquiring other areas of the value chain.”

The report mentions Sunniva’s current construction of a large-scale state-of-the-art facility in Canada, as well as the fact that it has entered a two-year deal with Canopy Growth Corp. (TSX: WEED) to supply 90,000 kg of cannabis. The agreement secures Sunniva a buyer for a large portion of stock from its Canada campus as soon as it begins production.

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

• First Cobalt drilling program in Idaho shows promise for important high-tech metal
• During the next decade, demand for li-ion battery cobalt alone expected to double current levels for metal’s entire market
• $9 million program at First Cobalt’s Idaho site preparing NI 43-101-compatible report on historic site with still-unexplored potential

First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) (ASX: FCC) is reaping rewarding reports from its exploration to extend a historic resource in Idaho’s prolific Cobalt Belt. The project is an example of industry efforts to establish North American sources of the metal so vital to high-tech batteries and other modern tech applications, and First Cobalt’s portfolio indicates its potential in leading the effort. Having stable North America-based operations and sources could help avoid unpredictable future problems, such as Panasonic’s recent sudden cut off of a cobalt supplier due its relationship with Cuba.

First Cobalt has three significant North American assets: the Iron Creek Project in Idaho, with its historic mineral resource estimate (not currently compliant with NI 43-101 standards); the Canadian Cobalt Camp north of the Great Lakes, with more than 50 past producing mines; and the only cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery materials, located near the Cobalt Camp property.

This year’s 30,000-meter drill program at the Idaho site is designed to extend the strike length of the previously known mineralization in two zones (Waite and No Name) and potentially determine if a third zone is present where continuity of intersections has been encountered between holes along strike. Six drill holes completed at the western end of the cobalt-copper mineralized zones have validated previously reported intersections and extended the total strike length of the Waite Zone westward to 520 meters along a dip length of more than 250 meters from the surface.

First Cobalt reports that the extended portion of the Waite Zone is particularly copper-rich, and that high-grade intercepts are found within broader zones of lower grade cobalt-copper that could become suitable for bulk mining methods. The calculation of a mineral resource estimate compliant with NI 43-101 reporting standards is currently underway for the initial resource area drilled last year and early this year, and results are expected by October.

First Cobalt announced plans for the assay advancement of the Idaho property on June 11 as part of a $9 million program to develop a Measured and Indicated Resource estimate of the site, which First Cobalt obtained through its acquisition of US Cobalt.

“First Cobalt acquired US Cobalt because we believe that Iron Creek is one of the most prospective and advanced projects in North America,” First Cobalt President and CEO Trent Mell stated in a news release at the time (http://ibn.fm/a8m3L).

On July 19 (http://ibn.fm/4XzNJ), Mell added, “Drilling continues to extend the strike and dip extent of the Iron Creek Project beyond the boundaries of the maiden resource estimate expected in October. The consistency of cobalt grades across wider widths and the higher copper grades were expected and are encouraging. These results support further testing the western strike extension of Iron Creek for a second resource estimate in early 2019.”

International metals and minerals research agency Roskill anticipates that sufficient quantities of refined capacity cobalt will exist through 2021 but that “there is considerable uncertainty thereafter.” Roskill anticipates that demand from the high-tech battery sector alone will more than double the size of the entire current market, which includes nickel alloys, tool materials, catalysts and magnets, by 2027 (http://ibn.fm/MlFG8). Cobalt also enjoys national security status, thanks to its use in rocket and jet engines.

Roskill estimates that cobalt demand was 118,000 metric tons last year (http://ibn.fm/f9hWK). The research and consultancy group anticipates the demand for cobalt at 310,000 metric tons a decade from now, of which more than 240,000 metric tons will come from the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles, laptops and mobile phones. Roskill also noted that prices for cobalt resources hit a 10-year high during the first half of this year, reaching over $90,000 per metric ton on the London Metal Exchange.

First Cobalt is a vertically integrated North American pure-play cobalt company with headquarters in Canada. The escalation in trade war politics between the United States and other countries currently has the potential to impact a variety of market sectors, including cobalt. However, First Cobalt’s activities have opened the potential for responding to adverse conditions beyond North America, particularly because of its extraction refinery — the only one permitted for cobalt in North America. Although it is not operational at present, the facility is capable of resuming the production of battery-grade materials as First Cobalt decides to do so.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://ibn.fm/FTSSF