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St-Georges $SX.ca $SXOOF wholly own Subsidiary #ZeU #Crypto Networks Announces $20M Debenture Offering $IDKca $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 7:55 PM on Sunday, January 7th, 2018

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  • Announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, ZeU Crypto Networks Inc., a private blockchain technology company, intends to sell $20,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 10.00% convertible unsecured debentures on a non-brokered offering basis
  • Frank Dumas, President and CEO of St-Georges Eco-Mining stated “This financing of ZeU Crypto Networks will allow St-Georges to significantly accelerate its global eco-mining and mineral commodity goals

Montreal, January 7, 2018 – St-Georges Eco-Mining Corp. (CSE: SX) (OTC: SXOOF) (FSE: 85G1) announces that its wholly owned subsidiary, ZeU Crypto Networks Inc. (“ZeU”), a private blockchain technology company, intends to sell $20,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 10.00% convertible unsecured debentures (“Debentures“) on a non-brokered offering basis (the “Offering“).

All Debentures are being sold at a price of $1,000 per Debenture, subject to a minimum subscription of $10,000. The Debentures will mature 24 months after their issuance (the “Maturity Date”) and will bear interest at an annual rate of 10.00%, calculated from date of issue, compounded quarterly and payable at the Maturity Date.

St-Georges (the “Company”) would like to provide additional information to a statement made in its press release on January 4, 2018. The Company stated that it has transferred the license acquired from Qingdao Tiande Technologies Inc., (“Tiande”) to its newly formed wholly owned subsidiary, ZeU Crypto Networks Inc. against the issuance of 20,000,000 common shares of ZeU.  The shares were issued at a book value of $0.10 per share. This information was missing from the press release.

Frank Dumas, President and CEO of St-Georges Eco-Mining stated “This financing of ZeU Crypto Networks will allow St-Georges to significantly accelerate its global eco-mining and mineral commodity goals (…) As previously announced, we are very excited about the acquisition of the blockchain technology license from Tiande and its transfer in ZeU, a pure-play blockchain transaction that advances our strategic objectives and which we expect will take on a life of its own in the near future,” added Frank Dumas. “With a successful completion of the Offering, we expect ZeU to be favorably positioned to monetize its newly acquired technology and seek out additional assets while analyzing corporate reorganization options.”

ST-GEORGES AND THREED CAPITAL TEAM UP

Further to our recent press release on December 31, 2017, in which the Company announced the addition of Sheldon Inwentash, Chairman and CEO Of ThreeD Capital (IDK:CSE) to our Advisory Board, St-Georges is pleased to announce that ThreeD Capital has agreed to introduce ZeU to its global network and blockchain ecosystem.

Mr. Inwentash stated “ThreeD Capital, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Blockamoto.io, has set a mandate to provide strategic advice to assist early stage blockchain solutions in reaching viability as quickly as possible.  ZeU Crypto Networks could represent the most disruptive protocol of the already disruptive blockchain industry.”

ADDITIONAL DEBENTURE TERMS

The Debentures will be convertible at the option of the holder into common shares of ZeU (“ZeU Shares“) at any time prior to the close of business on the Maturity Date at a conversion price (the “Conversion Price“) equal to the greater of: (i) $1.00, and (ii) if the date of any conversion is following the announcement by ZeU of a liquidity event (a “Liquidity Event”), the amount which represents the maximum permitted discount by an exchange to the transaction price assigned to each ZeU Share or resulting issuer on the occurrence of the Liquidity Event. Upon the occurrence of a Liquidity Event, ZeU may force the conversion of up to 25% of the principal amount of the then outstanding Debentures at the Conversion Price. ZeU may elect, from time to time, subject to applicable regulatory approval, to satisfy its obligation to pay interest on the Debentures (i) in cash, or (ii) by issuing the equivalent value in securities.

ZeU is not a reporting issuer and the Debentures will not be listed. Completion of the Offering will be subject to the acceptance and approval of the Canadian Securities Exchanges since it will represent a disposition of assets for SX.

The Debentures, and any ZeU Shares issuable upon conversion of the Debentures, will be subject to a hold period of four months and one after the later of (i) any respective Closing, and (ii) the date ZeU became a reporting issuer in any province or territory.

BLOCKCHAIN AND SMART CONTRACT TECHNOLOGY LICENSE

On January 4, 2018, the Company announced the signing of a significant, non-arm’s length blockchain and smart contract technology license agreement (the “License”), with Qingdao Tiande Technologies Inc., (“Tiande”). Tiande is led by world-renowned blockchain expert, Dr. Wei-Tek Tsai, who initiated the first academic laboratory dedicated to blockchain research and education in China at Beihang University’s School of Computer Science and Engineering.

Dr. Wei-Tek Tsai received his S.B. in Computer Science and Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at Cambridge, MA in 1979, M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of California at Berkeley in 1982 and 1985. He joined Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona in 2000 as a full professor of Computer Science and Engineering in the School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering. He became an Emeritus Professor in Dec. 2014.

He has authored more than 500 papers in software engineering, service-oriented computing,  cloud computing and blockchains. He travels widely and has held various professorships in Asia and Europe

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

“Frank Dumas”

 

FRANK DUMAS, PRESIDENT & CEO

 

About St-Georges

St-Georges is developing new technologies to solve the some of the most common environmental problems in the mining industry.

The Company controls directly or indirectly, through rights of first refusal, all of the active mineral tenures in Iceland. It also explores for nickel on the Julie Nickel Project & for industrial minerals on Quebec’s North Shore and for lithium and rare metals in Northern Quebec and in the Abitibi region. Headquartered in Montreal, St-Georges’ stock is listed on the CSE under the symbol SX, on the US OTC under the Symbol SXOOF and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol 85G1.

For Press Release Inquiries: 514.295.9878 or [email protected]

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release.

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Posted in All Recent Posts, Blockchain stocks, Featured, Smallcap Blockchain stocks, St. Georges Platinum and Base Metals | Comments Off on St-Georges $SX.ca $SXOOF wholly own Subsidiary #ZeU #Crypto Networks Announces $20M Debenture Offering $IDKca $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

#Palladium Nears Record as Shortage Starts to Squeeze Carmakers $NAM.ca $WG.ca $XTM.ca $WM.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:36 PM on Friday, January 5th, 2018
  • Palladium is within touching distance of a record high amid a looming shortage of the metal used to curb harmful emissions from gasoline-fueled vehicles
  • Metal for immediate delivery nudged 0.3 percent lower to $1,096.45 an ounce,
  • Just shy of its all-time best of $1,125 in 2001
  • Metal for March delivery was 0.4 percent lower at $1,090.15 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, still close to the record for the contract hit this week.
A palladium ingot.Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg
By Eddie Van Der Walt

Palladium is within touching distance of a record high amid a looming shortage of the metal used to curb harmful emissions from gasoline-fueled vehicles.

Metal for immediate delivery nudged 0.3 percent lower to $1,096.45 an ounce, just shy of its all-time best of $1,125 in 2001. Metal for March delivery was 0.4 percent lower at $1,090.15 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, still close to the record for the contract hit this week.

“Prices have continued to rally, building on last year’s gains, with investors anticipating that 2018 will be another great year,” said Georgette Boele, a currency strategist at ABN Amro Bank NV. “But I’m not that optimistic. For a while already that optimism has been built too much on the recycling of already known positive news.”

The metal surged 56 percent last year, among the top-performing commodities, as investors grappled with the possibility of a shortage as demand from the car industry grows, especially in China. The metal is forecast to be in a deficit of about 835,000 ounces this year, according to Citigroup Inc.

The bank expects autocatalyst consumption to continue to rise, breaching 8 million ounces this year, although to some degree offset by sizeable increases in autocatalyst scrap, according to a report last month.

In other precious metals, gold investors will be eyeing U.S. employment data for December due Friday for signs of continued momentum in the world’s largest economy. The report is expected to show that nonfarm payrolls rose 190,000 last month, according to a Bloomberg survey.

Spot gold fell 0.4 percent to $1,317.33 an ounce, after rising to $1,326.07 on Thursday, the highest level since Sept. 15. The metal is up for a fourth straight week, the longest stretch since June.

— With assistance by Ranjeetha Pakiam

Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-05/palladium-builds-on-last-year-s-stellar-gains-to-head-for-record

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Posted in All Recent Posts, Featured, New Age Metals | Comments Off on #Palladium Nears Record as Shortage Starts to Squeeze Carmakers $NAM.ca $WG.ca $XTM.ca $WM.ca

Canadian #cannabis producers set their sights on global domination $N.ca $TBP.ca $MCOA $AERO $CBDS $CGRW $APH.ca $GBLX

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:10 AM on Friday, January 5th, 2018

  • Medical research forcing an end to prohibition
  • “I’ve never experienced anything like this,” says Ranjeev Dhillon, a corporate lawyer and partner at the law firm Bennett Jones. Most of his practice now centres on the cannabis export business.
  • In recent months, more than a dozen countries have legalized medical marijuana

Medical marijuana consumers in Prague rang in 2018 with a new Canadian import, Tilray Milled Cannabis, a high THC marijuana product grown on Vancouver Island.

The Czech Republic is just the latest nation to sell Canadian weed, joining Germany, Australia, New Zealand and a growing list of other nations which are turning to Canada as a safe and legal source for medical grade cannabis.

In recent months, more than a dozen countries have legalized medical marijuana. New laws are pending in at least a dozen more as national regulators and even the World Health Organization recognize legitimate medical uses for a drug which had long been banned under international treaties.

The moves have sparked an unprecedented demand for legally grown, high quality marijuana, as well as the oil which is extracted from it. Seven Canadian producers have been granted licences to export the crop. By the end of March they will have sent 528 kilograms of dried cannabis flower and 911 litres of oil overseas. That may well be just an initial trickle, as the floodgates open on an international medical cannabis market.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” says Ranjeev Dhillon, a corporate lawyer and partner at the law firm Bennett Jones. Most of his practice now centres on the cannabis export business.

Brendan Kennedy of Tilray says Canada is the source of the safest product when regulators in other countries go looking for medical marijuana. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

“I think it means that we’ll be a global player,” he says, stressing this is a positive development for the Canadian economy. “This could be our opportunity to be viewed the same as we are in mining or hockey. We’ll be world class and be world leaders and I think that will stay to be the case for a very, very long time.”

Medical research forcing an end to prohibition

For decades an international ban on the production and use of cannabis kept to a minimum any legitimate research into potential medical uses. Prohibition ensured that marijuana cultivation stayed in the hands of illegal growers, and distribution was limited to the criminal underground.

But many users saw value in cannabis as treatment for a variety of conditions, ranging from controlling epileptic seizures to pain relief to stress control.

Israeli scientist Raphael Mechoulam began limited research on the drug in the early 1960s, which led to the discovery of the human endocannabinoid system. By the mid-1990s, scientists determined that cannabinoid receptors play a vital role in the function of the human body. For the first time synthetic cannabinoid derivatives were approved for medical use, primarily for the treatment of nausea and wasting syndrome.

At the same time anecdotal evidence was building to suggest cannabis could have other, more widespread medical uses. Patients who claimed benefits from cannabis went to court seeking the right to use marijuana as medicine without facing the risk of criminal prosecution.

In 2000 the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that Terry Parker, a man with severe epilepsy, should have the right to use marijuana to moderate his severe seizures.

One year later, Canada’s Medical Marijuana Access Program was introduced, allowing patients who had obtained a doctor’s consent to grow their own marijuana under a special permit. By 2013 more than 28,000 Canadians had been granted personal use production licences, leading to a flood of unregulated home-grow operations, and along with it a risk of fires, mould contamination in homes, and legally grown weed being diverted to the black market.

In an effort to crack down on the home grow-ops, the Harper Conservative government introduced new legislation that established legal grow operations which could provide medical marijuana through a mail order service. The Marijuana for Medical Purposes regulations, enacted in 2014, set Canada apart as the first nation to establish a regulated commercial cannabis cultivation industry.

Canadian pot finds a role in the world market

As Canada moves towards legal recreational weed in July, the number of licensed growers has swelled to 84, production is skyrocketing, and research into new growing techniques and improved strains is increasing exponentially. This has placed Canada in a unique role as other nations scramble to find safe and legal supplies of medical cannabis.

Cam Battley, executive vice president of Aurora, shows off Aurora Vie’s Pointe-Claire, Que., facility. Canadian producers have expertise in greenhouse technology, extraction methods, strains and genetics. (CBC)

“When regulators in other countries are looking for a product, Canada is really the source of the safest product. It’s the safest bet,” explains Brendan Kennedy, the CEO of Nanaimo-based Tilray, a pioneer in cannabis exports.

Tilray is among several Canadian producers already exporting to Germany, which established a widespread marijuana access program last spring. Not only is cannabis stocked in German pharmacies, the government pays for the drug under its government health insurance program.

Until it can establish a domestic industry, Germany is importing from Canada. Along with Tilray, Canadian producers Aurora, Cronos and Canopy Growth are tapping the German market. Aurora has even gone a step further, purchasing pharmaceutical supplier Pedanios, with an eye to expanding its distribution in the European market.

Following Germany, several other European countries, including Greece, Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic, passed new medical cannabis laws. Several others are following. A report published in November places the value of the European cannabis market at $84 billion Cdn a year.

That’s led Tilray to begin construction of a $30-million production facility in Portugal to help supply the growing market.

Beyond exports, Canada has expertise

“Part of the reason we decided to invest in a cultivation facility in Portugal was that we also saw a massive increase in demand for medical cannabis product in the EU,” explains Kennedy, who sees a bright future well beyond Canadian exports.

Canadian expertise in growing and greenhouse technology, extraction methods, strains and genetics, along with plain old business know-how, are also in demand. In addition to exports, Canada’s cannabis companies are also teaming up with local partners to build facilities in Germany, Denmark and Israel.

Australia is seen as another prize for Canadian producers. When it announced last February that it would allow importation, Canadian producers Aurora, CannTrust, Canopy, MedReleaf and Tilray swooped in, not only with bags of weed and vials of oil, but with partnerships to build facilities there.

Peru and Mexico have also passed legislation to legalize medical cannabis, and Canadian companies are promising further announcements soon. Overall, they say, the world market could be worth around $200 billion.

What it all means

The rapid legalization of medical cannabis has spurred new research into potential treatments using the drug. In Israel, where the medical research began, there are about 120 trials underway using components of the marijuana plant.

Neil Closner, CEO of Ontario-based MedReleaf, believes Canadian medical marijuana producers have the potential to become global giants. (Canadian Press)

As cures and treatments are discovered and proven, the role of cannabis is sure to expand, creating even greater potential beyond flowers and oil. CEO of Markham-based MedReleaf Neil Closner believes at least two or three of Canada’s producers will become global giants.

“I think overall who wins is Canada. I think we’ve got a leg up on the rest of the world, which is very exciting at a national level for us. I’d like to think that MedReleaf is strongly positioned to be one of the few handfuls of global winners.”

And while California is the latest U.S. state to legalize marijuana, American producers are shut out of the global market because of the federal prohibition on the drug.

That leaves Canada room to pursue the international market and all the potential riches that go with it.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/medical-marijuana-canadian-export-1.4470407

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Posted in All Recent Posts, Featured, Marijuana Company of America, Medical Marijuana Stocks, Namaste Technologies Inc., Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc. | Comments Off on Canadian #cannabis producers set their sights on global domination $N.ca $TBP.ca $MCOA $AERO $CBDS $CGRW $APH.ca $GBLX

China government aims to become the global leader in #blockchain technology. Here’s how they plan to do just that $SX.ca $SXOOF $IDK.ca $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:23 AM on Friday, January 5th, 2018

  • China has the world’s largest Internet application market, block chain industry has to walk in the forefront of the world’s many favorable conditions
  • China’s enterprises need to absorb the world’s top scientific and technological resources, the establishment of China’s chain of ecological chain, to speed up the pace of technological research
  • “Traditional block chain technology is slow, such as bit 1 second can only do 3 transactions, the Shanghai Stock Exchange trading volume of tens of thousands of penis per second.If you can not solve the speed problem, the block chain multi-scene application is not May be promoted. “

China’s block chain industry is expected to walk in the forefront of the world

2017-09-05 07:30 Source: Economic Daily

China has the world’s largest Internet application market, block chain industry has to walk in the forefront of the world’s many favorable conditions. The diversification of the application scene has promoted the rapid development of the block chain technology. But at the same time, the speed problem has seriously restricted the block chain to multi-scene application. China’s enterprises need to absorb the world’s top scientific and technological resources, the establishment of China’s chain of ecological chain, to speed up the pace of technological research.

Recently, the Ministry of Industry directly under the China Electronic Information Industry Development Research Institute in conjunction with Beijing Tiande Technology Co., Ltd. initiated the establishment of the CCID (Qingdao) block chain research institute settled in Qingdao. China’s thousands of people plan experts, Beihang digital technology and block chain laboratory director Cai Weide become the project chief scientist. He believes that China’s block chain industry is expected to walk in the forefront of the world.

The block chain is a distributed database system that is difficult to tamper with and is hard to forge and traceable. The block chain records all the information that is traded, and once the data enters the block chain, even the internal staff is hard Which made any changes without being found. This feature determines its application with the Internet are inseparable. “Cai Weide told reporters,” the application of the larger scene, the richer, block chain technology and industry development will be faster.China has the world On the largest Internet application market, so the block chain industry has to go in the forefront of the world’s many favorable conditions. ”

Currently, block chains have been applied in multiple areas. August 28, the first block of domestic chain power business “media purchase” available, this is the world’s first block of chain power business; August 17, “Baidu Chang’an new days wind 2017 the first phase of asset support Special plan “approved by the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Baidu Financial as its technical service providers to build a block chain service side BaaS; Not long ago, the letter love the United States love the rescue account using the ant gold chain technology, with the algorithm and technology architecture to solve a number of weak Trust the trust between institutions, build a trust mechanism.

Cai Weide that the application of the scene diversity, is the rapid development of block chain technology, the biggest driving force. “Traditional block chain technology is slow, such as bit 1 second can only do 3 transactions, the Shanghai Stock Exchange trading volume of tens of thousands of penis per second.If you can not solve the speed problem, the block chain multi-scene application is not May be promoted. “

Strong market demand and technical barriers between the contradictions, prompting many technology companies to speed up research. In March, Beijing Tiande Technology Co., Ltd. released a new generation of block chain system high-tech one, in a clearing house measured the average transaction speed of more than 4,000 per second; its trial in the latest system, has done to deal with 3.33 billion per second Transaction. From 2008 to 2017, China’s number of patent applications in the field of block chain technology in the world, submitted a total of 550 patent applications, more than ranked second in the United States (284 patent applications).

Cai Weide that this does not mean that China has been the world’s first in the chain area. To really walk in the forefront of the world, the need to create an open ecosystem, to take the sharing model, absorb the world’s top scientific and technological resources to reduce the unnecessary competition in order to ensure that China is walking in the forefront of the world block chain industry.

“In view of this, CCID block chain research institute will be the joint financial research institutions, the national large data (Guizhou) comprehensive experimental area block chain Internet laboratory, Qingdao Tiande letter chain Information Technology Co., Ltd. and other units, the establishment of China block chain Ecological alliance, and will launch three national key industry implementation plan.

Cai Weide said, first of all to establish a Chinese chain chain sandbox plan. The plan includes an industrial sandbox, umbrella sandbox and regulatory sandbox. Among them, the industrial sandbox is under the guidance of the industry alliance by the enterprise self-test and assessment work; umbrella sandbox by the government regulatory support, commissioned by the authority to assess the block chain; regulatory sandbox is developed by the industry to a certain extent, and supervision After the mechanism is mature, the chain is evaluated directly by the regulatory body. “The first phase of the first launch of the industrial sandbox, will work closely with regulators to promote the umbrella sandbox and regulatory sandbox construction.

Cai Weide said that the second plan is to set up Qingdao block chain sandbox research center. The center will promote the China Chain Chain Sandbox program, through the government, financial institutions, universities and research institutes, industry funds and technology companies to study and expand the sandbox plan. The establishment of Internet of things, electronic payment, insurance, logistics, medical, customs block chain sandbox.

“The last plan is to build an open, shared block chain sandbox testing and monitoring platform that has built our first platform prototype to support block chain automation, supporting financial regulation, food and drug traceability, logistics tracking, payment Clear settlement and other block chain applications. “ Cai Weide said.

Source: https://steemit.com/cryptocurrency/@cryptoassets/china-government-aims-to-become-the-global-leader-in-blockchain-technology-here-s-how-they-plan-to-do-just-that

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Posted in All Recent Posts, Blockchain stocks, Canadian Blockchain Stocks, Featured, Smallcap Blockchain stocks, St Georges Eco-Mining Technologies, ThreeD Capital | Comments Off on China government aims to become the global leader in #blockchain technology. Here’s how they plan to do just that $SX.ca $SXOOF $IDK.ca $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

St-Georges $SX.ca $SXOOF Announces #Blockchain & Smart Contract Technology & Transfer & License Agreement with Qingdao Tiande Technologies #Bitcoin #Ethereum $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 6:00 PM on Thursday, January 4th, 2018

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  • Announced the signing of a significant, non-arm’s length blockchain and smart contract technology license agreement, with Qingdao Tiande Technologies Inc
  • Tiande is led by world-renowned blockchain expert, Dr. Wei-Tek Tsai
  • Tiande has granted St-Georges an exclusive license to use Tiande’s proprietary technologies, patents and know-how to develop and commercialize novel mineral commodity production chain control, tracking and trading exchanges

Montreal / January 4, 2018 – St-Georges Eco-Mining Corp. (CSE: SX) (OTC: SXOOF) (FSE: 85G1) is pleased to announce the signing of a significant, non-arm’s length blockchain and smart contract technology license agreement (the “License”), with Qingdao Tiande Technologies Inc., (“Tiande”). Tiande is led by world-renowned blockchain expert, Dr. Wei-Tek Tsai, who initiated the first academic laboratory dedicated to blockchain research and education in China at Beihang University’s School of Computer Science and Engineering.

Under the terms of the License, Tiande has granted St-Georges Eco-Mining Corp. (“SX”) an exclusive license to use Tiande’s proprietary technologies, patents and know-how to develop and commercialize novel mineral commodity production chain control, tracking and trading exchanges. In consideration for the rights granted under the License, SX shall pay to Tiande a royalty of 8% of the gross revenues derived from the Licensee.

“This technology license agreement builds upon our long standing collaboration with Dr. Tsai and the early vision we shared about the potential of blockchain technologies both in general and specifically within the mineral commodity space. Over the last few months, St-Georges has been strengthening the scope of its mineral projects and technologies and this agreement now provides us with access to blockchain technology that can significantly impact our industry, then reach beyond” said Frank Dumas, St-Georges’ President and CEO.

In order to accelerate development and better accommodate future financings, SX will assign the License to its newly formed wholly owned subsidiary, ZeU Crypto Networks Inc. (“ZeU”) in consideration of 20,000,000 common shares of ZeU.

Related Party Transaction

The entering into of the License may be considered a “related party transaction” as set out in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Shareholders in Special Transactions (“MI 61-101”) as Dr. Wei Tek Tsai is a beneficial holder of securities carrying more than 10% of the voting right attached to all of SX’s voting securities. Accordingly, the License constituted to that extent a “related party transaction” under MI 61-101. The transaction is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements under MI 61-101 as neither the fair market value of the License or of the consideration exceeds 25% of SX’s market capitalization. SX did not file a material change report more than 21 days before the entering into of the License as it wished to close on an expedited basis for sound business reasons and did not know when the transaction would be completed.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

“Frank Dumas”

FRANK DUMAS, PRESIDENT & CEO

About St-Georges

St-Georges is developing new technologies to solve the some of the most common environmental problems in the mining industry.

The Company controls directly or indirectly, through rights of first refusal, all of the active mineral tenures in Iceland. It also explores for nickel on the Julie Nickel Project & for industrial minerals on Quebec’s North Shore and for lithium and rare metals in Northern Quebec and in the Abitibi region. Headquartered in Montreal, St-Georges’ stock is listed on the CSE under the symbol SX, on the US OTC under the Symbol SXOOF and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol 85G1.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release.

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Posted in All Recent Posts, Bitcoin, Blockchain stocks, Canadian Blockchain Stocks, Featured, Smallcap Blockchain stocks, St Georges Eco-Mining Technologies | Comments Off on St-Georges $SX.ca $SXOOF Announces #Blockchain & Smart Contract Technology & Transfer & License Agreement with Qingdao Tiande Technologies #Bitcoin #Ethereum $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

#Lithium Market Projected to Grow With Demand for #Eco-friendly Vehicles #EVs $NAM.ca $LIC.ca $LAX.ca #TSLA

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:26 PM on Thursday, January 4th, 2018
  • Global Lithium Ion Battery Market is poised surpass USD 60 billion by 2024
  • batteries are broadly used as a power supply for consumer electronics as well as hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs)
  • Report indicates that the growing adoption of electric vehicles coupled with government initiatives to promote sustainable energy utilization will drive the lithium ion battery market size

News provided by

FinancialBuzz.com

NEW YORK, January 4, 2018

According to Global Market Insights, Inc. the global Lithium Ion Battery Market is poised surpass USD 60 billion by 2024. Li-ion batteries are broadly used as a power supply for consumer electronics as well as hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs). More and more countries advocate for eco-friendly vehicles, increasing lithium ion batteries demand as a result. The report indicates that the growing adoption of electric vehicles coupled with government initiatives to promote sustainable energy utilization will drive the lithium ion battery market size. MGX Minerals Inc. (OTC: MGXMF), Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE: SQM), Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), FMC Corporation (NYSE: FMC)

A lead metals and minerals research analyst at Technavio, Mahitha Mallishetty, explained, “The range of EVs can be improved, and the fuel consumption of hybrid EVs can be reduced using lithium-ion batteries. The diverse types of rechargeable batteries, distinguished by the materials used for the electrodes and electrolytes, have a short-range due to lower energy density and have a short operational life when compared with that of lithium-ion batteries. Growth in vehicle fleet leads to a proportionately faster change in the acceptance of EVs, thereby providing growth prospects for the global lithium market.”

MGX Minerals Inc. (OTC: MGXMF) also listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the Ticker ‘XMG’. Just earlier today the company announced breaking news that, “has increased its ownership in engineering partner PurLucid Treatment Solutions (“PurLucid”) from 34% to 46% by investment of C$1.45M. The Company maintains the right to acquire 100% of PurLucid through successive future investments.

Investment Recap – Since announcing an acquisition and engineering partnership agreement in September 2016, MGX and PurLucid have invented new technology and filed patent application related to brine treatment and selective lithium recovery. PurLucid’s exclusively licensed nanoflotation technology, which purifies wastewater brine, has since been integrated with a newly developed lithium recovery process. Combined, this Cleantech process reduces the capital cost of recovery compared with traditional solar evaporation, as it does not require the investment in very large, multi-phase, lake sized, lined evaporation ponds, greatly reducing the physical footprint and enhancing the quality of extraction and recovery across a complex range of brines previously considered unprocessable due to complexity or geographical location outside of solar evaporation appropriate zones. This includes oil and gas wastewater, natural brine, and other brine sources such as lithium-rich mine and industrial plant wastewater.

Nanoflotation and Nanofiltration Technology – PurLucid and MGX system utilizes a highly charged Replaceable Skin Layer (RSL™) membrane related to the nanofiltration and High Intensity Froth Flotation (HiFF) system, known as nanoflotation, which collectively have demonstrated performance superiority over other processes typically used to remove contaminants. The technology allows ultra-high temperature water treatment (up to 700oC) at 10-30 times the efficiency of existing ultrafiltration systems and offers numerous environmental benefits, including contaminant removal, mineral recovery, reduced energy demand, smaller footprints and lower capital costs. The technology was a 2017 finalist for the Most Disruptive Technology in the World award by Katerva (see press release dated February 21, 2017).

Petrolithium Technology – MGX and Purlucid are implementing the lithium recovery process, commissioning of the first 750 barrel per day system is underway, extending the success achieved with the Petrolithium pilot recovery system deployed in August 2017 (see press release dated August 1, 2017). Although combined system development and deployment are cornerstone to the engineering partnership, MGX holds the global rights to the jointly developed lithium extraction technology while PurLucid retains the rights to the pre-treatment water purification and core technology.

Government Grants – PurLucid was recently awarded a non-repayable contribution totaling up to C$8.2 million in government funding to support the commercialization of a low energy water treatment system for the oil and gas industry (see press release dated November 6, 2017). Purlucid will fabricate and deploy a commercial-scale unit within an operating steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) facility in Alberta. The contracted operation will generate upto C$2.0 million a year based on a per cubic meter environmental processing fee that is approximately 50% lower cost than current disposal costs (deep salt cavern). This project will serve as a template for additional contracts currently under negotiation with other oil and gas producers.

Lithium Extraction System Nearing Deployment – Full commissioning of the commercial-scale NFLi5 lithium recovery system, capable of processing 750 barrels (120 cubic meters) of brine per day, is nearing completion. Deployment of this unit is expected to take place within the next 60 days.”

Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. with the opening of the Gigafactory and the acquisition of SolarCity, Tesla now offers a full suite of energy products that incorporates solar, storage, and grid services. As the world’s only fully integrated sustainable energy company, Tesla is at the vanguard of the world’s inevitable shift towards a sustainable energy platform. According to a blog published by The Tesla Team, Tesla was selected to provide a 100 MW/129 MWh Powerpack system to be paired with global renewable energy provider Neoen’s Hornsdale Wind Farm near Jamestown, South Australia. Tesla was awarded the entire energy storage system component of the project. Upon completion by December 2017, this system will be the largest lithium-ion battery storage project in the world and will provide enough power for more than 30,000 homes, approximately equal to the amount of homes that lost power during the blackout period.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE: SQM) is an integrated producer and distributor of lithium, iodine, specialty plant nutrients, potassium-related fertilizers and industrial chemicals. On December 20, 2017, the company announced that it and its subsidiary SQM Australia Pty, have finalized the purchase of 50% of the assets of the Mount Holland Lithium Project in Australia. This purchase is from MH Gold Pty Ltd, Montague Resources Australia Pty Ltd y Kidman Resources Limited, as the result of compliance of the conditions established in the purchase agreement agreed by the Sellers and informed to the Superintendencia de Valores y Seguros on September 11, 2017. SQM Australia and the Sellers have also signed a joint venture agreement describing the development, construction and mining operations, concentration and refining plants for the production of lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide. This joint venture agreement will also allow for the exploration and exploitation of Sellers’s lithium rights which are not included in the Agreement.

Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is a global specialty chemicals company with leading positions in lithium, bromine and refining catalysts. On November 8, 2017, the company reported third quarter 2017 net sales of $754.9 million, earnings of $118.7 million and adjusted EBITDA of $209.4 million. Lithium and Advanced Materials reported net sales of $343.6 million in the third quarter of 2017, an increase of 42.9% from third quarter 2016 net sales of $240.4 million. The $103.1 million increase in net sales as compared to prior year was primarily due to favorable pricing impacts, increased sales volumes and $1.6 million of favorable currency exchange impacts. Adjusted EBITDA for Lithium and Advanced Materials was $130.2 million, an increase of 42.0% from third quarter 2016 results of $91.7 million. The $38.5 million increase in adjusted EBITDA as compared to the prior year was primarily due to favorable pricing impacts and increased sales volumes, partially offset by Lithium growth spending, a $3.9 million negative impact from hurricane Harvey on Performance Catalyst Solutions (“PCS”) and $0.2 million of unfavorable currency exchange impacts.

FMC Corporation (NYSE: FMC) has served the global agricultural, industrial and consumer markets with innovative solutions, applications and quality products. On November 6, 2017, the comapny reported third quarter revenue of $646 million, which is an increase of 3 percent year-over-year. FMC Lithium reported third quarter segment revenue of $94 million, an increase of 28 percent sequentially and an increase of 35 percent versus the prior-year quarter. Segment earnings increased over 50 percent sequentially and more than doubled year-over-year to $37 million in the quarter. Higher volume from FMC’s new hydroxide operations in China and higher year-over-year prices were the main contributors to growth. The outlook for Lithium segment revenue for the full year of 2017 remains in the range of $340 million to $360 million, an increase of 33 percent at the mid-point compared to 2016, while the outlook for full-year segment earnings has been raised to a range of $124 million to $128 million.

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Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lithium-market-projected-to-grow-with-demand-for-eco-friendly-vehicles-668024643.html

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Goldman $GS has more good news for #copper, #zinc price $LBSR $TMBXF

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:07 PM on Thursday, January 4th, 2018
Frik Els | about 16 hours ago

  • While it’s pulled back a bit since New Year, the price of copper ended 2017 near a four-year high of $3.30 a pound ($7,260 per tonne)
  • Extending the bull run in the red metal for a second year
  • Measured from its multi-year lows struck at the beginning of 2016, copper has gained more than 70% in value
Zinc ingots shown (Image: Glencore)

The rally for zinc has been even more spectacular with the metal, mainly used to galvanize steel, ending 2017 at a decade high of $3,330 a tonne. Zinc has more than doubled in value after a slump that ended around the same time copper hit bottom two years ago.

Reuters quotes investment bank Goldman Sachs as saying zinc demand looks rosy for the first half of the year while the New York-based firm prefers copper over aluminum over the longer term:
“Concern about a sharp slowdown in metals demand as the country adopts a new ‘quality over quantity’ growth model may be overblown”

“Concern about a sharp slowdown in metals demand as the country adopts a new ‘quality over quantity’ growth model may be overblown,” it said, adding that metal producers outside China are set to gain.

“Ongoing supply-side reforms and environmental cuts in China translate into higher commodity prices and less Chinese production, both of which benefit ex-China producers.”

Shipments of copper concentrate to China hit a monthly record of 1.78m tonnes in November and the tally for the year should beat last year’s record 17m tonnes.

Refined copper imports are trending down with recently released data showing cargoes are down some 5% over the first 11 months of 2017 to 4.24m tonnes compared to the same period in 2016. Full year imports in 2016 hit a record 4.94m tonnes.

Zinc is benefitting from historically tight supply with inventories in LME-approved warehouses down 70& since September 2015 to just under 181,000 tonnes. Stocks in warehouses monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange at 68,630 tonnes are down 65 percent since March last year according to Reuters:

“Demand growth is decent, but not spectacular from a historical perspective, which tells me this is once again a supply side issue,” said Bernstein analyst Paul Gait.

“Years of under-investment have caught up. We could see a further price acceleration in the short term, but current levels should generate sufficient capital inflows to generate new supply to meet demand.”

Chinese zinc imports jumped to above 573,000 tonnes in the first 11 months of last year, up 43% from the same period of the previous year.

Source: http://www.mining.com/goldman-good-news-copper-zinc-price/

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ThreeD Capital $IDK.ca Updates Strategic Plans $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:17 AM on Thursday, January 4th, 2018

Threed capital

  • Announced the creation of a special purpose division within its wholly owned subsidiary Blockamoto.io Corp
  • Specifically invest in a number of strategic tokens and Initial Coin Offerings (“ICO”) especially those which are protocol based
  • cryptocurrency portfolio is primarily a simplified vehicle for investing in the complex emerging cryptocurrency market, while taking advantage of the expertise of Blockamoto.io’s team of advisors

TORONTO, Jan. 04, 2018 — ThreeD Capital Inc. (the “Company”) (CSE:IDK), a Canadian-based venture capital firm focused on investments in promising, early stage companies with disruptive capabilities, is pleased to announce the creation of a special purpose division within its wholly owned subsidiary Blockamoto.io Corp. (see previous announcements October 26, 2017 and December 19, 2017) to specifically invest in a number of strategic tokens and Initial Coin Offerings (“ICO”) especially those which are protocol based.

Total cryptocurrency capitalization in the world now exceeds $650 billion US, and the best-known currency of this type being the Bitcoin. Blockamoto.io cryptocurrency investment portfolio will initially invest primarily in the leading cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.  It may also invest in various emerging altcoins, based on strong fundamentals, and could invest into ICOs.

The cryptocurrency portfolio is primarily a simplified vehicle for investing in the complex emerging cryptocurrency market, while taking advantage of the expertise of Blockamoto.io’s team of advisors. Cryptocurrencies may be the opportunity of a generation, as the Internet boom was in the 1990s. The implementation and adoption of this revolutionary technology is still in its infancy.

About ThreeD Capital Inc.

ThreeD is a publicly-traded Canadian-based venture capital firm focused on opportunistic investments in companies in the junior resources, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain sectors.

ThreeD seeks to invest in early stage, promising companies where it may be the lead investor and can additionally provide investees with advisory services, mentoring and access to the Company’s network in order to earn increases to the Company’s equity stake.

For further information:
Gerry Feldman, CPA, CA
Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary
[email protected]
Phone: 416-606-7655

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Technology can bridge the gap in our broken #education system #India #edtech $BTRU.ca $ARCL $BPI $FC.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:49 PM on Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018
  • The last three years have witnessed a paradigm-shift when it comes to the K-12 education space in India all thanks to the advent of new technology.
  • India’s online education industry is expected to grow almost eight times to $1.96 billion by 2021,
  • Number of paid users estimated to rise as high as 9.6 million

Toppr currently has over 2 million registered students in classes 5th to 12th

This has also attracted high volume investment into India’s online education industry with millions of dollars being poured into personalised e-learning startups.

Can technology reform public education in India?

Many of these ed-tech startups are not just focused on building a successful business, but are trying to address a serious problem that has been fundamental to the progress of our nation. Power technology startups, such as Toppr, are trying to bridge the gaps in our broken public education system, as India is ranked 92 in education among 145 countries, according to Legatum Prosperity Index.

“Through the application of machine learning, it has opened up transformative possibilities to personalize learning in a country with over 315 million students, and a skewed student-teacher ratio. With the government’s aid, it can further bridge the gaps in the public education, and considerably improve its health,” said Zishaan Hayath co-founder and CEO of Mumbai based e-learning startup Toppr in an exclusive interaction with PCMag India.

E-learning is also effectively democratic in that it levels the plane for learners from diverse social backgrounds. “With deepening internet penetration, the apps will enable a massive student community to study at their own pace, and in their own unique styles,” Hayath added.

Toppr was founded in 2013 by two IIT alumni Zishaan Hayath and Hemanth Goteti. They are now pursuing an aggressive expansion, projecting exponential growth expecting to take revenue to over $500 million by 2021.

Challenging legacy institutions

With a reward of hundreds of million dollars, the ed-tech industry is facing a cut-throat competition. Gone are the days when a retired teacher or professor could just walk in, rent a classroom and create a coaching center, which used to be a very lucrative business.

According to Zishaan Hayath, “Taking the digital DNA to the Indian education sector has been an extremely rewarding journey for us. Our objective is to revolutionise after-school learning through a platform that analyses and monitors both students’ strengths and weaknesses.”

Startups such as Toppr have been putting a lot of thought into their product by identifying the right needs of modern-day students and aspiration of current middle-class parents, unlike the legacy after-school tuition centers and coaching classes.

“Our biggest challenge was establishing a strong product-market fit. We know that the most valuable currency in a student’s life is time – irrespective of background, the medium of instruction or location. They must, hence, commit their time to the right learning tool,” Zishaan explained the initial challenges Toppr faced. “Our challenge, then, was to build trust within the student community by establishing a strong product-market fit. We had to demonstrate that the app was worth their time,” he added.

However, established institutions based on the traditional classroom business model are aware of the threat startups are bringing and they have been on the verge of digital transition as well.

“The companies currently in the online education space are of two kinds. The first is trying to leverage the internet for their conventional business models. These companies typically talk about content distribution and teacher pedigree. They look at technology as a means to user acquisition and delivering content,” Zishaan explaining the current trend in ed-tech space.

“The second set of companies is applying technology to solve specific problems that conventional methods and resources cannot tackle. They think of technology as the enabler and the internet as a platform centered around solving students’ problems,” he added.

“Toppr is distinctly in the second set with exceptional technology pedigree applied to rethinking education. This is a complex, long-term process, so we are not too worried about the crowding of online-learning offerings,” says Zishaan Hayath.

Responding to the aspirations of tier 2 and tier 3 cities

 

In recent years top colleges and academic institutions across the country have been demanding higher cut-off marks. It was not so long ago that Delhi University demanded a full score of 100 percent as cut off, a result of higher competition and demand.

This trend has put significant pressure on the students and their parents, especially in tier 2 and tier 3 cities and towns where there is a significant lack of quality after-school coaching and tuition centers. And for them, apps such as Toppr offers much-needed help.

“The vision is to penetrate deeper into the heart of India and cater to the varying learning styles of all young learners in the near future,” said Zishaan Hayath.

“While anyone across the country can download the app, the company has dedicated regional counseling teams in over 15 cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Kota, Jaipur, Nagpur, Vijayawada, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Indore, Chennai, Gurugram, Baroda, and Lucknow. We should reach another 15 in the coming months, and the impact is becoming increasingly visible,” Zishan added.

In recent months Toppr raised over $6.92 million dollars from investors such as AIF Partners, Helion Ventures, and FIL Capital Management, bringing the numbers to a total of $18.5 million.

Source: http://in.pcmag.com/edtech/118190/feature/technology-can-bridge-the-gap-in-our-broken-education-system

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New Year’s resolutions: #Esports in 2018 $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:27 PM on Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018
  • 2017 was a huge year for esports with immense progress made across the board, from sponsorships and investments to mammoth-prize money and increased mainstream coverage
  • Foundations have been firmly laid for continued growth throughout 2018
  • With that in mind, here are our New Year’s resolutions for esports going in to the New Year

Improve professionalism in a youth-dominated market

A lack of professionalism has been a long-standing issue in esports – often a problem when granting young people anonymity on the internet. However, following the steps taken in recent years to evolve esports into a viable and respectable industry, it is about time this issue is tackled head on.

There were plenty of examples of poor professional conduct in 2017 alone. We saw; players cheating in online tournaments, being intoxicated at major events, and even stage hosts being disrespectful to competitors. Not only does this show esports in a poor light to newcomers, it also gives the wrong idea as to the kind of conduct that is deemed acceptable in an industry that many already have negative preconceived notions of, as well as disappointing existing fans.

There is, of course, the recent swatting case that took place in Kansas which saw an innocent man lose his life over a $2 Call of Duty wager match. The case made international news and again reflects poorly on the esports community. The industry most definitely doesn’t need added stigma in the mainstream press.

Going in to 2018, we must seek to develop a more professional image. Players should start being held to the same standard of top sporting personalities, especially as the two continue to converge.

Garner more mainstream media coverage

Samsung Galaxy versus SK Telecom T1 at the 2016 World Championship – Finals at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California, USA on 29 October 2016. Credit Riot GamesAlongside the industry growth, esports has started to have more of an impact on the mainstream over the last year. We’ve seen the UK’s largest national newspaper, the Daily Mail, hire their first full-time esports journalists. BBC Three provided weekly coverage for the Gfinity Elite Series and U.S. television channel TBS broadcast multiple ELEAGUE events, including titles such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Injustice 2.

This is a solid start, but there remains plenty of room for growth in this area. With the way esports is going, mainstream media outlets would be foolish to ignore it much longer and the extra exposure would only further endorse esports and enhance its appeal to some of the major sponsors and investors considering getting involved.

That being said, many outlets have tried to create content around esports and not had much success. GQ recently published an article subtly scoffing at esports and professional gamers, as well as the BBC ending a solid piece of coverage with questionable remarks about the players they had just interviewed. That said, coverage has generally improved in recent years, exemplified by the work being done by BBC Three, TBS and Daily Mail.

With NBA teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors making their moves into esports, as well as investments from the likes of Jennifer Lopez and major American sports entrepreneur Stan Kroenke, it makes sense that esports will continue to converge with the mainstream but it requires a unified effort to further legitimise esports to those on the outside.

Improved communications between organisations and media

This links very closely with the previous point, but is just as important in itself. Often, teams make major decisions, such as agreements with notable sponsors, but lack PR representation to share the news. This, in turn, weakens the reach and value of any commercial deals or announcements. Having representative agencies or in-house PR staff to create and share press releases with the relevant outlets could have huge benefits in introducing teams or players to a wider audience.

Some of the larger organisations are now doing this, and so this may be something that comes as a result of a general development in stability for teams across the board. Regardless, it should certainly be high up on the agenda of any organisation who wishes to make a real splash in esports in the long term.

Better esports education from a UK perspective

Schoolchildren learning about esports Credit: British Esports AssociationAs esports continues to grow, so too does the number of people wanting to get involved in an industry that seems very selective from the outside. In 2017, we saw steps being made towards providing a better education of esports to people from a variety of backgrounds. Staffordshire University introduced their esports degree, set to start this year, and the University of Leicester partnered with ESL UK to “provide students with valuable insights into esports business”.

Further down the scale, the British Esports Association ran a fantastic scheme, bringing an esports after-school club to Maida Vale library, for local schoolchildren between the ages of 10-13. Here, children could try their hand at playing Rocket League as well as casting, and were able to listen to talks from British Esports Association volunteers. More recently there has been good work done by the team over at XIII Esports, again with a focus on grassroots in the UK.

The UK continues to lag behind in many major esports titles and education is imperative to break the perceived social stigma around esports and video games. In areas where esports education is more prevalent, such as South Korea and Scandinavia, esports has become highly respected and understood on a wider scale.

It cannot be stated quite how far esports has come in the last year alone, but should the aforementioned be fulfilled, the sky really is the limit. Some of the biggest names and brands in the world have invested in esports and should we make smart decisions, esports will continue to flourish.

Source: http://www.esportsinsider.com/2018/01/esports-2018-new-year-resolutions/

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