• Billion dollar wearable tech market set to hit $34 billion by 2020
• GPS tracking technology is basis for diverse range of consumer and military products
• GTXO to execute reverse split as part of plan to uplist to OTCQB Venture Exchange

It’s no fun being lost, not for you nor for anxious loved ones imagining the worst. At times like that, a lot can go wrong, particularly for young children or adults suffering from cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Luckily, solutions developed by GTX Corp (OTC: GTXO) can make a difference. The company has created a range of tracking technologies that provide comfort and safety and make it a pioneer in the GPS wearables market. Its premier product is the award-winning GPS SmartSole®, which is the world’s first invisible wearable tracking device designed specifically for people at risk of becoming lost or disoriented. With GTX Corp’s proprietary technologies and products, there’s no need for a lost and found, since you can’t find what you never lost in the first place.

More than 16 million people in the U.S. are currently suffering from some form of cognitive impairment, according to the CDC. This number is likely to increase dramatically in the coming years as lifespans go up. Alarmingly, the most familiar form of cognitive impairment, 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/gsD4L). Cognitive impairment takes an exacting toll on sufferers. Its symptoms include impaired judgment, vision problems, inability to recognize familiar people and places, changes in mood and memory loss. The latter can turn an innocuous environment into a decidedly hostile one, provoking behavior that creates additional problems. In such a situation, despite being unsure of where they are and how to go forward, someone wearing one of GTXO’s tracking devices can rest assured that they will be easily located. In addition to its practical search-and-rescue benefits, GTXO technology will provide loved ones with a reassuring degree of comfort.

Its flagship product, the GPS SmartSole, hides unobtrusively inside one’s footwear as a shoe insert, and though it will, undoubtedly, find application in domestic situations, such as protecting a child, a senior or an adult with some disability, it can obviously be deployed in commerce, law enforcement, the military and personal security applications. The patented GPS enabled “smart” insoles allow for monitoring of the whereabouts of loved ones who may be susceptible to wandering or at risk of becoming disoriented and lost. Their location can be tracked through any smartphone, tablet or desktop web browser, with notifications by text or email if they leave or enter defined areas on a map.

GTX Corp has also designed its innovative technology into a number of consumer and military products. The Take-Along Tracker is a miniaturized GPS tracking device that is less than three inches long, weighing less than three ounces. It’s easy to use, since it can be put in a purse or pocket or attached to a keychain, lanyard, backpack or belt buckle. The VOICE model has a built-in speaker phone. The Invisabelt, designed for young children, has a GPS chip hidden in a secret waistband pocket. The Track My Workforce App helps employers keep tabs on staff working outside the office, while the Personnel Equipment Tracking System, currently in use at Edwards Air Force Base, allows real-time monitoring and surveillance of personnel and assets and has 200+ square mile coverage. Its solar powering capabilities and extended battery life make it ideal for deployment in areas without existing power sources.

The GPS Rifle Tracker is the company’s smallest GPS tracker, designed to withstand shocks and water submersion due to its robust, military standard enclosure. It can be mounted on any AR15 platform picatinny rail to detect weapon discharge, track weapons and inventory and send time and location alerts. With such a formidable portfolio, GTX Corp is unlikely to lose its way in the fast developing wearable tech market, which is conservatively estimated at $6 billion currently and set to grow to $34 billion, according to Forbes (http://ibn.fm/I3IVo).

GTX Corp is now in final preparations to enact a reverse stock split that will bring the company’s share price above $0.10, making GTXO stock eligible to be uplisted to the OTCQB Venture Exchange (http://ibn.fm/0xZlo).

Announcing the news, Patrick Bertagna, CEO of GTX Corp, commented, “This is a long-term plan the company’s board and management have been strategically working on over the past several months in order to make the public side of the business more reflective of the positive milestones and forward progress achieved in recent months, along with positioning the company for the future. The company has experienced an overall solid first quarter, with double-digit increases or decreases in all the major metrics – revenues were up, subscribers were up, margins and profits were up, while cost of operations, professional services, G&A and net losses decreased. GTX Corp also successfully completed the delivery of its first large-scale military contract. In addition to these achievements, the company has also secured a strategic financial partner that has begun providing funding and will continue to provide the growth capital needed throughout 2018 and 2019 in order to support long-term success.”

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

• Company has acquired 1,312 additional acres adjacent to its Asphalt Ridge heavy oil extraction facility in Utah
• Acquisition brings company’s total contingent resources to 2,541 leased acres and 87.49 million barrels of mineable oil sands
• Full production at Asphalt Ridge is slated for 2019

Petroteq Energy Inc. (TSX.V: PQE) (OTCQX: PQEFF) (FRANKFURT: A2DYWC), a fully integrated oil and gas company focused on developing and implementing a proprietary new oil extraction technology, has announced the acquisition of additional acreage in Utah’s resource-abundant Uintah Basin.

At auction, Petroteq finalized the acquisition of a 100 percent interest in two leases totaling 1,312 acres adjacent to its Asphalt Ridge heavy oil extraction facility, located near Vernal, Utah. According to a recent Chapman report dated April 30, 2018, titled ‘Evaluation of Contingent Resources’, the newly acquired leases contain 7.331 million barrels of contingent resource, greatly expanding the company’s total contingent resources and bringing its current total to 2,541 leased acres and 87.49 million barrels of mineable oil sands.

The acquisition of the additional acreage increases Petroteq’s operating footprint at Asphalt Ridge, providing the company with more mineable resources while also offering added flexibility regarding how Petroteq mines the acreage it already possesses. The company is making plans to apply its patented mining extraction technology process to the new resource.

Petroteq’s patented technology is a sustainable, environmentally safe and cost-effective method of extracting heavy oils from oil sands, oil shale deposits and shallow oil deposits. The process produces no greenhouse gases, results in zero waste and does not require high temperatures. This revolutionary method has the potential to wholly disrupt currently used oil extraction processes, which are hugely damaging to the environment and also require a significant capital investment.

More than half of America’s oil sands deposits are located in Utah, making Petroteq’s presence and property expansion in that state well justified. Production capacity is currently being increased at the Asphalt Ridge facility, with full production slated to commence there in 2019. Final engineering, procurement and construction processes are presently underway at the facility.

Petroteq is additionally developing, through wholly owned subsidiary PetroBLOQ, LLC, the very first blockchain-based platform specifically tailored to meet the supply chain needs of the oil and gas sector. This technology works in concert with the company’s production system to ensure optimum efficiency.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Petroteq.energy

• Global point-of-sale terminals market expected to reach $116 billion by 2025 with a CAGR of 9.9 percent
• Mobile point-of-sale systems projected to register a higher growth rate, with specialized software helping to reduce operational cost to retailers
• Mobile payment app QuickCard provides instant, secure, cash-free e-wallet payments, while the QuickCard KIOSK accepts cash, debit/credit card or ACH directly to most banks.
• QuickCard is built upon blockchain technology, providing security, privacy and reliability

Hardware and software technology company GreenBox POS, LLC (OTCQB: GRBX) is embracing the future of a near cashless society with its flagship product, QuickCard, the company’s latest blockchain payment and e-wallet technology development. QuickCard, which has passed all deployment criteria and is now available for iOS and Android, is also available via a cash-loading KIOSK installed in participating retailer or merchant establishments, the company stated in a news release (http://ibn.fm/9CxpP).

QuickCard’s robust, world class technology will gradually replace existing installations of GreenBox payment technology and be the only available payment infrastructure for new clients moving forward. QuickCard’s blockchain technology ensures critical elements such as security, privacy, reliability and extendibility are part of the package. It is also the first system to offer instant settlement capabilities and an end-to-end, natively-integrated product suite, per the news release.

The global point-of-sale terminals market is expected to reach $116 billion by 2025 at a CAGR of 9.9 percent during the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. (http://ibn.fm/k0SkO). An increasing appetite for affordable wireless technologies and surging demand for mobile point-of-sale terminals is expected to drive the overall market, with wireless connectivity, portability and multiple platform support as keys to market growth.

GreenBox’s existing and new clients are lining up to be among the first to adopt the new technology, and full-scale installations are now ongoing. The company already sees a dramatic improvement to earning quality and predictability, and management expects this trend to persist. As a result, GBRX’s updated gross revenue projections for the next 18 months have more than doubled.

GreenBox develops all software in-house and with international subsidiaries, which allows the company to provide individualized electronics modifications in partnership with different vendors. The company has been awarded five provisional patents for its blockchain-based technology, which delivers a fully integrated, intuitive, easy-to-use, point-of-sale system for a variety of businesses across a multitude of different market sectors.

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

• Virtual Crypto offers the world’s first and only ATM that enables real-time bitcoin conversion, purchase and sale
• Company’s solutions solve various cryptocurrency usage problems, including the problematic time gap that exists between crypto transactions and blockchain confirmation
• Company’s solutions utilize artificial intelligence and cryptographic algorithmic technology to create a new standard of speed and accuracy

While cryptocurrencies continue to garner focus in the financial world, there is undeniably much room for improvement when it comes to cryptocurrency-related technology, including solutions for transacting, security and usability. The cryptocurrency frontier is, therefore, rich with opportunities for fintech pioneers like Virtual Crypto Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP).

The mission of Virtual Crypto is to make instant, secure and user-friendly cryptocurrency financial services available to every person and business in the world. The company aims to do this by creating payment solutions that combine application programming interfaces (APIs) and mobile applications for implementation across ATMs, PCs, tablets and other mobile devices. The company continues moving steadily toward its goal of making cryptocurrencies accessible and user-friendly for the general public.

Virtual Crypto’s products dramatically improve the overall cryptocurrency usage experience for individuals and businesses, from crypto trading to crypto commerce. The company’s disruptive offerings include NetoBit, which is a real-time cryptography-based algorithmic cryptocurrency transaction validation engine. The company’s suite of products utilizing NetoBit technology include NetoBit ATM and NetoBit Pay.

In June, Virtual Crypto announced the launch of NetoBit ATM, a cutting-edge bitcoin automated teller machine (http://ibn.fm/8P58L). Unlike most of the bitcoin ATM platforms currently on the market, which only allow users to purchase bitcoin, NetoBit ATM is a bidirectional platform that enables users to both buy and sell bitcoin. NetoBit ATM is also the only ATM in existence that facilitates real-time bitcoin conversion, including purchase and sale. The product already supports most common currencies and is available for purchase worldwide.

The launch of NetoBit ATM came on the heels of Virtual Crypto’s April 2018 introduction of its first product in the NetoBit portfolio, NetoBit Pay. NetoBit Pay is a retail point-of-sale device that allows businesses throughout the world to securely receive bitcoin payments in real time while also providing protection against exchange rate instability and guaranteeing transactions valued up to $3,000.

Virtual Crypto’s cryptocurrency transaction confirmation API, launched in May 2018, is called Bit4Sure. This cryptocurrency transaction confirmation solution includes a mobile app, and it resolves a key problem faced by cryptocurrency users – the time gap that exists between making a crypto transaction and receiving confirmation that the transaction was valid.

A traditional bitcoin transaction can take between 10 minutes and 24 hours to be fully confirmed. This wait period, coupled with the uncertainty that enshrouds any cryptocurrency trade’s legitimacy, currently makes it impractical to use cryptocurrency in ordinary commerce settings, prompting both consumers and businesses to continue using traditional payment methods. However, with Virtual Crypto’s game-changing solutions, this is set to change.

Virtual Crypto’s validation algorithm predicts, with a high degree of accuracy, whether a bitcoin trade will be confirmed by the bitcoin network, enabling immediate validation of bitcoin transactions. This is a huge factor in making cryptocurrency usage not only pleasant but practical.

An added issue that Virtual Crypto is resolving for cryptocurrency users is restrictive exclusivity. Most cryptocurrency trade providers allow a customer to interact with one exchange agency only, tying the customer to the exchange rate offered by that agency. In contrast, Virtual Crypto enables customers to work with several crypto exchanges simultaneously when making a transaction, allowing them to receive the best crypto exchange rates available at the time of transaction.

Leading the charge in cryptocurrency technology breakthroughs, Virtual Crypto is poised to become a standout market leader.

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

• Global B2B sales estimated at $7.7 trillion, while the B2C market tallies in at $2.3 trillion
• NETE’s international e-commerce platforms processed over 154 million transactions, totaling $2.8 billion, in more than 50 countries during 2017
• NETE’s value-added transactional services, marketing solutions, analytics and mobile payments provide award-winning options for businesses around the world

Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE), a global financial services, technology and value-added solutions provider focused on electronic payment acceptance in multi-channel environments, continues to earn accolades as one of the fastest growing companies in North America on Deloitte’s 2017 Technology Fast 500™.  In an exclusive interview with NetworkNewsAudio (http://ibn.fm/nFlPV), NETE CEO Oleg Firer provides insight into the company’s business model and how it’s earning its strong track record of increasing revenues.

Net Element operates as a payments-as-a-service transactional and value-added services platform for small to medium enterprises in the U.S. and selected emerging markets around the globe. The company’s point-of-sale solutions enable retail and e-commerce merchants to accept cashless payments from consumers, who are increasingly using their purchasing power from the comfort of mobile devices. A recent Google report notes that mobile usage is intensifying, and B2B researchers are using their mobile devices in the purchasing process (http://ibn.fm/r6WeC).

During 2017, Net Element processed over $2.8 billion in more than 154 million transactions from merchants in over 50 countries, Firer said.

“All of our products have value-added service offerings,” Firer told listeners. “We have one goal, to streamline payments at the point of sales and increase revenues for merchants internationally.”

2017 was a watershed year for e-commerce as online buying attracted more consumers, proving to businesses that accelerating a move to digital platforms is the path forward, as detailed in a recent Forbes article (http://ibn.fm/AuFNc). In fact, B2B e-commerce in the U.S. is projected to reach $1.2 trillion and account for more than 13 percent of all B2B sales by 2021, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.4 percent, according to a report by Forrester (http://ibn.fm/bLg9s). According to Statista’s 2017 B2B Ecommerce report, “B2B business is now dwarfing that of the B2C business,” with global B2B sales estimated at $7.7 trillion, compared to $2.3 trillion in B2C sales.

As a technology-driven group specializing in mobile payments and value-added transactional services, Net Element offers several solutions for merchants seeking their share of the e-commerce market. The company’s Netevia platform streamlines B2B payments by improving vendor payment processes and reducing the costs to send payments through a user-friendly web and mobile platform interface.

“We are excited to enable this functionality on our Netevia platform and make Netevia a market platform where small and medium-sized businesses can find comprehensive and innovative card payments-oriented solutions to enhance their operations,” Vlad Sadovskiy, president of integrated payments for Net Element, said in a news release (http://ibn.fm/vg8KT). “Enabling vendor payments is one more step towards achieving this goal,”

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

• Energy industry is changing, and Zenergy aspires to be a leader and facilitator of that change
• United States dropped to number 10 in international energy efficiency ratings
• Providing energy road mapping to potential clients

Zenergy Brands, Inc. (OTC: ZNGY) is a next-generation energy and technology company that combines energy services and smart controls. The company offers commercial, industrial and municipal customers the ability to reduce their utility consumption and carbon footprint while decreasing the demand on the national energy grid and water supply in the United States. How energy is generated, traded, purchased and sold is radically changing, and the company aspires to be the industry leader and facilitator of that change, striving to be good stewards of the planet and its resources.

A recent report from U.S. Energy News stated that the U.S. is falling behind on energy efficiency and has dropped to number 10 in a new international rating (http://ibn.fm/RMbgo). Zenergy is uniquely poised to capitalize on the world’s growing desire for increased energy efficiency and potentially position the U.S. higher in global rankings.

Through its flagship Zero Cost Program™, the company provides conservation and sustainability services that most other utility companies cannot offer. The economic benefit is passed on to the client while reducing demand on the national grid through a reduction of utility consumption. Utility bills are decreased by 20-60 percent thanks to the smart controls and efficiency-based products and services that the company installs. This win-win solution allows for the upgrade of older, inefficient energy infrastructure while leaving a lasting positive impact on the environment, all without an upfront or backend cost to the client. A running data analysis of the effects of Zenergy’s services is on display in real time on the company’s website.

Zenergy provides energy “road-mapping” to businesses of all types and sizes, helping its clients develop and execute an energy buying strategy for their foreseeable future. This innovative approach antiquates the idea of allowing a utility company or energy supplier to set a rate that clients will pay without question. Utility companies of the past have been in the business of selling as many kilowatt-hours of electricity or dekatherms of natural gas as reasonably allowed. Zenergy is working hard to put a stop to this practice by educating consumers with smart solutions.

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

• North America OTT TV streaming market expected to grow at CAGR of 17.4 percent through 2028
• Worldwide, streaming OTT industry forecast to reach $62 billion by 2020; arrival of 5G technology could accelerate the pace
• Company’s patented technology currently handles over 125 channels with wide-ranging interests
• Channels are broadcast securely to iOS and Android-enabled devices at a potentially unlimited number of locations worldwide “wherever” Internet is accessible.
• Initiatives include recent marketing advances in Latin American nations

WhereverTV Broadcasting Corp. (OTCQB: TVTV) is a next-generation OTT (Over-the-top) television subscription service that manages live-stream broadcast programming rights across multiple devices, geographies and languages, providing viewers with personalized service that is truly “wherever” they may be watching TV.

WhereverTV’s patented Interactive Program Guide (IPG) technology currently handles over 125 live channels that are broadcasted securely over the Internet to any Internet-enabled device anywhere in the world. Many of the company’s channels are the same as those broadcasted by traditional cable and satellite companies. For example, the World News Now package includes One America News, RT News (Russia Today), Bloomberg TV, CBN News and EuroNews Live — the latter provides pan-European coverage in 350 million households in 155 countries. Other channel packages include Choice TV (a wide variety of popular options for the family), Spanish TV, Faith TV and Morocco TV, providing current genre-specific subscriptions for news, faith, drama, sports, movie, reality and children’s programming.

WhereverTV’s free app works with iOS and Android devices to cover the spectrum of mobile consumer needs, as well as with personal desktop or laptop computers through its over the top (OTT) platform. The platform delivers channels, shows and events to SmartTVs and digital media receivers that include Google Chromecast, AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, iPhone, iPad, Android Smartphone and TabletPCs, with DVR recording functionality slated for future development.

The company, based in Fort Myers, Florida, was developed in 2007 as a solution to its founder’s frustration with the complexities of trying to stream English speaking content while abroad.  As the live-streaming market has developed over the decade since then, WhereverTV has gained recognition as a pioneer in next-generation content delivery systems.

WhereverTV’s strategy is to increase revenue-generating subscriptions worldwide through the acquisition of content that is desirable to consumers and deliverable anywhere a device can connect to the Internet. Prepaid accounts will be accessed through the cloud, and the IPG technology will allow users to make their viewing choices. The company has developed two separate divisions, one for worldwide distribution and one for Latin American distribution.

In 2017, the company acquired Digital Rodeo, LLC, a Tennessee limited liability company that delivers a rich mixture of music and videos from independent country artists, current arrests and legacy artists, as well as similar Florida-based companies Digital RodeoTV, LLC (Name changed to WhereverTV Country in 2018), Digital CrossTV, Inc., Digital PopTV, Inc., and Digital RockTV, Inc.

“WhereverTV is transitioning from a development to operational company and in doing so we have refined our 2018 business model,” CEO Edward D. Ciofani stated. “Our business model calls for content acquisition from around the world, exclusive content development, Major Marketing Alliances, similar to the announced Google Chromecast for Latin America and major marketing initiatives including social media marketing. … There are a lot of content providers (channel providers) around the world that offer a uniquely diversified perspective of cultures, travel and lifestyle content.”

As an increasing number of people “Cord-Cutters” no longer subscribe to the traditional cable or satellite distribution but rather a simpler lower cost means of watching content. The streaming OTT industry is expected to grow to $62 billion by 2020 — nearly triple its revenues in 2015, per Goldman Small Cap Research. Future Market Insights estimated the North America OTT market alone at $16.29 billion in 2017 with a CAGR of 17.4 percent through 2028. The arrival of 5G technology this year has the potential to accelerate the pace.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Wherever.tv

• Marifil Mines exploring secured property in Argentina’s northern Patagonian region for gold
• Company recently completed four new drill holes; site’s historical exploration includes 108 holes
• Limited surface trenching turns up trace of gold

Marifil Mines Ltd. (TSX.V: MFM) (OTCQB: MFMLF) is expressing optimism about drill cores retrieved following exploration of an epithermal polymetallic deposit of sulfide minerals, where the search for gold and zinc comprise the principal economic focus of its flagship property in the northern Patagonian region of Argentina.

“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 Vice President Richard Walters stated in a news release detailing the exploration efforts (http://ibn.fm/xiWUm).

The company announced in June that drilling had resumed at the San Roque property in southwestern Argentina’s Rio Negro province following a six-year hiatus (http://ibn.fm/H0CYi). Historical drilling on the property totals 15,837 meters in the form of 108 holes, and the four new drill holes encompassed a total of 846.5 meters. The drill program 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.

The drill cores are undergoing geological reporting procedures and data is being obtained from them. Core sampling is taking place, involving sawing the product lengthways in half. One half of each core will be shipped to labs in Mendoza, Argentina, for assay. So far, the laboratory has received 185 core samples from a selection that is expected to reach 600 entries, including quality control samples.

The company is also doing limited trenching work with a backhoe around two drill holes in Zone 34, including a trench 36 meters long in an area where “prolific pebbles of iron and manganese oxides permeate the soil,” and a 49-meter trench where a trace of gold was identified in “the heavily iron and manganese oxide stained volcanic rock,” according to the company.

The property is secured by 42,320 hectares (104,575 acres) of mine rights, of which more than 20 percent are patented mining claims that cover all known mineralization. The mine rights are free of non-governmental production royalties, according to the company. The property is jointly owned by Marifil’s wholly owned subsidiary, Marifal Mines S.A., and NOVAGOLD RESOURCES Inc. (TSX: NG) through its wholly owned subsidiary, NovaGold Argentina Inc., with Marifil functioning as the lead project operator.

“The drilling at our flagship asset at San Roque has been highly anticipated by the Company and its stakeholders for many years. 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,” Marifil President and CEO Robert Abenante stated in the release.

“It is clear to the team of geologists that a large volume of rock is well mineralized,” Walters added. “The depth and area limits of this mineralized material remains to be established. We suspect it to be related to a large volcanic paleo-caldera and to possibly be capping a deeper porphyry copper-molybdenum deposit.”

Marifil’s portfolio also includes lithium claims within the famed “Lithium Triangle” of the region, and nickel-copper-cobalt deposit property in Argentina’s San Luis province.

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

• Chinese nationals and Chinese Americans comprise enormous potential consumer group
• ChineseInvestors.com provides education, analysis regarding breakthrough transnational currency opportunities of crypto trade
• ChineseInvestors.com shows dedication to crypto trade by hosting ATM, high-powered virtual currency mining machinery in the U.S.

Chinese Americans constitute the largest population segment of the diverse Asian American community (http://ibn.fm/9yK2L) and as such comprise a significant target consumer group, mirroring the emerging economic potential of China’s own citizens who make up the world’s largest national population — last estimated at 1.4 billion by the United Nations (http://ibn.fm/91J3R). ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (OTCQB: CIIX) is a leading financial information company dedicated to empowering Chinese-speaking investors in the United States and China through market-related analysis and education that provide people with the tools they need to pursue new opportunities.

ChineseInvestors.com broadcasts news about cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin via the internet, cable TV and podcast. The company has established itself as a primary source of information about cryptocurrency to the world’s Chinese-speaking populations through programs such as “Bitcoin MultiMillionaire,” a daily video broadcast from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), and “Bitcoin Talk Show,” a program utilizing traditional and simplified Chinese when it airs on Direct TV, EchoStar and Time Warner Cable systems.

Time Warner Cable’s airing of the Phoenix North America channel that carries ChineseInvestors.com’s 22-minute cryptocurrency content is by itself expected to reach over 500,000 Chinese people in North America — about one-sixth of the total Chinese-American population.

The free flow of information is vital to the health of investors’ financial prospects within the marketplace, especially during an era in which the United States and China are at odds with each other on tariff issues (http://ibn.fm/N6d8z) and investment in critical technological sectors (http://ibn.fm/bnJRA), and amid reports that customers of the world’s largest phone network, China Mobile, are often unable to access select American websites such as Facebook, the New York Times and Google Maps while living or traveling in the United States, apparently because those sites are banned within China (http://ibn.fm/rhCs2).

China is the largest trading nation in the world and has the world’s largest manufacturing economy and the world’s fastest-growing consumer market (http://ibn.fm/WRRN1), which position its citizens to favorably use cryptocurrencies that transcend national borders and their monetary systems. Standard legacy currencies rely on an ecosystem in which international transfer transactions occur through entities such as banks, clearing houses and the worldwide financial institution telecommunication network known as SWIFT. Cryptocurrency trade can occur over the internet and via mobile apps using a secure ledger system empowered by its underlying blockchain technology, and cryptocurrencies are increasingly becoming easier to interchange with standard currencies via ATMs (http://ibn.fm/NLGof).

ChineseInvestors.com is among the entities promoting cryptocurrency ATM exchanges. The company hosts a bitcoin ATM at its San Gabriel, California, headquarters and has acquired high-powered machines for virtual currency mining at a datacenter near Seattle.

Warren Wang, the company’s CEO, said that ChineseInvestors.com anticipates a 30 percent increase in revenues this year as its investor reach expands. Bitcoin Talk Show launched in June under a one-year contract with Phoenix North America, inviting local Chinese investors and business owners to the studio headquarters to discuss cryptocurrency and blockchain.

“We believe Chinese investors are seeking cutting edge knowledge about blockchain and cryptocurrency, and this lighthearted, entertaining television program will accomplish just that,” Wang said in an interview with Crypto News Chronicle (http://ibn.fm/EWEMg).

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

• Online sales comprise just 10 percent of total retail sales
• Online shopping set to continue growing at present rate of 15 percent annually
• Modern retailers increasingly embracing multi-channel and omni-channel marketing

It wasn’t so long ago that marketers and investors were envisaging the retail world as a zero-sum tussle between ecommerce and brick-and-mortar. However, perceptions have shifted from that dichotomous paradigm, for satori has revealed the reality of multi-channel marketing. Now retailers are taking a leaf from Muhammad Ali’s book. In explaining his style, the boxing legend is reputed to have said, “I got different strokes for different folks.” The German automaker Volkswagen put it differently in a 1974 advertisement, which read, “Different Volks for Different Folks.” Yet, it amounts to the same thing, which is that there are a variety of ways to engage with customers. As a result, the focus on mobile devices that are always with consumers through mobile platforms such as the one developed by Consorteum Holdings, Inc. (OTC: CSRH) has intensified. Consorteum is now offering its Universal Mobile Interface™ (UMI), state-of-the-art technology that is capable of integrating any stream of data onto a mobile platform, which makes it ideal for omni-channel and multi-channel marketers.

Despite the continued rise of online retail, expected to keep climbing by 15 percent annually, brick-and-mortar retail sales still dominate the shopping universe. In the U.S., online sales make up just 10 percent of total retail sales. If asked to choose between online and offline, the nation is evenly divided, with 51 percent picking ecommerce, while 49 percent said that they preferred an actual store to shop in. But that balance may shift in the years to come, since 67 percent of millennials like shopping online more than shopping offline. Regardless of consumer preferences, no modern marketer worth his or her salt is likely to leave any channel of communication unexplored, whether it’s a print ad, a retail location, a website, a promotional event, a product’s package or a consumer’s smartphone.

These channels are multiplying. Once on the fringes of marketing, social media and mobile are currently the main drivers of ecommerce, particularly in Asia. In 2016, mobile digital assistants like Cortana, Google Now and Siri accounted for over $2 billion in sales. Now that worldwide ownership of mobile phones has crossed the five billion unit mark, it is expected that by 2020 the smartphone will become the major platform for the entire shopping journey, from search and discovery to recommendations, comparisons and payments. Additionally, this multi-channel approach is developing into a more sophisticated omni-channel outlook that attempts to integrate all channels in a complementary way. Taking note of these trends, retailers are on the search for easy-to-use mobile applications to optimize and integrate customers’ shopping experiences. They will be happy to discover that Consorteum’s mobile platform will integrate several streams of data into one convenient source.

Developed by Consorteum subsidiary 359 Mobile Inc., the UMI is a state-of-the-art platform for integrating any stream of data onto a mobile platform. The technology has the capacity to provide solutions in fintech, data analytics, secure payment processing, compliance lead transaction management and various digital social event sectors. The UMI platform also allows cross operating system development to support all mobile devices while addressing the complex and highly regulated needs of the mobile fintech industry. It is ideal for today’s omni-channel marketing campaigns.

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