• Electronic payments engendering transition to a cashless society
• Electronic payments carry high transaction costs
• Blockchain technology holds the promise of lowering those costs
• Latest payment system, QuickCard, launched and running successfully

If cash is still king, it has to be a constitutional monarchy, for electronic payment instruments and technologies like those being developed by GreenBox POS, LLC (OTCQB: GRBX) now dominate the payments system. The company’s latest payment system, QuickCard, has been showing impressive market performance metrics (http://ibn.fm/TRa8I). The blockchain-powered e-wallet has performed without flaw since its launch in May 2018.

GreenBox, headquartered in San Diego with offices in Seattle, Las Vegas, and Vancouver, British Columbia, builds customized payment solutions based on blockchain secure ledger technology designed to lower transaction costs, reduce fraud and strengthen regulatory compliance. By combining the benefits of cash and electronic payments, these payment solutions are taking us closer to a cashless economy. As their acceptance grows, these innovative technologies from GreenBox are likely to change how people worldwide behave with money.

Cash has lost its crown. In 2015, a study by the San Francisco Fed found that it had been the most frequently used retail payment instrument, facilitating 32 percent of all transactions, including bill payments. By contrast, consumers had used debit cards for 27 percent of their transactions and credit cards for 21 percent of transactions (http://ibn.fm/gwCzW). In the space of two years, all of that has changed. The most recent study of consumer payment choice, conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, discovered that, in 2017, U.S. consumers aged 18 and older made 70 payments per month on average, with debit cards accounting for 31.8 percent of those payments, cash for 27.4 percent and credit cards for 23.2 percent (http://ibn.fm/TE61c). Cash has been toppled, and its position will undoubtedly erode further as innovative payment solutions like those offered by GreenBox replace traditional methodologies in the payments ecosystem.

GreenBox is pushing progression to a cashless society with a string of blockchain-based technologies. Its QuickCard is a blockchain powered e-wallet accessible through an Android app, an iOS app or via a cash loading kiosk installed in participating retailers and merchants. It is coupled with the QuickCard Kiosk, which handles all cash management issues, both physical and virtual. Working together on the QuickCard payment platform, direct and immediate deposits from cash to blockchain can be made and instantly confirmed, providing a deposit solution that is unrivalled. The QuickCard payment platform takes the concept of an ATM to another level. Using it, a consumer can deposit his or her cash at the Kiosk, after which it immediately becomes available for use. The QuickCard payment platform, capable of instantly settling transactions with unparalleled security and fully integrated blockchain-secured ledger technology, also includes offline functionality and cold storage capabilities.

Other GreenBox products include its point-of-sale solution, which features operational compliance, financial audit preparation, expense tracking, tax payments and data fidelity controls, such as backup and restore, cloud security and privacy settings. The GreenBox POS software is fully integrated with a delivery app, a payment app and an application programming interface (API), and it features front register mode and back-end admin mode, in addition to in-admin mode to manage employees, vendors, expenses, taxes and compliance. All records are stored on the blockchain, with data reliably secured and protected.

GreenBox has also developed LOOPZ, a delivery software solution that offers service dispatcher back-end technology with manual and automatic modes. The software is uniquely designed to be effectively utilized for mobile delivery service operations with full autonomous dispatch capabilities. LOOPZ provides two mobile apps (driver and consumer) running on Android and iOS, direct reporting to point of sale inventory and use-of-pay for instant settlements, as well as separate escrow setup for tips and merchant sales. As with other GreenBox solutions, all data and information are securely hosted on a blockchain platform.

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

• Over 7,500 people expected to attend Cannabis Business Summit & Expo
• More than 85 percent of attendees to have decision-making or purchasing authority
• EVIO Colorado licensee gets ISO approval for pesticide testing
• Cannabis testing market to hit $1.4 billion by 2021

EVIO Inc. (OTCQB: EVIO), an accredited and established leader in cannabis testing, is set to exhibit at one of the nation’s foremost cannabis trade shows. EVIO will have booth #1113 at the National Cannabis Industry Association’s (NCIA) 5th Annual Cannabis Business Summit & Expo coming to San Jose, California, on July 25-27 (http://ibn.fm/9ySuM).

Over 7,500 attendees are expected at the event, which will bring together policymakers and key actors in the cannabis industry. Conference organizers estimate that over 85 percent of the attendees will have either decision-making or purchasing authority, making it a prime networking and deal-making opportunity.

“California’s heightened cannabis testing standards which went into effect on July 1, have brought cannabis testing and consumer safety to the forefront of the conversation. We are looking forward to connecting with NCIA attendees to discuss the new regulations and answer any questions regarding the testing space,” Al Lustig, president of EVIO Labs, stated in a news release. Lustig added that both EVIO and the cannabis testing space are growing at a rapid pace, “and the momentum will continue as more states and countries’ recreational programs come online.”

Confirming this increased growth and capacity, EVIO has also announced that one of its licensees has been certified to test cannabis products for pesticides (http://ibn.fm/Fo5LY). PhytaTech CO has been awarded ISO 17025 Certification for Pesticide Analysis in the State of Colorado. This the highest international standard for a laboratory’s competence and quality. The certification assures customers, public officials and accreditation bodies that tests are performed with impartiality and consistency.

“While pesticide testing is not state-mandated, we predict that it will be in the following months as the focus continues towards consumer safety and ensuring that products are clean and of the highest quality,” said Stephen Goldman, laboratory director of PhytaTech. “Pesticide residues are an extremely important public safety issue and something that has been plaguing the industry for years. EVIO remains committed to upholding the highest standards of the testing process and instilling consumer confidence in this expanding industry.”

Denver-based PhytaTech has been operating since 2014 and entered a licensing agreement with EVIO in 2017. The agreement allows PhytaTech to use EVIO’s testing methods. PhytaTech works with licensed producers in Colorado’s cannabis industry. It carries out potency analysis and tests products for contaminants, aiming to work at a 48-hour turnaround time.

The cannabis testing market is expected to reach $1.4 billion by 2021 (http://ibn.fm/84q47). More and more states are legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use, and these new laws are often coupled with mandated testing. With nine testing labs in California, Florida, Oregon, Massachusetts and Colorado, and plans to double this number by the end of the year, EVIO is set to capitalize on mandatory testing to further support its growth. The company offers a wide range of screening and analysis services to the regulated cannabis industry, as well as research and development for new cannabis products, and consultancy to cannabis growers and producers to meet quality goals, optimize manufacturing processes and achieve regulatory compliance.

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

• REFG is seeking state licenses in Utah and Vermont to grow industrial hemp after earlier acquiring SpeedyGrow, which is licensed to grow in Colorado
• Research firm projects that cannabis market in North America will surge this year due to greater adult use sales in Canada, California and Massachusetts, as well as medical sales in Florida
• REFG reaches agreement in principle to acquire rights to establish mobile hemp CBD extraction labs; company also offers FinCEN compliant Green processing for cannabis industry

Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions (OTC: REFG) is intensifying its focus on cannabis as research firm Arcview Market Research projects that the growth of the legal cannabis industry will re-accelerate in 2018 in North America as adult use sales grow in Canada, California and Massachusetts, along with first time medical cannabis sales in Florida (http://ibn.fm/ep91T).

A report published by Arcview Market Research, in partnership with BDS Analytics, forecasts that adult-use cannabis spending will reach $38.3 billion over the next 10 years, while medical spending will reach $19.1 billion (http://ibn.fm/m5mIe). Separately, Ameri Research, Inc., predicts a global cannabis market of $63.5 billion by 2024, driven by a CAGR of 21.1 percent from 2017-2024 (http://ibn.fm/0Vz8C).

Either way, researchers see the legal and medicinal cannabis markets expanding at a double digit annual rate, and REFG is playing a larger part in it. The Nevada-based firm is seeking up to three state licenses to grow industrial hemp. It has just reached an agreement to establish a mobile hemp CBD extraction lab. Additionally, the company continues to offer Green, a comprehensive financial system for licensed cannabis dispensaries and retail merchants who require an alternative to traditional banking. It is available for online sign up (http://ibn.fm/47b2Z).

The company has agreed in principle with a subsidiary of Paper Lantern, LLC to acquire the rights to operate mobile hemp labs. According to the company, the labs will be at farms owned and operated by REFG, as well as at farms which have entered into processing agreements with the company (http://ibn.fm/BAs6i). In a news release, Jeremy Roberts, CEO of REFG, said, “Our mobile extraction process is another step forward in our plan to participate in the hemp and cannabis industries at strategic levels.”

Roberts noted that REFG would attain a competitive edge by managing supply and demand from seed-to-sale through use of Paper Lantern’s technologies. Kipp Stroden, partner at Paper Lantern, added, “By bringing high tech mobile extraction to the farm, we will give farmers and capital partners the competitive edge needed in this fast-growing emerging market.”

This agreement adds to REFG’s diverse commitment to the cannabis industry. It acquired SpeedyGrow, a Wyoming-based firm licensed to grow and process hemp in Colorado (http://ibn.fm/8NX73).  It says that it will also apply for state licenses to grow industrial hemp in Utah (http://ibn.fm/eZkXk) and Vermont (http://ibn.fm/1esIQ).

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

• Virtual Crypto Technologies building a name with ATMs that deal in bi-directional crypto exchanges
• NetoBit platform for ATMs allows rapid verification through predictive application available on Android and iOS
• NetoBit’s flexibility extends to ability to divide transactions between multiple exchanges

Virtual Crypto Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP) is making it easier for people to finance their needs through virtually deregulated but still-confident peer-to-peer money networks that allow the rapid exchange of bitcoin and cash on a bi-directional ATM platform. The technology company is dedicated to making fintech use by consumers and businesses an efficient, accurate, reliable and virtually instantaneous process utilizing unique algorithms and artificial intelligence technologies on a variety of digital devices.

Virtual Crypto’s NetoBit ATM enables consumers to withdraw cash from their bitcoin accounts and to transfer funds to the accounts without the need for banking institution hurdles and their fees. New press materials, titled “Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Innovators Poised to Reap Rewards as Fintech Reshapes How Money Is Used” (audio: http://ibn.fm/qC3QQ; text: http://ibn.fm/vagLE), highlight how the company is helping to rapidly transform the financial industry by reshaping how money is used at the most basic level.

As the number of ATMs grows, the NetoBit system is becoming a handy way for a mobile society to retain liquidity, and it uniquely offers users the best bang for their buck by comparing the best expected trade outcomes on multiple cryptocurrency exchanges — even if that means dividing a single transaction between multiple exchanges in order to accomplish things.

Bitcoin (Crypto: BTC) and altcoin ATMs are proliferating across North America, with more than 73 percent of the nearly 3,500 reported ATMs worldwide located on the continent (http://ibn.fm/ifST3). That creates more fluid economic opportunities in the Americas, however about two-thirds of those ATMS are “one-way ATMs” that only allow purchases of crypto funds. Virtual Crypto’s platform is among those machine processes that take economic freedom to the next level.

The company’s currency exchange transaction validation (CETV) protocols enable customers to complete cash or fintech coin fund transfers in a matter of minutes, as opposed to the still-cumbersome mining computations that most bitcoin ATMs must wait on to validate the transaction. The CETV’s proprietary API-driven Bit4Sure transaction confirmation solution drastically reduces the 20-minute to 24-hour delay by establishing the probability of a transaction being confirmed by multiple miners even while the verification is taking place, effectively allowing users to confirm a transaction transparently before the blockchain process is completed, and it uses a readily available app that works with Android and iOS to do so (http://ibn.fm/ltumd).

Virtual Crypto is also expanding its horizons by working with other companies that might ultimately serve as clients for its technology. In January, the Delaware company inked an MOU with Israel-based oil refinery relocater Chiron Refineries Ltd. (TASE: CHR), creating a wholly owned subsidiary named Virtual Crypto Technologies Ltd. that will grant Chiron exclusive rights to market the NetoBit technology to casino cashiers, ATM operators, currency exchange offices and coffee shops in the territories of North Cyprus and Turkey (http://ibn.fm/aMeWi). Virtual Crypto is also taking aim at the extensive cryptocurrency usage that takes place within the online video game market, anticipating the possibility of providing services under that industry’s umbrella.

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

• MCOA focuses on providing products and services to the legal cannabis and industrial hemp industries
• Regulatory change is imminent in these industries
• MCOA is positioned to leverage promising trends in the industry

Based in Escondido, California, Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC: MCOA) focuses on providing turn-key services to the legal cannabis and industrial hemp industries. The company provides varied services and products via its strategic cross-country platform. Fundamentally, MCOA is undergoing development to support an array of portfolio companies that participate within these sectors.

The company’s business model includes a diverse portfolio of interactive business segments. MCOA’s portfolio includes hempSMART™, its New Brunswick hemp project, joint venture entity Covered Bridge Acres Ltd. and an ownership stake in MoneyTrac Technology, Inc.

MCOA’s hempSMART™ is committed to the development of industrial hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) nutritional products. hempSMART sells products via affiliate marketing and is developing a network of independently driven business owners to distribute hempSMART products. The company is dedicated to improving its customers’ health and wellness via education, promotion and distribution of products derived from industrial hemp.

hempSMART’s mission is to find, research, develop and deliver premier natural botanical ingredients centered on wellness and personal care. These proprietary formulations support and enhance the benefits of hemp-based cannabinoids.

The cannabidiol market is expected to achieve rapid and sustained growth due to the positive regulatory changes on the immediate horizon. Cannabis Law Advisor (http://ibn.fm/TgiLJ) noted that, “…industrial hemp continues to gather bipartisan supporters, including Mitch McConnell (R-KY).”

On June 25, 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for the first time, approved a medicine that uses CBD as its active ingredient. Upon the anticipated passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp and hemp-derived CBD will no longer be classified as a Schedule I drug, opening up vast markets nationally and internationally.

Moreover, Cannabis Tech (http://ibn.fm/Pxd2m) notes that, “…hemp demand is on the rise.  It has been predicted that by 2020, the hemp industry will be a $1.1 billion industry and by 2022, as much as $1.8 billion.”

MCOA is positioned to take advantage of the promising trends in the industry. By way of hempSMART, the company’s aim is to make this wholly owned subsidiary into a passionate movement to help foster the growth of the industrial hemp industry. Its emphasis is on supporting the renaissance of green sustainable hemp-based products and disruptive superior technologies.

MCOA recently added an industrial hemp cultivation site in Scio, Oregon, to its operations. This is a 109-acre site in the Willamette Valley. The company established this in collaboration with Global Hemp Group (CSE: GHG) (OTC: GBHPF). In addition, the two companies are working together on a hemp cultivation project in the Province of New Brunswick, albeit it on a significantly larger scale. Therefore, MCOA has in place its business strategy to leverage the potential of the industrial hemp industry.

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

• LXRP’s patented DehydraTECH technology will be employed by each wholly owned subsidiary, with applications applied to the industry segments
• At its 2018 Annual General and Special Meeting (AGM), all motions were passed, including election of board members and approval of its conversion plan
• Move to convert the company from a U.S.-based firm to Canada-based is placed on ‘indefinite hold’ due to inequitable tax treatment issue; LXRP to seek a resolution

At Lexaria Bioscience Corp.’s (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) 2018 Annual General Meeting, all motions were passed. The company is proceeding on schedule with its reorganization into four new wholly owned subsidiaries to serve the nicotine, hemp, pharmaceutical and cannabis industries. All of these subsidiaries will utilize the company’s patented DehydraTECH® proprietary absorption technology for application to their own sectors (http://ibn.fm/U61dv). The company said that the reorganization will assist in the growth and evolution of each of the four subsidiaries, including, but not limited to, the areas of research, development and finance.

Also during the annual meeting, Chris Bunka, John Docherty, Nick Baxter and Ted McKechnie won election as directors. In addition, the appointment of auditors was approved, as was the plan of conversion.

LXRP is a biotechnology company that out-licenses its disruptive delivery technology that promotes healthier ingestion methods. It results in lower dosing and higher effectiveness. LXRP holds a patent for oral delivery of all cannabinoids. It has a growing IP portfolio and will license in any of the 40 countries worldwide where its technology already has a patent or is patent-pending.

It was also decided that the planned change of domicile of LXRP from a U.S.-based company to a Canadian-based firm will be placed on ‘indefinite hold’ due to the issue of inequitable tax treatment of a certain class of stockholders. LXRP reported that tax experts informed the company that the move may create punitive taxes for some shareholders.

If a resolution to the tax issue is found, the plan of conversion could take place in the future. If inequitable tax treatment cannot be resolved, the conversion will not occur, LXRP noted.

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

• Core drilling program completed at San Roque property in Argentina
• Up to 600 core samples are being shipped to a certified laboratory for assay, with management optimistic about “favorable results”
• Company also pursues cobalt and lithium, two other minerals risking global shortage due to increased demand

Reputable mining experts have issued stern warnings in recent weeks that the global supply of gold is declining at an alarming rate, with yet no viable substitutes to replace the precious metal. The world has reached “peak gold,” with reserves being mined much faster than they are being replaced by new discoveries and with virtually no new major gold deposits being identified, according to gold and mining experts quoted by Sovereign Man (http://ibn.fm/yludE). Aiming to help meet the growing demand for gold, Marifil Mines Ltd. (TSX.V: MFM) (OTCQB: MFMLF) recently completed a drilling program at a flagship Argentinean property where it searches for gold and zinc.

Based in Vancouver, Canada, the exploration company also pursues cobalt and lithium – two minerals that are also facing a growing global demand and potential shortage as a result of their use in lithium-ion batteries. Demand for lithium-ion batteries is primarily being driven by their use in electric vehicles, a fast-growing industry, as several European countries and China have passed legislation aiming to replace standard gas and diesel-powered vehicles with EVs. It is expected that at least 14 percent of all cars worldwide will be battery-powered by 2025 (http://ibn.fm/2Ogoi).

Engaged in the exploration, evaluation and acquisition of mineral-rich properties in Argentina, and keeping its primary focus on gold, lithium and cobalt, Marifil Mines is uniquely positioned for growth and success in its market segment. The company is optimistic about its prospects, in particular about the results of its recently completed drilling program at San Roque, in southwestern Argentina’s Rio Negro province, where it resumed its search for gold after a six-year hiatus.

The drilling program consisted of four drill holes for a total of 846.5 meters (2,836 feet), bringing overall drilling on the property to 15,683 meters (51,453 feet) across 112 holes, the company said in a press release (http://ibn.fm/XoQQ2). All drilled cores are being geologically and geotechnically logged and analyzed, with up to 600 core samples set to be further assayed by a specialized laboratory in Mendoza, Argentina. The laboratory has so far received 185 samples.

Marifil Mines has implemented a systematic quality assurance control on the drill cores and has hired an independent consulting geochemistry expert to analyze the credibility of assay returns. A report on the drilling program results for all four holes will be made public as soon as all assays are completed and verified.

The company’s drilling program also aims to augment confirmation of the Zone 34 gold find and expand the reported size of the deposit by testing a kilometer-long geophysical anomaly that is believed to have been created by sulfides possibly bearing gold and zinc.

“This drilling campaign was nicely executed and done so within budget by our Argentinean crew. From the look of the drill cores, we are hopeful for some favorable results,” Marifil Mines Vice President Richard Walters, who is also a professional geologist certified by the American Association of Professional Geologists and a qualified person by Canadian National Instrument 43-101 standards, stated in a news release.

In addition to the San Roque property, Marifil Mines is taking steps to revive its lithium exploration program, in the so-called “Lithium Triangle” of the Argentine Puma, which was halted in 2009. The company owns three unexplored mine rights and is planning to purchase a fourth property from a competitor, who has recently announced the discovery of potentially economic lithium brines. Marifil is seeking to leverage its cobalt-bearing property, Las Aguilas, in a joint venture equity exchange for the lithium property. Las Aguilas’ patented mining claims spread over 359 hectares (887 acres) and are 100 percent owned by the company.

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

• International efforts to reduce global pollutants continue to fuel expectations for energy-efficient lithium products
• QMC Quantum Minerals upgrading historical assays of its Manitoba properties’ lithium resources
• Global lithium market forecasts predict a 9.33 percent CAGR through 2023

QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) (OTC: QMCQF) hopes to help awaken a sleeping mineral giant in southern Canada’s lakes region amid the international focus on reducing the pollutants in fossil fuel emissions. In recent months, the natural resource exploration and development company has been increasing its holdings and accelerating the analysis of lithium mineralization in the province’s bountiful Cat Lake-Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field as it searches for commercially marketable products.

Lithium and its modern-tech battery companion cobalt have been enjoying renewed interest as countries from China (http://ibn.fm/mCT2e) to Britain (http://ibn.fm/OFOb6), as well as the United States (http://ibn.fm/P1txd), push to reduce the petroleum-based pollution emitted by internal combustion engines. India’s Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) has attracted the interest of some 130 companies with its automotive and space industry-friendly development of an already-tested lithium-ion battery that is expected to add impetus to the zero emissions movement (http://ibn.fm/Br0lh). Not only passenger cars, but commercial vehicles are also beginning to get onboard with the emissions-reducing efforts, as exemplified by Chinese automobile manufacturer BYD’s expansion of its North American fleet from electric-powered buses and trucks to Class 6 step vans with 221 kWh batteries for consumer product deliveries (http://ibn.fm/RT4NS).

Because anticipated demand for the metals exceeds the currently available supply, commodity prices have seen big jumps in recent years, and automobile manufacturers have tried to shore up their production strategies by locking in long-term resource contracts for the highly efficient, high energy density batteries. Market analyst Mordor Intelligence predicts that the global lithium market will grow with a 9.33 percent CAGR until 2023 (http://ibn.fm/mj7S3).

The historical exploration of lithium in Manitoba, including ongoing productivity from the world-class Tanco lithium-cesium-tantalum deposit about 12 miles from QMC’s flagship Irgon Lithium Mine property and regionally accessible Namew Lake District VMS properties to the north, is leading Manitoba to anticipate a possible revitalization of its mining industry and ancillary businesses (http://ibn.fm/abOXZ). The province’s mining and petroleum industries comprise the second-largest primary resource industry of its economy, according to the government (http://ibn.fm/YMFMX).

QMC’s preference for hard rock mining is focused on a 60-year-old production field where 22 adjoining mineral claims encompass 11,325 acres north of Winnipeg. The company has been involved in proving up historical assays of 1.2 million tons of lithium oxide-bearing pegmatite graded at 1.51 percent Li2O so that the reporting will meet modern NI 43-101 regulatory standards.

Recent 3D modeling of the site led the company to determine that exploration and development at the site has only occurred on a portion of the Irgon Dike, leading to expectations that there may be more untapped tonnage available. Because the dike is open along strike and depth, the company expects to increase the historical reported resource.

“Ultimately, we think our NI 43-101 will establish much more than the 1.2 million tons of 1.5 percent lithium oxide along the strike of the dike that the old survey estimated,” the company’s website states.

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

• Increasing electric vehicle adoption driving demand for battery grade cobalt
• Multi-project, vertically integrated pure-play cobalt company
• Added two more drill rigs at Iron Creek Project in Idaho
• Second cobalt mineralization trend identified at Cobalt Camp in Canada

Recent developments indicate that First Cobalt Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) appears to be having its cake and eating it too. In quick succession, the company announced, first, that it had identified a second cobalt mineralization trend in the Kerr Area of Cobalt Camp, Canada, and, then, that it had intensified exploration activities at its Iron Creek Project in Idaho, USA, by adding two more drill rigs. Together, these two announcements show that the company is cementing its position as a multi-project cobalt exploration company.

Demand for cobalt continues to rise as global adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) spreads; the metal is used in a variety of battery technologies. First Cobalt Corp., with headquarters in Canada, is a vertically integrated North American pure-play cobalt company with three significant North American assets: its Iron Creek Project in Idaho, which has a historic mineral resource estimate (non-compliant with NI 43-101); the Canadian Cobalt Camp, with more than 50 past producing mines; and the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery materials.

Cobalt is used extensively in lithium battery technologies as a cathode material. It comprises about 10 percent of lithium-nickel-cobalt-aluminum-oxide (NCA) batteries, 15 percent of lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt-oxide batteries (NMC) and 55 percent of lithium-cobalt-oxide (LCO), according to Statista (http://ibn.fm/T22VN), and at least an additional 90,000 metric tons of the metal will be needed by 2025 to meet demand, according to Reuters, citing a report by Swiss bank UBS (http://ibn.fm/Lmnk0).

The bank has based its forecast on expectations that EV penetration will grow to 16 percent globally, up from about one percent currently. As a result, First Cobalt’s identification of a second cobalt mineralization trend within the Kerr area is timely and raises the prospect of cobalt supplies nearer home. The Kerr mineralization is, fortuitously, near surface, extending over a 500-meter strike length. It is located parallel to and 400 meters north of the previously identified Kerr #2 Zone, which has been traced over 350 meters to date (http://ibn.fm/hSXiU).

Even closer to domestic industries is First Cobalt’s Iron Creek Cobalt Project in Idaho, where the company has accelerated exploration activity with two additional drill rigs (http://ibn.fm/afQrU). A total of 81 holes and over 29,000 meters are planned, primarily from new surface drilling stations constructed earlier this year. Drilling will test down dip extensions of known cobalt-copper zones to over 300 meters below surface and test lateral strike over one kilometer to extend mineralization beyond the current 520 meters. The Iron Creek Project is located close to the centers of the U.S. automotive industry in California and Michigan.

First Cobalt’s assets also include a mill and the only permitted cobalt extraction refinery in North America capable of producing battery grade material. The First Cobalt Refinery is a hydrometallurgical cobalt-silver-nickel refinery located approximately five kilometers east of Cobalt, Ontario. The facility was commissioned in 1996 with a nominal throughput of 12 metric tons per day. A second autoclave was later added to the pressure oxidation circuit to double the throughput to 24 metric tons per day, but the second autoclave was never fully commissioned. The current footprint includes an empty feed warehouse that once housed a mill. The facility is located on a 40-acre property that can be expanded to 120 acres with two settling ponds and an autoclave pond.

First Cobalt is considering utilizing the mill and refining facilities on surface material at Cobalt Camp, where studies are now underway on muck pile and waste rock material. The muck pile sampling program was launched in 2017, while waste rock material and mill residue piles near the company’s mill are being studied in a separate program. First Cobalt is assessing whether the mill facility could be relocated and reactivated at the permitted First Cobalt Refinery Complex to generate early cash flow from the production of a saleable concentrate. Further processing of the concentrate into refined battery materials may also be possible.

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

• More than 100 billion mobile apps downloaded worldwide in 2017
• Four out of five small businesses will be “fully adapted” to the cloud by 2020
• UMI platform offers innovative expertise to optimize multi-channel marketing in all market sectors of fintech space
• Total e-commerce sales expected to reach more than $4 trillion in 2020, representing more than 14 percent of total retail spending

Software development and mobile solutions company Consorteum Holdings, Inc. (OTC: CSRH), a specialist in the delivery of complex mobile solutions for a diverse client base, has the capability to deliver a uniquely flexible Universal Mobile Interface™ (“UMI”) for a variety of sectors, including e-commerce, banking, mobile entertainment, social media, compliance gaming and other mobile-based platforms.

Developed by one of Consorteum’s wholly owned subsidiaries – 359 Mobile Inc. – the UMI platform is state-of-the-art, using advanced data analytics, top-of-the-line security and automated management systems designed to integrate any stream of data onto mobile devices, regardless of the operating system. Designed with open APIs, which can be re-engineered to suit the individual needs of any business, Consorteum’s flagship product supports the development of mobile-based applications and delivers a content-rich mobile experience to end users (http://ibn.fm/djfd7).

Consumers have fallen in love with their smart mobile devices, as numerous industry reports point out, and spend more time than ever on their devices. In a report by Statista, the estimated number of mobile phone users around the globe ballooned to five billion people in 2017, with mobile subscriptions poised to outnumber the world’s population by 2020 (http://ibn.fm/sJsis). A substantial number of consumers around the world used their smart devices to make mobile payments to the tune of more than $700 billion in 2017, an article in Entrepreneur states (http://ibn.fm/RPegZ).

Companies that want to successfully make the transition to this brave new world – where consumers want enriching experiences and expect to receive them from their interactions with online businesses – will find UMI’s cutting edge technology the perfect solution. Consorteum’s UMI platform provides a full-service approach for mobile strategies that strengthens connections to consumers and allows for a personalized experience. At the Mobile World Congress 2018, held earlier this year in Barcelona, Spain, much of the discussions reportedly centered on “the customer experience and just how far you can go with mobile devices and technology,” an article in Forbes states (http://ibn.fm/mtTU4).

Consorteum’s UMI platform, which also allows cross operating system development to support all mobile devices while addressing the complex and highly regulated needs of the mobile fintech industry, is strategically positioned to help clients bridge the mobile and online divide (http://ibn.fm/i6tgW).

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