• More than 5.3 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s disease, which has no effective cure or substantial treatment
• India Globalization Capital’s IGC-ADI drug candidate targets proteins associated with the buildup of lesions in the brain
• The company acquired exclusive rights to a patent, based on University of South Florida studies supporting THC’s role in inhibiting Aβ plaque production

Alzheimer’s disease now affects over 5.3 million people in the United States, imposing an estimated economic cost of $236 billion. There has been no effective treatment to slow down or reverse its effects. That may be about to change, as India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IGC) launched a press release (http://dtn.fm/w01OQ) detailing its work on a drug candidate, IGC-ADI, that targets the buildup of lesions in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s. Given that the number of cases is expected to double over the next two decades, a lack of a cure or other mitigating therapy is concerning. However, the company expects to soon begin trials that may yield promising new treatments.

The unconventional nature of this drug candidate is that it is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-based. Low doses of THC have been found to inhibit amyloid beta peptide (Aβ plaque) production. This protein is believed to cause plaque to form in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Phosphorylated Tau proteins make up another type of lesion, called a neurofibrillary tangle, that is also linked to AD. The Aβ proteins normally cleared away by biological processes are unregulated in Alzheimer’s patients, and therefore build up into insoluble fibroles. The result is the formation of senile plaques and extracellular misfolded oligomers that are thought to be toxic to nerve cells in the brain.

Now the only publicly traded pharmaceutical cannabis stock that addresses the disease, IGC has developed a drug that inhibits protein production and protein aggregation and reduces the phosphorylation of protein, as explained in the recent Brand Awareness Distribution article, “Alzheimer’s Disease: Cannabis Formulation Shows Promise”. The drug candidate IGC-ADI is believed to also have the potential to restore mitochondria function and redirect the immune system. Studies on genetically engineered cell lines conducted at the University of South Florida (USF) have provided supportive evidence for the company to move forward. At THC concentrations of 25nM, Aβ40 production was cut by 30 percent over a six-hour period, and by 35 percent over 24 hours. When doses of 2.5 μM were introduced, amyloid beta peptide production was reduced by the same level at six hours, 40 percent over 24 hours, and 55 percent over 48 hours (compared to 40 percent at lower THC concentrations).

The patent “THC as a Potential Therapeutic Agent for Alzheimer’s Disease,” was filed based on the findings of the USF studies conducted by Dr. Chuanhai Cao, an Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at USF’s College of Pharmacy and an IGC Senior Advisor. Expected to conduct human medical trials, IGC has already acquired exclusive rights to the patent filing, allowing it to use and advance the technology to find potential treatments for Alzheimer’s patients.

IGC-ADI is one of six patents involving cannabis-based combination therapy, providing investors with opportunities to help support potentially revolutionary treatments for Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.IGCInc.us

• ORHub is a pioneering cloud-based healthcare solution that can help medical providers eliminate inefficiencies, cut costs and improve quality of care
• ORHub has created a new category of healthcare IT vertical-specific software called surgical resource management (SRM)
• ORHub creates the largest source of intelligent surgical information in the world, opening up a vast pipeline of revenue opportunities
• ORHub is positioned to become the universal SRM platform for improving healthcare efficiency and cutting costs

“Value-based healthcare” is a buzz phrase these days, and surgical procedures are at the center of the issue, with hospitals spending, on average, between 48 and 50 percent of their revenues on surgery while outdated tracking systems cripplingly hold back progress, making it impossible for medical facilities to cut costs without sacrificing quality of care. One pioneering company, ORHub, Inc. (OTC: ORHB), has been working with Microsoft (http://dtn.fm/6zXs5) to break new ground and bring the United States healthcare system into the digital age—an evolution that is sorely needed in order to improve healthcare practices and lower costs in a country that is infamous for having the highest healthcare costs in the entire world.

The key is the ORHub solution, which has created the largest source of intelligent surgical information in the world and provides a suite of products that can better serve the needs of the healthcare industry, patients and the government. ORHub’s cloud-based software solution captures information at the point-of-care, filling a huge void in the surgical information infrastructure by transforming big data into intelligent data.

The ORHub solution replaces various antiquated legacy systems with a 360-degree solution that enables the tracking of healthcare costs from diagnosis to discharge, allowing all parties involved in surgical care to collaboratively organize, deliver, measure and reimburse via one intuitive, uniform program. This helps eliminate inefficiencies, duplication of services, and errors and omissions that currently result from siloed software processes and insufficient hand-offs across the care chain. The result will be substantially lowered healthcare costs and drastically improved patient outcomes.

The ORHub solution was born in a hospital surgery center, where forward-thinking surgeons and administrators realized they didn’t have the information they needed to reduce costs without negatively impacting quality of care. In the past, healthcare organizations have been blindly making decisions about how to improve their processes and redesign care without having a true understanding of the actual costs of care for a patient’s condition and how those costs relate to outcomes. Rather than working synergistically, clinicians have instead been battling over arbitrary cuts. ORHub’s cloud-based software platform is the solution to these inadequacies and inefficiencies.

Through ORHub’s software applications, hospitals and medical device vendors will be able to use any Web-enabled device to generate a detailed anatomical graphic depiction of what happens during surgery. The resulting schematic is then automatically translated into an intelligent electronic operative report that links every detail of a surgery to produce a dynamic new source of comparative data. Through ORHub’s revolutionary solution, hospitals, surgeons and vendors can now make decisions that are real-time and data-driven to improve both profitability and quality of care. Further, costs are resultantly reduced for both hospitals and vendors, accountability is improved, surgical implant registries are automated, real-time advanced analytics are created and compliance is bettered.

ORHub is disrupting archaic industry processes, making it possible for tasks that used to require teams of people working by hand to invest weeks or months to now be done directly at the point-of-care by just one person. For the very first time, surgical data can be utilized to create real-time evaluations, self-generate future statistical ratings, and provide predictive outcomes-of-care.

ORHub’s innovative cloud-based solution has created a new category of healthcare IT vertical-specific software called surgical resource management (SRM), which is a category that enables enhanced capabilities as well as access to valuable analytics. This SRM platform will create the largest source of intelligent surgical information the world has ever seen, simultaneously opening up a pipeline of revenue opportunities for ORHub. ORHub is positioned to become the universal SRM platform for improving efficiency and mitigating costs.

The ORHub story started in 2015, when company CTO Wesley Mitchell was contacted by the Microsoft for Startups Program to help a surgeon who wanted to develop a software program that could help analyze resource allocation for surgical procedures—a project that immediately intrigued Mitchell. Over a period of two months, he and his associates interviewed clinical and administrative professionals in the healthcare field and then applied for BizSpark Plus credit from the Microsoft for Startups Program to develop the ORHub solution. A pilot program was collaboratively developed by the ORHub team and Microsoft at the #5 orthopedic hospital in the nation. The solution was developed on the Microsoft Azure platform, which was already encrypted and built with HIPAA considerations in view. ORHub went from concept to production in under a year.

ORHub’s state-of-the-art, disruptive solution has the potential to drastically and lastingly impact the U.S. healthcare system, improving costs, patient outcomes, resource allocation and more. A brighter healthcare future is now within reach thanks to this pioneering technology.

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

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• AppSwarm, Inc. reported $589,000 in revenue for 2016 and has continued to focus on growth in 2017
• The company has focused on four key revenue streams to boost the success of social game development, mobile apps, and e-commerce websites
• A proprietary screening process enables it to select app ideas with the most potential, based on their benefits for developers, entrepreneurs, and consumers

Earning $589,000 in revenue for 2016 hasn’t given AppSwarm, Inc. (OTC: SWRM) a reason to slow down. From in-house development to assets gained through mergers and acquisitions, the company has focused on a vigorous growth strategy centered on a proprietary business model. This is known internally as the “Swarm”. The publicly traded company has focused on engagement, retention, virality, and monetization to secure its revenue streams and sustain its position in a high-demand market, boost the value of its products, and continue a pattern of growth, all at the same time.

The four key revenue streams driving the company’s progress include the incubation of apps, using completion of concept and development, market analysis, sales/marketing, and financial management services. AppSwarm is also highly engaged in social game development. It has developed highly relevant concepts internally, although it has also been successful in purchasing and redeveloping existing games and applications. Focusing on specialty niches has boosted revenue as well, especially casino and role-playing movie-themed applications. Several projects have involved partnerships leveraging technology and market expertise, allowing the company to apply each product to the specific market in an appropriate way.

Continual growth has been facilitated by AppSwarm’s unique approach to product development. Its proprietary selective screening process involves a detailed review of each app idea’s benefits. The decision-making process is considered beneficial for developers and entrepreneurs, but this isn’t the only strategy employed. Mergers and acquisitions aren’t unusual in software development, but the company’s expertise and support in business management/development, capital, and other areas contributes to its repeated success in the M&A circuit.

E-commerce, health, and education represent just a few of the sectors the company’s M&A strategy has focused on. Its e-commerce development has concentrated on the mobile device market and the anticipated increase in online sales driven by purchasing activity of potentially 270 million people by 2020, according to Forrester Research Inc. AppSwarm’s e-commerce development has delved into the world of virtual reality. It has also contributed to the success of websites such as Urban Bamboo Designs, an online retailer of low carbon footprint products, and Authlinks, an authority links resource serving bloggers and website owners.

AppSwarm has also built its revenue by tapping into the $99.6 billion global games market. From soccer to the battlefield to fun family game apps, the company has taken gamers to diverse realms. An optical character recognition-enabled application for scanning PDF documents universally works on all iPhones and iPads. The company’s focus on entertainment, productivity, and web development has enabled it to reach into a large market base, provide useful services for end users, and grow its revenue and position with investors/developers from all walks of life.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.App-Swarm.com

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• SinglePoint has completed its third acquisition of 2017
• Company’s revenue has grown 378-fold since first quarter 2017
• Delivery application in development will directly compete with Leafly and WeedMaps
• Company well-positioned to continue acquisition strategy and further increase revenue

Marking its third acquisition of 2017, SinglePoint, Inc. (OTC: SING) announced on September 6 that it has acquired profitable cannabis distribution company Dr. FeelGood. According to the agreement terms, SinglePoint will acquire 51 percent of the company in a combination of cash and stock, allowing SinglePoint to recognize all revenue.

This acquisition adds yet another revenue stream for SinglePoint, further affirming the company’s strategy of revenue by acquisition. The acquisition further provides SinglePoint with new team members who have been active within the cannabis industry for many years.

Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Dr. FeelGood is a leading medical marijuana distribution company that has expansion plans to add a proprietary delivery and ordering technology application. Dr. FeelGood’s founders have established a development plan to create a proprietary mobile application that will both enhance the experience for users and streamline the company’s operations. The app is scheduled to be released within 90 days. Once the app is completed, both companies will be able to license the technology to other distribution companies throughout the United States.

The two companies are also collaborating on a delivery platform, and SinglePoint will leverage its location-based delivery application and add other features, including a directory and ordering system that will compete directly with Leafly and WeedMaps. Dr. FeelGood was already pursuing plans to build the app; with SinglePoint’s progress, the company will be able to utilize the app much earlier than anticipated and begin providing it to interested entities.

Dr. FeelGood offers a broad array of products that are distributed through both B2B and B2C. Current owners Scott Riley and Jeff Clevenger will continue overseeing the company’s day-to-day operations, with plans in view to expand the business and license the Dr. FeelGood brand in other states.

Other SinglePoint acquisitions that have taken place in 2017 include California-based companies DIGS Hydro and Convectium. With these acquisitions, SinglePoint’s revenue has increased 378-fold in comparison with 2017’s first quarter, ideally positioning the company like never before. SinglePoint is well-capitalized to continue its acquisition strategy and further increase revenues.

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

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• Company engages Launch Haus LLC, a digital agency, to grow its direct-to-consumer e-commerce business through a new marketing campaign
• Consilium Global Research (http://dtn.fm/P49cZ) projects a CAGR of nearly 100% for CIIX through FY2020, with revenues reaching $14.8 million
• CIIX has goal of becoming the largest Chinese publicly traded company in the legalized cannabidiol (CBD) market, with a target audience of the global Chinese-speaking community

ChineseInvestors.com, Inc.’s (OTCQB: CIIX) goal of growing its global sales of hemp-based cannabidiol (CBD) products will be aided by its engagement of Launch Haus LLC, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based holding company specializing in digital direct-to-consumer marketing and product branding.

CIIX has a goal of becoming the primary Chinese medical cannabis publicly traded company. It is focused on the research and development and distribution of legalized CBD to the global Chinese-speaking community. It has an online store in the free trade zone of Shanghai, China, and plans to open a brick-and-mortar store in its home market of San Gabriel, California. Sales of CBD are legal in China, while marijuana is not.

In a recent update, WallStreetResearch.org (http://dtn.fm/a4DV4) noted, “Launch Haus has been engaged to develop a customized cutting-edge direct response marketing campaign that will focus on personalized, customer-centric marketing and sales force automation; develop a compensation plan that incentivizes both rapid growth through recruitment of new, entry-level consumers and top-tier distributors; introduce CIIX to its stable of industry-leading suppliers for global payment systems and logistics and its network of distributor recruitment and legal governance and compliance professionals.”

The report added that the principals of Launch Haus have a proven track record of building sales organizations and developing go-to-market planning and customer experience consulting. CIIX, it notes, believes it is on track to announce an official launch date of its direct selling platform in the coming fiscal year.

Consilium Global Research projects that CIIX will achieve sales of $14.8 million by FY2020, outpacing the growth of the CBD market with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 100% in that time period.

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• Crystal Equity Research, encouraged by new joint venture strategy, forecasts rising revenue for Moxian (http://dtn.fm/Q8Fva)
• Key to market growth is UnionPay’s payment module in Moxian+ app
• MOXC now targets larger $2-4 million businesses for Moxian+ Merchant app sales

Moxian, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOXC) has changed its business strategy to grow more quickly within China, targeting the nation’s top four markets while also beginning to utilize a joint venture strategy in order to penetrate these markets more efficiently with the aid of entrenched businesses. MOXC’s marketing and sales team members are now acting as sales managers, working with independent agents to secure higher volume.

MOXC, an integrated platform operator focused on processing digital payments, is converting its unpaid platforms to paid platforms. Key to its new strategy is MOXC’s relationship with China’s dominant payment processor, UnionPay. A UnionPay processing module on the Moxian+ platform is critical in allowing MOXC to attract new joint venture partners in China and neighboring Asian markets. Now, the Moxian+ Merchant platform offers digital processing modules for UnionPay, Alipay, and WeChatPay.

“We anticipate revising our revenue estimates upward when Moxian confirms the formalization of the joint venture with Shewn International,” the Crystal Equity Research report said. It now projects MOXC revenues at $2.3 million by FY2018.

Crystal Equity Research sees the joint ventures as strengthening and making more efficient Moxian’s plans to penetrate the markets of Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. “We view it as an important catalyst for valuation,” the report said. It added that such joint ventures could raise investor confidence in the company and result in higher valuation of shares.

The joint venture with Shewn International Group of Shanghai gives MOXC a new revenue stream from a percentage earned on all its processing of payments from Shewn. Further, Crystal Equity Research notes that MOXC is burning less cash with the new joint venture strategy. It noted that the company used only $1.3 million in cash during the quarter ended June 2017 versus the $5.4 million the company spent in the prior quarter. The reduction was attributed to reduced selling, general and administrative (SG&A) costs with the new tactics.

Shewn International, in addition to its fine wine sales in wine clubs, also plans to open as many as 500,000 new vending machines across China to sell its fine wines. Affluent residents of luxury apartment complexes, Shewn believes, will react positively to the convenience of buying its upscale wines, offered at the correct temperature and humidity, from these machines.

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

• Proprietary Lexaria technology improves delivery of bioactive compounds in a variety of products, including cannabis-based gourmet foods
• Market predictions for the legal marijuana industry forecast $50 billion in sales by 2026
• 19 patent applications filed and pending in more than 40 countries

Following a successful showing at the inaugural Institutional Capital & Cannabis Conference (IC3) in California earlier this month, Lexaria Bioscience (CSE: LXX) (OTCQB: LXRP) CEO Chris Bunka expects the company to be noticed by investors. Bunka’s presentation of the company’s latest technology slated to benefit the cannabis industry includes the world’s first clinical study on human volunteers of cannabidiol (CBD) within Lexaria’s TurboCBD™ product.

The study, which aims to evaluate the effects of TurboCBD™ on both cardiovascular health and cognitive function, will have a double-blind and placebo controlled cross-over design measuring effects after a single dose, as well as seven days of daily dosing, in 24 volunteers (http://dtn.fm/2LsAq).

“Results will advance Lexaria’s ability to custom design products that increase the leading performance our technology already offers to customers,” Bunka said in a press release outlining the project.

While Hurricane Irma has postponed Bunka’s next mainstream presentation, slated for the now on-hold Institutional Capital & Cannabis Conference in Miami Beach, Florida, Lexaria continues its drive to showcase the benefits of the company’s unique patented delivery technology (http://dtn.fm/7dVat).

Lexaria researchers work to solve a critical problem facing the cannabis industry – the fact that most of the CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that people consume, through any method, is literally flushed away in the proverbial toilet. To that end, Lexaria has focused on discovering new technologies that can more efficiently deliver cannabinoids to the bloodstream, where they can have their desired effect.

Lexaria’s patented DehydraTECH™ technology solves this problem by delivering cannabinoids in an oral form that masks any undesirable taste but increases bioabsorption, speed of effectiveness and potency. This method of delivery is a more viable and healthier method than smoking or vaping cannabis, a route that non-users and medical providers frown upon due to documented health concerns.

Marijuana is now legal in some form in 29 states and Canada. In fact, the Canadian government is expected to legalize adult use of cannabis in 2018, and there are growing movements in the U.S. to legalize cannabis nationwide, as well. Industry experts predict that U.S. retail sales alone could reach $50 billion by 2026 (http://dtn.fm/9elrN).

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

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• Featured on Forbes, NBC, CNN, CBS News, Time, ABC, Fox News and Los Angeles Times
• Plans to enter the nation’s $70 million market by moving into 23 of 42 lottery states
• 100 percent compliant with federal, California state and gaming laws
• One of the original sharks on “Shark Tank” serves on board of directors

LottoGopher Holdings Inc. (OTCQB: LTTGF) (CSE: LOTO) (FRA: 2LG) is a new lottery messenger service that provides its subscribers with the security of ordering and managing the legal purchase of state lottery tickets online using debit and credit cards. LottoGopher makes it simple for users to keep track of tickets and winnings. Members have exclusive access to strategies, alerts, lottery news and can play alone with a single ticket or join online public or private groups to pool winnings.

LottoGopher is transforming the lottery buying experience, which has historically meant taking the time and spending the gas money to drive to a retail location, then stand in line to buy via cash only and redeem tickets. LottoGopher’s uniquely online messenger service streamlines the experience of taking a shot at the lottery and makes it much more convenient and access to electronic payment, otherwise not permitted in CA. While only California residents at this time can play Mega Millions, SuperLotto Plus and Powerball through LottoGopher.com, expansion plans are in the works to allow internet-savvy residents in 22 other states with legal lotteries to have the same advantages of purchasing tickets online.

LottoGopher also enjoys a strategic business relationship with Lottoland, ranked in the Financial Times’ FT1000 Report as one of Britain’s Top 30 fastest growing companies and as the second ranked gaming company in Europe. Since launching in 2013, Lottoland has rapidly become a world leader in the online lottery sector with nearly $357 million (U.S. dollars) in annual sales.

LottoGopher’s currently integrated support systems include a mobile friendly platform; automated email follow-up system to capture, score and remarket to email address leads; social media listening and outreach; utilization of Google Analytics tools; one-time promotional offers across multiple platforms; main and backup credit card processing accounts; and focus on customer service.

Customers of LottoGopher pay a subscription fee to use the service, much like Netflix, Amazon Prime or Dollar Shave Club. After selecting their subscription plan, users pay the same price per ticket as if purchasing from a retail, brick-and-mortar location. LottoGopher’s team then secures the selected tickets from a lottery retailer partner. User account balances are updated after a drawing, which makes it impossible for a member to “lose” a winning ticket.

The company’s target market includes the 80 million U.S. consumers already buying lottery tickets who typically purchase products online. Offering a far more convenient way to play the lottery via an intuitive platform, LottoGopher is well positioned to disrupt this multi-billion dollar industry.

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

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• The Canadian cannabis oil extraction market is projected to reach $1.5 billion by 2020
• Algae Dynamics is focused on extracting cannabis and hemp oil, which has a range of medicinal health benefits
• Cannabis oil extracts act on the human endocannabinoid system, which includes receptors in the brain, organs, and tissues

The oils extracted from cannabis plants, especially those with high levels of cannabidiol (CBD), have been used for medicinal purposes for millennia. Algae Dynamics Corp. (OTCQB: ADYNF) has been focused on cannabis oil extraction, part of its vision to become a world leader in this field. A $1 million market in Canada in 2015, the oil extraction market is anticipated to hit $1.5 billion by 2020. Full legalization is expected across the country by July 2018, and research into the Colorado market, one of the first legal cannabis markets in the U.S., has led to estimates of 45 percent of users converting from dried marijuana to extracts and oil. The market value projections are based on similar anticipated trends for the Canadian market.

By extracting the oil from cannabis, the company aims to develop a range of health products from its derivatives. Cannabis oil, according to CBD International (http://dtn.fm/5OdC4), is beneficial for various health conditions and illnesses. The focus is cannabidiol, one of the main ingredients in marijuana. The other is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is responsible for the psychotropic effects of cannabis. On the other hand, CBD does not produce a high and has been used to treat pain and epileptic seizures, as well as to slow the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have shown CBD to act on the enzymes that form amyloid plaques in the brain, which kill brain cells in people with the disease, with CBD believed to slow down this progression.

Also, CBD has antioxidant effects that can help improve heart health. It can ease pain associated with multiple sclerosis as well. Other effects of cannabis oil include boosting appetite, treating inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and inducing a longer, more restful sleep. It’s been used to manage conditions such as anxiety, glaucoma, post-traumatic stress disorder and cancer.

Algae Dynamics Corp. is highly focused on cannabis oil extraction. Complementing it with Omega-3 oils from algae to boost the effectiveness of medicinal cannabis oils, this effort is helping the company take advantage of the traction cannabis has gained for medicinal purposes. This has been the focus of the company’s strategy for 2017, which has included university research agreements, application for a Health Canada license and supplying oil extraction equipment for the built-out oil extraction room at Bonify’s facility (a private Licensed Producer and partner).

The extracts play a significant role in human physiology. There are plant-derived cannabinoids, or phytocannabinoids, and ones produced in the human body, known as endocannabinoids. Known since the 1960s, cannabinoids have demonstrated numerous links to maintaining health. In 1992, the biological endocannabinoid system was discovered, further substantiating this connection. These compounds and their receptors are found in the brain, glands, organs, immune cells and connective tissues, leading to the development of cannabis-based oils with a number of reported health benefits.

As mentioned above, the company recently partnered with Bonify to extract cannabis oils and develop cannabis oil products (http://dtn.fm/AcEo7), with revenue to be generated from the cannabis oils the company extracts at Bonify.

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

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• Non-bank payment processing at $1.2 trillion, with 12.8% CAGR forecast through 2021
• Large bank takeovers already underway
• NETE operating the right business in the right sector at the right time

Savvy investors always look to capitalize on hot sectors of the market and often single out potential winners in such uptrend niches. Short-term traders and long-term investors alike seek out stocks in sectors on the upswing and aim to position themselves prior to large upside moves. Though it may be perceived as mundane, payment processing is proving to be a just hot growth sector grabbing global investor attention.

A recent article published by MarketWatch (http://dtn.fm/0mPnD) clarified the opportunity. Preliminary takeover approaches from J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) spurred frenzied interest in payment processor Worldpay Group PLC (OTC: WPYGY) and rapidly drove its stock to new highs. More importantly, this activity highlighted the growing value of the payments processing business.

In the MarketWatch piece, Ken Odeluga, a market analyst at City Index, stated, “Interest by the U.S.’s largest bank, J.P. Morgan, points to an identification of digital-payment processing as one of highest potential spheres of remaining growth in financial services, particularly if we assume that retail banking in Western markets is near saturation point.”

This becomes even more apparent when realizing that total digital payment transactions outside of conventional providers like banks are projected to be worth roughly $740 billion this year and are expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 12.8% through 2021, exceeding $1.2 trillion by the end of the period.

Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE), a technology-driven mobile payments and transactional services company, is perfectly positioned is this explosive sector and poised to capitalize on this growth curve. Net Element provides turn-key services, including the technology and services required for cashless transactions, to small- and medium-sized businesses throughout the United States and in select international markets. The company’s products and services include mobile payments, value-added services, marketing solutions and business analytics. Through its wholly-owned group of companies, Net Element’s global divisions support electronic payments acceptance in an omni-channel environment spanning across point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile devices.

The South Florida Business Journal recognized Net Element as one of the fastest growing technology companies in the United States last year, and, in 2012, the company’s Unified Payments division was named the fastest-growing private company in America by Inc. magazine. Already exhibiting strong domestic growth, the company added a record number of merchants to its customer base in Q1 2017, and Net Element is simultaneously launching expanded international efforts. With significant footprints already established in select international markets, Net Element expects to broaden its global presence by leveraging its omni-channel platform into targeted emerging markets.

At first blush, payment processing doesn’t seem like an exciting investment opportunity, but don’t try to convince the shareholders of Worldpay, who just enjoyed a 33% surge in share price. Payment processing is proving to be one of the highest potential spheres of growth in the financial services arena. As the value becomes more recognized, it’s easy to envision Net Element as the next beneficiary of this growth and a subsequent surge in value.

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