• Revenues increased 11 percent during 2017, reaching $60.1 million on organic growth across all categories
• Point of sale market expected to reach $106 billion by 2025
• Global retail e-commerce sales to post solid gains, rising by more than 23 percent to $2.3 trillion by end of 2017 and accounting for 10 percent of total retail sales
• Net Element processed $2.8 billion in global transactions in 2017, a 14 percent increase
• Fast Pass Funding service unveiled on proprietary Netevia platform

Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE), a global technology and value-added solutions group focused on supporting electronic payments acceptance in a multichannel environment, continues to master the art of the transaction by delivering valuable payment solutions to merchants and consumers.

E-commerce continues to show a healthy growth pattern, as consumers are increasingly dedicated to using their mobile devices to make purchases. According to a report compiled by Accenture Consulting (http://ibn.fm/BF5bZ), consumer awareness of mobile payments is at an all-time high and first movers that deliver additional value to merchants and their customers will become the industry’s ‘game changers’.

Net Element’s new service, Fast Pass Funding, provided through the company’s proprietary Netevia platform (http://ibn.fm/LHPID), is just one of the company’s innovative value-added services offered to merchants who are tired of waiting for funding to be processed. Eligible merchants receive funds in as little as three hours during regular business days, avoiding the 12 to 24 hour wait-time they normally endure. Other value-added services offered through the Netevia platform include fast, easy merchant account opening and integration, payment conversion optimization, over 150 risk-monitoring filters and highly competitive pricing for payment acceptance services.

People around the world are expected to make 726 billion transactions using digital payment technologies by 2020, according to an article published by CNBC (http://ibn.fm/RqWqP). Based on analysis of payment trends during the years 2014 and 2015, the study – conducted by global consulting firm Capgemini – reported that debit cards accounted for the highest share of non-cash payments at 46.7 percent, while credit cards trailed behind at 19.5 percent. Non-cash transactions between 2014 and 2015 rose 11.2 percent, the highest growth of the past decade.

Net Element intends to capitalize on the mobile transaction market as it transforms to meet demands by consumers and merchants who pivot to embrace smart technology trends. The company’s key goals include continuing company growth in all key segments, driving client retention, expanding the company’s client base in particular markets, delivering value-added products to increase efficiencies and payment acceptance, continuing the development of Netevia and launching new tools to reach clients and deepen partner relations.

“We are very pleased with our 2017 progress and the strong balance sheet position as of December 31, 2017, which we believe positions the company for future growth and opportunities,” Firer said in a news release describing the company’s year in review and plans for 2018 (http://ibn.fm/3y9zf).

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

• Canada on-track to legalize cannabis plant derivatives for all potential uses this year
• U.S. Senate set to debate update to 2014 Farm Bill using research showing hemp’s agricultural promise
• Global Hemp Group pioneering new commercial-scale cultivation of hemp in New Brunswick

As pending legislation authorizing the cultivation of hemp without drug enforcement oversight opens the potential for U.S. federal government friendliness toward cannabis production, Global Hemp Group, Inc. (CSE: GHG) (FRANKFURT: GHG) (OTC: GBHPF) is busy pledging its visionary portfolio to the market for consumer goods arising from the cannabis species’ non-psychoactive varieties.

Global Hemp Group joined other players in the delicate industrial hemp arena in praising Sen. Mitch McConnell’s long-time efforts to remove low-psychoactive chemical plants from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s listing of controlled substances, as well as his recent announcement of a Hemp Farming Act Senate bill that would permanently reduce hemp to agricultural oversight (http://ibn.fm/O8EzD).

“It looks like the world of hemp in the US is about to enter a new phase and Global Hemp Group is proud to be part of this exciting new sector,” a company statement adds.

Global Hemp Group’s goal is to establish cooperation among companies interlinked in the production of hemp – an ancient domesticated crop that was once favored as a plantation crop in the United States for making paper, textiles, ropes and concrete, and that has an edible seed also millable for oils. Global Hemp Group’s joint venture with Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC: MCOA) led to a plan to extract non-psychotropic cannabidiol (CBD) from industrial hemp cultivation for research purposes on the Acadian peninsula of New Brunswick, Canada, last year – the first time the plant had been grown in the region in 20 years. The research comprised the first phase of the companies’ plans to reintroduce large-scale commercial hemp cultivation in New Brunswick and establish a processing facility in the region, once it was determined that hemp could be productive there (http://ibn.fm/7EzjB).

The companies anticipate cultivating a minimum of 125 acres this year and increasing the amount of land to 1,000 acres within three years, building on the Canadian government’s drive to legalize cannabis crops for all potential applications later this year. Global Hemp Group is also preparing to build permanent processing facilities by the fall, beginning with an initial crop focused on CBD extraction but working toward the purchase of extraction equipment to obtain other types of cannabinoids and straw processed for use in building materials.

“We are excited to complete the first phase of industrial hemp trials in Canada, and we look forward to continue expanding operations in Canada,” Marijuana Company of America CEO Donald Steinberg stated last month amid the news of the New Brunswick project’s advance. “Our joint venture with (Global Hemp Group) allows (Marijuana Company of America) the opportunity to expand the Company’s operations on an international level. Both Companies are excited about the endless possibilities for hemp derived CBD product this year in Canada.”

In the United States, Sen. McConnell took the first step toward re-legalizing hemp in 2014 by using his leadership position in the Senate to support hemp pilot programs in the Farm Bill. Since then, the research has shown hemp’s potential as an agricultural commodity, according to the senator’s office (http://ibn.fm/E4xw3), and his 2018 update to the Farm Bill would build on that research. While the pending bill is being promoted in concert with Kentucky’s efforts to revitalize its historical agriculture industry, hemp de-listing also has significant potential for the West, especially in Colorado, where more hemp is grown than anywhere else in the country and a pioneering farmer introduced the efficacy of growing a commercial-scale industrial hemp crop, according to a report by High Plains Public Radio (http://ibn.fm/UEBil).

Existing law prohibits U.S. farmers from growing hemp with more than 0.3 percent THC — the most psychoactive chemical in the cannabis byproducts that produce the marijuana drug. If tests show that a hemp crop has more than the allowable level of THC, the farmer is required by law to destroy it and bear the costs. A representative of the Colorado Department of Agriculture told High Plains Public Radio that controlling THC levels is only a challenge currently because the revitalized U.S. hemp industry is still in its infancy, and that new hemp varieties have already been developed that cannot produce more than the legal amount of THC.

Hemp has a wide variety of potential applications. The Hemp Industries Association estimated annual retail value for hemp products in the United States at $573 million in 2015 (http://ibn.fm/gma2b). Of the total market, the largest percentage of products involved personal care items, with estimated sales of $146.8 million, followed by industrial applications at $116.2 million.

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

• Retail e-commerce sales expected to reach $4.88 trillion by 2021
• Net Element enables expanding scope of face-to-face and e-commerce transactions
• Company building additional transaction capabilities through blockchain project

In a world with rapidly expanding opportunities for commerce at a truly worldwide scale, one of the greatest challenges businesses face is staying abreast of the technologies that keep people linked together across the globe. Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE) is in the business of making business happen, ensuring that sales transactions can take place across a wide array of potential platforms, globally or in-person right at a merchant’s store.

Not so far from the historical era of bartering for goods and services and yet light years ahead in terms of mobility, modern businesses and consumers are increasingly accustomed to moving merchandise without a ‘show-me-the-money’ mentality. Payment cards, emailed and texted statements and short-range electronic broadcasting all serve to verify in a confident and practically instantaneous manner that a resource of funds sufficient to cover a debt exists somewhere in the world and can be made available to another specified location somewhere in the world.

Through its brands, Net Element specializes in linking consumer mobile phones, banks, unbanked online distribution outlets and offline brick-and-mortar storefronts, providing value-added services and business analytics.  The goal is to help companies assess their competition, evaluate their own productivity and get to know their clients’ preferences in the U.S. and emerging markets around the globe.

The company’s North America Transactions Solutions business segment recorded year-over-year revenue growth of 21 percent in 2017 with a history of 28 percent growth, driven mostly by its successes with its Unified Payments subsidiary (http://ibn.fm/ImbB8). Unified Payments’ Fast Pass Funding service gives eligible merchants access to revenues in as little as three hours during regular business days, improving turnaround time for transaction processing to same-day significance.

Entry into the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance has bolstered the company’s development of secure blockchain protocols to enhance its transaction solutions, including its new Netevia multi-channel payments platform that offers end-to-end processing through easy-to-use APIs. The company’s other subsidiaries — international small content mobile solution entity Digital Provider, cloud-based point-of-sale wireless tech platform Aptito, and processor agnostic e-commerce manager PayOnline — enhance its gravitas in the industry.

Independent equity research firm JGR Capital announced in April that it had launched its small cap data coverage of Net Element as a service to investors and shareholders (http://ibn.fm/KqhVh), providing additional attention to the company’s capabilities. In January, Net Element wrapped up a $7.55 million restricted common stock and warrant private placement with an institutional investor than brought in additional funding for its blockchain initiatives.

“The Company’s balance sheet is now the strongest in its history, allowing Net Element to support future growth opportunities,” Net Element CEO Oleg Firer stated in a news release.

Cumulative data from market analyst Statista projects that retail e-commerce sales worldwide will continue to grow at a marked pace, doubling revenues to $4.88 trillion by 2021. The analysis reports that online shopping is one of the most popular online activities worldwide, but the usage varies by region. In 2016, an estimated 19 percent of all retail sales in China occurred via internet, but, in Japan, the share was only 6.7 percent. Desktop PCs are still the most popular device for placing online shopping orders, but mobile devices, especially smartphones, are catching up, the report states (http://ibn.fm/qkYh8).

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

• VRCP targets gaming sector for NetoBit Cash this year as study shows that cryptocurrencies are on track to dominate online video gaming
• NetoBit Cash can be used to quickly and securely buy, sell or convert cryptocurrencies for gaming suppliers and other businesses via ATMs, tablets, PCs and mobile devices
• Study: Global cryptocurrency market to reach $6.7 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of more than 31 percent from 2017-2025

Virtual Crypto Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP), through wholly-owned Israeli subsidiary Virtual Crypto Technologies Ltd., has launched NetoBit Cash, a tablet device (http://ibn.fm/6w8SV) enabling video game suppliers and other businesses to securely buy, sell or convert bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in real time.

VRCP is targeting the online video game market, as cryptocurrencies are positioned to dominate that industry, according to a March 2018 study (http://ibn.fm/F2gFw) by Worldwide Asset eXchange (WAX™). Findings from the survey of 1,000 gamers in the U.S. suggest that there is a pent up demand for cryptocurrency services, with 80 percent interested in using cryptocurrencies for video game transactions.

NetoBit Cash enables gaming suppliers to meet that challenge, permitting users to buy or sell cryptocurrencies quickly, shortening the confirmation and validation timeframe to just seconds, as compared to today’s 20-minute to 24-hour range. This faster execution lowers the risk of fraud while reducing the complexity of the online purchase experience.

The product also searches several crypto exchanges simultaneously for the lowest exchange rate and commission offered, rather than just the customary one. VRCP’s algorithms can locate the ‘best deal’ combination of coin rate and commission at the time of purchase (the most attractive balance of coin rate and commission). This feature, plus confirmation speed, enables the company to offer a guarantee against currency volatility during the trade/exchange approval process of up to $3,000 per trade.

In addition, connecting with multiple exchanges at a given moment means that the VRCP system can divide a single payment across exchanges, allowing purchase of more than a single exchange can provide, thereby addressing common liquidity problems.

Finally, VRCP offers backroom capabilities to manage risk, operate a large number of cryptocurrency points-of-sale, conform to regulations and provide transaction statistical data.

A study by Transparency Market Research projects that the global cryptocurrency market and its related hardware and software will reach $6.7 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of greater than 31 percent from 2017-2025 (http://ibn.fm/n6LRO).

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

• Global Point Of Care (POC) diagnostics market projected to grow from $23.71 billion in 2017 to $38.13 billion in 2022
• Patented diagnostic technology for POC devices
• Initial development of MIDS Cardiac™, a POC device for early and rapid cardiac biomarker detection
• Global cardiac biomarkers market expected to reach $13.3 billion by 2024
• Delivering MIDS Cardiac™ would allow the technology to be applied to multiple other immunoassay tests with a global market that’s projected to be worth $25.45 billion by 2021

The global point-of-care (POC) diagnostics market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 10 percent, from $23.71 billion in 2017 to $38.13 billion in 2022, according to a recent Research and Markets report (http://ibn.fm/z3pLX). Zenosense, Inc. (OTC: ZENO) is well positioned to capitalize on the projected growth in this market through the development and commercialization of its MIDS Cardiac device, a game changing POC technology.

Through its joint venture ownership of MIDS Medical Limited (MML), development is being carried out at MML’s laboratories at the Sci-Tech Daresbury campus in the UK, a facility that’s internationally recognized for leading-edge scientific research and commercial development. MML has exclusive rights to the MIDS technology platform, protected by patents granted in the U.S. and China and patent applications in other countries around the world.

MIDS Cardiac is being developed as a cost-effective handheld device reading a disposable blood test strip to conduct high sensitivity cardiac diagnostic assays. The analytical sensitivity gap between central laboratory testing platforms and existing POC testing devices is significant. It has hindered the adoption of POC tests, even though they have a far quicker turnaround time. POC devices, like analyzers, generally rely on optical detection of commonly used paramagnetic assay beads. This bulky technology has not been successfully miniaturized into high sensitivity capable, hand-held devices.

MIDS’ key differentiator is its unique ability to detect and measure these assay beads by their total aggregated nano-magnetic signal, rather than conventional optical detection. Initial testing has demonstrated that this novel approach should enable MML to develop a highly sensitive, accurate, miniaturized device to support high-sensitivity cardiac biomarker testing. Such a POC device could be used in the emergency room, a doctor’s office, the bedside and by paramedics in emergency situations, such as in an ambulance.

A POC device for easy, accurate and rapid testing of very low levels of cardiac biomarkers is a critical unmet medical need. Currently, troponin is the preferred biomarker for AMI. However, high sensitivity analysis can currently only be conducted by skilled operators using expensive equipment in central laboratories. This procedure typically requires at least a 60 minutes turnaround time, which is often way too long when time is critical. MIDS Cardiac is being developed to be the first POC device to be able to conduct truly high-sensitivity diagnostic assays, notably to identify and measure extremely low levels of cardiac biomarkers, particularly troponin, at the POC. This would significantly speed up triage, diagnosis and treatment of patients reporting chest pain symptoms that may be indicative of heart attack, allowing a far quicker rule-in or rule-out for AMI. The cost-effective MIDS Cardiac device is being designed for use at POC by minimally trained emergency professionals, with the ability to provide troponin results within three minutes and more extensive biomarker testing within eight minutes, from a pinprick of blood.

MML’s initial testing of the company’s ‘Hybrid Strip’ system was carried out in late 2017. The Hybrid Strip, for initial testing purposes, aims to replicate as far as possible the planned MIDS ‘Lab on Chip’ technology, which is expected to give a very high level of accuracy, equal to or better than laboratory analyzers.

MML’s initial test results show that a range of sizes of commercially available assay beads could be nano-magnetically detected in very low quantities. In a news release, managing director and chief scientific officer of MML Dr. Nasser Djennati said, “These results come in at the very high end of detection expectations, even at this Hybrid Strip stage. As we move forward into true Lab on Chip construction, I expect detection levels to improve further still.”

Every 43 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a heart attack, and every 60 seconds someone dies from a heart disease-related event. Zenosense has expressed confidence that MIDS Cardiac will provide a cost-effective, fast, accurate and reliable device for emergency diagnosis of AMI by medical professionals in low-resource settings.

The MIDS platform technology is also expected to have a far wider application beyond cardiac testing, for the cost-effective POC testing of numerous medical conditions. MML’s ultimate aim is to develop a multi-capability, hand-held device with laboratory analyzer ‘Gold Standard’ accuracy, for the diagnosis of conditions such as cancer, stroke, inflammatory/autoimmune disease, bacterial and viral infections and many more indications.

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

• Online bank accounts offered for state licensed medical marijuana establishments
• Green offers banking and financial processing system solutions to the cannabis industry
• The online signup of merchant clients has far exceeded expectations

Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions (OTC: REFG) is set to offer bank accounts for state licensed medical marijuana establishments. By providing online banking, REFG enables cannabis providers to address the problem of limited to no bank support due to federal regulations. “Because of our end-to end payment system, our successful government relations program, our focus on regulatory compliance, we believe we offer the nation’s only truly compliant payment and banking solution for state sanctioned marijuana,” Jeremy Roberts, CEO of REFG, stated in a news release. “We believe we are uniquely positioned to comply with all federal guidance and applicable laws and regulations” (http://ibn.fm/KSAfC). This state-of-the-art financial service is the security and management answer that the previously cash-only cannabis industry has been needing.

REFG has brought to market the Green platform, the first and only comprehensive card processing operation of its kind to serve the state-sanctioned cannabis industry. Green is a top-tier, level-one gateway payment processing system that tracks sales and taxes, eliminates cash-only transactions and empowers businesses with an advanced client management system. Green’s virtual banking system provides premier security and accessibility to funds for the merchant. It is a full banking and financial processing system for an industry that has lacked these much-needed services.

The company’s platform, previously only available to medical cannabis merchants, is now available to the entire cannabis industry. Licensed establishments interested in using the Green platform can now signup online. The enrollment process only takes a few minutes, given a business address and proof of licensure in the client’s respective state. The Green platform allows dispensaries to take electronic payments and deposit cash securely while remaining in complete FinCEN compliance. The response of the cannabis industry to online enrollment has far exceeded expectations. The increased web traffic alone reveals the market demand for this secure and efficient banking solution.

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

• Demand for lithium continues to climb
• Hard rock still major source of lithium
• Historic assays indicate potential of Irgon Mine

News from down under indicates that Aussie lithium miners are caught between a rock and a hard place. Not only is production of lithium-rich spodumene ores falling, but so also is the quality of those ores. These factors are likely to affect global supply, because, even though lithium headlines are dominated by activity in the South American theater, Australia is still the world’s largest producer of lithium. Most of this Aussie output comes from spodumene, which is why hard rock lithium continues to hold center stage, an encouraging trend for QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) (OTC: QMCQF). For the junior exploration company, this good news has been supplemented by analysis of previously conducted assays on the Irgon Dike at the prolific Cat Lake-Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field of S.E. Manitoba, results of which reveal ‘significant potential to quickly increase tonnage, as the Irgon Dike is open both along strike and to depth’ (http://ibn.fm/f9Dd5).

Hard rock continues as the major source of lithium, mainly due to Australian production. The island continent’s output was 18,700 metric tons in 2017, surpassing the 14,100 metric tons produced by Chile, the number two supplier, from brine. Global supply comes mainly from these two nations, with Argentina, in third place, supplying 5,500 metric tons; China, in fourth place, producing 3,000 metric tons; and Zimbabwe adding 1,000 metric tons (http://ibn.fm/lCnZY). Placed in this context, recently disseminated assay results show that Quantum Minerals has an opportunity to be a player in the hard rock arena, since the report estimates 1.2 million tons of lithium mineralization.

Grades are comparable or better than the Australian ores. For example, while the average grade of spodumene ore fed into the processing plant operated by Galaxy Resources fell to 1.11 percent over the past three months, assays at Irgon Dike have been graded at 1.5 percent lithium oxide (http://ibn.fm/8CMWR). These Irgon Dike tests date from the 1950s, and they were conducted by previous operator Lithium Corporation of Canada (LCOC).

From 1953 to 1954, LCOC drilled 25 holes at the Irgon Dike. The miner subsequently reported a historical resource estimate of 1.2 million tons grading 1.51 percent lithium oxide over a strike length of 365 meters and to a depth of 213 meters (non-43-101 compliant). This estimate is documented in a 1956 assessment report by B. B. Bannatyne for the Lithium Corporation of Canada Ltd. (Manitoba Assessment Report No. 94932) and is believed to be based on reasonable assumptions, so that neither LCOC nor the qualified person (QP) have any reason to contest the document’s relevance and reliability. The detailed channel sampling and a subsequent drill program will be required to update this historical resource to current NI 43-101 standards. Historic metallurgical tests reported an 87 percent recovery from which a concentrate averaging 5.9 percent lithium oxide was obtained (http://ibn.fm/dTsBv).

During the 1950s, as tests were conducted, a complete mining plant with the capacity to process 500 tons of ore per day was installed. In addition, a three-compartment shaft was sunk to a depth of 243 feet. At the 200-foot level, lateral development was extended off the shaft for a total of 1,200 feet of drifting, from which six crosscuts transected the dike. Awaiting a more favorable time for lithium oxides, the work was suspended in 1957, the mine buildings were removed and the shaft was sealed in 1963. Now, with lithium demand climbing, it seems that favorable time has arrived.

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

• Acquired a cryptocurrency kiosk company, KryptoKiosk Ltd.
• Working to make cryptocurrency easier to understand and more accessible for everyone
• Creating an internationally recognizable brand with individual investors

AB International Group Corp. (OTCQB: ABQQ), a company based in China that focuses on acquisition and development of intellectual property, acquired, on April 9, 2018, the Australian-based cryptocurrency kiosk company KryptoKiosk Ltd., which focuses on servicing the cryptocurrency market. The acquisition enables ABQQ to operate and implement cryptocurrency ATMs, referred to as kryptokiosk™ booths, that provide users with privacy and security as they buy and sell bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethererum.

Through the installation of these recognizable, gold-colored booths, the company aims to create a physical aspect of cryptocurrency, making it less abstract and easier to access for everyday people. To leverage expansion, individuals are allowed to invest in a fully managed kryptokiosk™ business if they have access to a 24-hour location that meets seven performance indicators. Each kiosk, upon installation, is operated and maintained by an expert team of agents.

The mission of KryptoKiosk Ltd. is to make cryptocurrency easier to understand and more accessible to everyone. The brand wishes to be known for protecting customer privacy, promoting anonymity and providing security, all while educating and retaining customers. For people without access to banking systems, the education and technology that the company provides could help them regain control, autonomy and freedom over their financial future. The company’s website (www.KryptoKiosk.com) provides educational videos for beginners through advanced investors, along with a blog that highlights cryptocurrency news.

ABQQ’s vision is for the gold booths, as well as vans, to become a part of the international modern landscape. This will be done through low saturation in premium locations, easy 24-hour access and security, and the individual investment of distributors who will have a direct interest in expanding territories rapidly. At this time, the company plans to invest in kiosks and sell sub-licenses in the Asia-Pacific region with future worldwide expansion. Sub-licensing fees from apps and smartphone makers, sales of licensed products, and video mix apps are all part of the company’s revenue plan.

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

Bitcoin watchers and traders alike voiced a measure of relief earlier this week after the world’s number one cryptocurrency hit a six-week high over the weekend. While a single bitcoin is still nowhere near its highest value of just under $20,000 before Christmas – it topped $9,000 on Sunday and is now jostling for position around $8,750 – there are some analysts who believe that the recent turnaround in digital currencies bodes well for bitcoin’s future.

“We believe the winter is ending for Bitcoin, as the crypto to fiat pressures from tax day subside, and as headline risks seem to be fading,” Tom Lee, managing partner at Fundstrat Global Advisors and one of the biggest bitcoin bulls with a year-end price target of $25,000, said in a MarketWatch report (http://ibn.fm/yxuOO).

The price of bitcoin has increased by 27 percent since the start of April, leading one cryptocurrency expert to note that historical data supports the notion that this rally will follow not fade.

“Bitcoin has been growing at 165 percent a year for the six years that we have been in business,” Pantera Capital CEO Dan Morehead said on CNBC (http://ibn.fm/zhdId). “Something that is growing that fast hardly ever gets down below its 200-day moving average. When it does, it is a very good time to buy. It did five years ago when we launched our first fund, and it just crossed that earlier in April.”

Bitcoin’s price has shown a remarkable ability to bounce back, said Garrick Hileman, cofounder of cryptocurrency data and research firm Mosaic.io.

“Bitcoin’s price has shown resilience multiples times this year when it has dropped below $7k, even in the wake of negative events such as India’s recent ban on banks engaging in cryptocurrency-related activity, Mt Gox trustee sales, and tax-related selling,” Hileman said in a Forbes article (http://ibn.fm/alghv). “Positive drivers include reports that major financial institutions, such as Barclays, are getting more serious about entering the crypto space.”

Another Bitcoin holder, Tim Draper of Draper Associates, who famously purchased close to 30,000 bitcoin from the Silk Road auction sale in 2014, reaffirmed his optimistic outlook for the cryptocurrency to MarketWatch.

“This is bigger than the internet. It’s bigger than the iron age, the Renaissance. It’s bigger than the industrial revolution,” said Draper, who recently upped his price target on bitcoin to $250,000 by 2022.

Cryptocurrency traders are watching other digital coins as well. Among those outperforming bitcoin early in the week were Ether, up 2.5 percent; Bitcoin Cash, up 16.6 percent; and Litecoin, up 3.1 percent.

• Fundamental research remains the bedrock of value investing
• AI-based algorithms aid financial data analysis
• CapitalCube platform provides data and analysis on over 50,000 securities

Ever since Columbia Business School professors Graham and Dodd published their seminal work, ‘Security Analysis’, in 1934, fundamental research has become central to stock valuation. Over the years, no less an authority than Warren Buffett has perennially extolled the virtues of that venerable text and its philosophy of value investing, while a multitude of investment bankers have followed its precepts. Yet, despite its obvious benefits, fundamental analysis was never easy in a paper spreadsheet world or even after the advent of electronic versions, so its practice has remained the preserve of Wall Street analysts. However, now that data has become more accessible over faster connections and powerful remote servers facilitate cloud computing, the esoteric art of fundamental analysis is being democratized. AnalytixInsight Inc. (TSX.V: ALY) (OTCQB: ATIXF) has developed a financial analytics platform that provides the data and tools to value stocks. By doing so, the artificial intelligence (AI) company is democratizing fundamental research. It plans to spread the gospel by presenting at the Planet MicroCap Showcase on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 (http://ibn.fm/KfQp0).

AnalytixInsight’s financial analytics platform, CapitalCube, is available on its own dedicated website and provides comprehensive analysis that includes portfolio evaluation and screening tools on over 50,000 global equities and North American ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds), as well as on-demand fundamental research. The platform also provides peer-to-peer performance evaluations, accounting and earnings reports and reports on dividend strength, while its AI algorithms generate investment ideas and suggest likely corporate actions such as dividend changes, share buybacks and acquisitions.

Every stock and ETF available on the portal is tracked closely, with an iterative series of analyses that become the basis of several reports. The company covers worldwide stocks and says that some 100 billion calculations are performed nightly using overnight closing prices, with the results made available before the opening bell of the London Exchange is rung. Such scale dwarfs the proprietary databases of many investment banks and financial portals, many of whom focus only on marquee names. While CapitalCube covers large cap stocks, its scope goes beyond those well-known securities by providing information on OTC public companies.

The site offers three subscription options. Free access that provides basic financial information is available on signup. For individual investors, expanded access to quant tools is available for $24.99 a month or $249.00 a year. Its premium package, offering detailed reports on companies, is available for $299.00 a month or $2,999.00 annually.

The CapitalCube portal also publishes 3,000 articles daily and has multi-language capabilities. Content partners include Africa Investor, Euronext NV, The Wall Street Journal, Thomson Reuters and Yahoo Finance.

In February 2018, AnalytixInsight was named a Top 10 Technology Company on the TSX (Toronto Stock Exchange) Venture Exchange 50 (http://ibn.fm/CRRsP). This recognition reflects several of the company’s achievements during 2017, which include the acquisition of Euclides Technologies, the advancement of the joint venture with Intesa Sanpaolo to launch the Marketwall mobile trading app, the posting of record revenues and the attainment of operating profitability targets during the third quarter.

AnalytixInsight will present at the Planet MicroCap Showcase at 1:30 pm PST on Wednesday, April 25, 2018, and will conduct one-on-one meetings on April 26, 2018. The Planet MicroCap Showcase conference is scheduled for April 24-26, 2018 at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

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