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BB1 Acquisition Corp. Announces Name Change, Share Consolidation and Completion of Qualifying Transaction to Acquire Cerrado Gold Inc.

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Toronto, Ontario–(Newsfile Corp. – February 22, 2021) – BB1 Acquisition Corp. (TSXV: CERT) (the “Resulting Issuer“) is pleased to announce the completion of its qualifying transaction (the “Transaction“) pursuant to Policy 2.4 – Capital Pool Companies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV“). In accordance with the previously announced definitive agreement dated November 29, 2020, 2787735 Ontario Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Resulting Issuer, merged with Cerrado Gold Inc. (“Cerrado“). The Transaction was structured as a three-cornered amalgamation, as a result of which Cerrado has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Resulting Issuer. As part of the Transaction the Resulting Issuer changed its name to “Cerrado Gold Corp.”, and intends to complete a vertical short-form amalgamation to amalgamate itself with Cerrado and carry on under the corporate name “Cerrado Gold Inc.” prior to the resumption of trading on the TSXV. The Resulting Issuer will issue a subsequent press release once the date the shares of the Resulting Issuer will begin trading on the TSXV is confirmed.

In connection with the Transaction, the Resulting Issuer filed Articles of Amendment effective February 18, 2021, changing its name to “Cerrado Gold Corp.” and consolidating the common shares of the Resulting Issuer (the “Common Shares“), on the basis of one (1) post-consolidation Common Share for every 8.31 pre-consolidation Common Shares (the “Consolidation“). No fractional shares shall be issued as a result of the Consolidation, and if any fractional share would otherwise result from the Consolidation, such fractional share shall be rounded down to the nearest whole share.

Related Financings

Prior to the completion of the Transaction, Cerrado completed a concurrent brokered private placement of subscription receipts (“Subscription Receipts“) led by Cormark Securities Inc. and Haywood Securities Inc. as the co-lead agents (the “Co-Lead Agents“), and including Stifel Nicolaus Canada Inc. and H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC (together with the Co-Lead Agents, the “Agents“) for aggregate gross proceeds of $15,000,120 (“Subscription Receipt Financing“)

Upon satisfaction of certain escrow release conditions and closing of the Transaction, each Subscription Receipt was automatically exchanged, without payment of any additional consideration, for one (1) common share of Cerrado (a “Cerrado Share“). On closing of the Transaction, each Cerrado Share was, without payment of any additional consideration or taking of any action, subsequently exchanged for one (1) common share of the Resulting Issuer (a “Resulting Issuer Share“).

In connection with the Transaction, Cerrado also completed a brokered private placement of special warrants (“Special Warrants“) for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately US$7,076,600 (the “Special Warrant Financing“). Haywood Securities Inc. (the “SW Agent“) acted as sole agent in the Special Warrant Financing. Upon completion of the Transaction, each Special Warrant was deemed to be exercised for one Cerrado Share. On closing of the Transaction, each Cerrado Share was exchanged for one Resulting Issuer Share.

For more information about the Transaction, the Subscription Receipt Financing and the Special Warrant Financing, please refer to the press releases of the Resulting Issuer dated August 4, 2020, August 27, 2020, September 14, 2020, November 3, 2020 and February 16, 2021 and the filing statement dated November 30, 2020 and filed under the Resulting Issuer’s profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com on December 2, 2020.

Post-Closing Capitalization

Pursuant to the Transaction, all securities of Cerrado were exchanged for securities of the Resulting Issuer at an exchange ratio of one (1) security of the Resulting Issuer for each equivalent security of Cerrado so exchanged. Upon closing of the Transaction, among other things:

  • The Resulting Issuer issued to (a) holders of Cerrado Shares issued pursuant to the Subscription Receipt Financing an aggregate of 11,111,200 Resulting Issuer Shares, (b) holders of Cerrado Shares issued pursuant to the Special Warrant Financing an aggregate of 8,845,750 Resulting Issuer Shares and (b) all other holders of common shares in the capital of Cerrado an aggregate of 48,650,688 Resulting Issuer Shares;

  • The Resulting Issuer issued to holders of common share purchase warrants of Cerrado (“Cerrado Warrants“) an aggregate of 2,000,000 warrants (“Warrants“) to purchase 2,000,000 Resulting Issuer Shares, with each such Warrant having substantially the same terms, including exercise price, as the Cerrado Warrants;

  • The Resulting Issuer issued to holders of outstanding options of Cerrado (“Cerrado Options“) an aggregate of 4,000,000 options (“Options“) to purchase 4,000,000 Resulting Issuer Shares, with each such Option having substantially the same terms and economic value as the Cerrado Options;

  • The Resulting Issuer issued to holders of restricted share units of Cerrado (“Cerrado RSUs“) an aggregate of 6,780,003 restricted share units (“RSUs“) to vest into 6,780,003 Resulting Issuer Shares, with each such RSUs having substantially the same terms and economic value as the Cerrado RSUs; and

  • The Resulting Issuer issued to the Agents and SW Agent (each as defined above) an aggregate of 1,295,412 broker warrants (“Broker Warrants“) to purchase Resulting Issuer Shares, having substantially the same terms and economic value as the broker warrants issued to the Agents upon closing of the Subscription Receipt Financing and SW Agent upon closing of the Special Warrant Financing, respectively.

Following completion of the Transaction, there are 70,545,054 Common Shares, 2,000,000 Warrants, 4,000,000 Options and 6,780,003 RSUs and 1,295,412 Broker Warrants issued and outstanding of the Resulting Issuer.

Shareholders of the Resulting Issuer approved all matters voted on at the special meeting of shareholders held on November 23, 2020. The Common Shares of the Resulting Issuer will trade under the symbol “CERT” when trading commences, following the issuance by the TSXV of the Final Exchange Bulletin regarding the Transaction.

Escrowed Securities

Upon completion of the Transaction, an aggregate of 22,609,165 Resulting Issuer Shares, 2,000,000 Warrants, 3,800,000 Options and 4,608,334 RSUs held by “principals” of the Resulting Issuer were held in escrow pursuant to a value securities escrow agreement (the “Value Escrowed Securities“), whereby 10% of the Value Escrowed Securities will become eligible for release from escrow on the issuance of the Final Exchange Bulletin (the “Initial Release“). The Resulting Issuer expects to be listed on the TSXV as a Tier 2 issuer upon receipt of the Final Exchange Bulletin and accordingly, an additional 15% of the escrowed Resulting Issuer Shares will be released on the dates that are 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months, and 36 months following the Initial Release.

In addition, pursuant to the requirements of the TSXV, certain “seed share resale restrictions” are applicable to Resulting Issuer Shares held by a non-“principals” of the Resulting Issuer (“Seed Share Resale Restricted Shares“). An aggregate of 2,000,000 of such Seed Share Resale Restricted Shares will be subject the same release schedule as the Value Escrowed Securities.

Lastly, pursuant to the requirements of the TSXV, 1,719,995 Resulting Issuer Shares will be subject to a value security escrow whereby 10% of the escrowed securities will become eligible for release from escrow on the issuance of the Initial Release, with the balance subject to the same release schedule as the Value Escrowed Securities.

About Cerrado Gold Inc.

Cerrado Gold is a gold production and exploration company with gold production derived from its 100% owned Minera Don Nicolas mine in Santa Cruz province, Argentina. Cerrado Gold is also undertaking exploration at its 100% owned Monte Do Carmo project located in Tocantins, Brazil. For more information about Cerrado Gold please visit our website at www.cerradogold.com.

For further information, please contact:

Mark Brennan
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chairman
Cerrado Gold Corp.
647-796-0023

Disclaimer

This press release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking information” (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation, All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as “expects”, or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, “plans”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “forecasts”, “estimates”, “believes” or “intends” or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results “may” or “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, without limitation, statements regarding the business and operations of the Resulting Issuer. In making the forward- looking statements contained in this press release, the Resulting Issuer has made certain assumptions, including that: all applicable regulatory approvals for the Transaction will be received. Although the Resulting Issuer believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, the Resulting Issuer disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise.

The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/75008

Fintech

How to identify authenticity in crypto influencer channels

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Modern brands stake on influencer marketing, with 76% of users making a purchase after seeing a product on social media.The cryptocurrency industry is no exception to this trend. However, promoting crypto products through influencer marketing can be particularly challenging. Crypto influencers pose a significant risk to a brand’s reputation and ROI due to rampant scams. Approximately 80% of channels provide fake statistics, including followers counts and engagement metrics. Additionally, this niche is characterized by high CPMs, which can increase the risk of financial loss for brands.

In this article Nadia Bubennnikova, Head of agency Famesters, will explore the most important things to look for in crypto channels to find the perfect match for influencer marketing collaborations.

 

  1. Comments 

There are several levels related to this point.

 

LEVEL 1

Analyze approximately 10 of the channel’s latest videos, looking through the comments to ensure they are not purchased from dubious sources. For example, such comments as “Yes sir, great video!”; “Thanks!”; “Love you man!”; “Quality content”, and others most certainly are bot-generated and should be avoided.

Just to compare: 

LEVEL 2

Don’t rush to conclude that you’ve discovered the perfect crypto channel just because you’ve come across some logical comments that align with the video’s topic. This may seem controversial, but it’s important to dive deeper. When you encounter a channel with logical comments, ensure that they are unique and not duplicated under the description box. Some creators are smarter than just buying comments from the first link that Google shows you when you search “buy YouTube comments”. They generate topics, provide multiple examples, or upload lists of examples, all produced by AI. You can either manually review the comments or use a script to parse all the YouTube comments into an Excel file. Then, add a formula to highlight any duplicates.

LEVEL 3

It is also a must to check the names of the profiles that leave the comments: most of the bot-generated comments are easy to track: they will all have the usernames made of random symbols and numbers, random first and last name combinations, “Habibi”, etc. No profile pictures on all comments is also a red flag.

 

LEVEL 4

Another important factor to consider when assessing comment authenticity is the posting date. If all the comments were posted on the same day, it’s likely that the traffic was purchased.

 

2. Average views number per video

This is indeed one of the key metrics to consider when selecting an influencer for collaboration, regardless of the product type. What specific factors should we focus on?

First & foremost: the views dynamics on the channel. The most desirable type of YouTube channel in terms of views is one that maintains stable viewership across all of its videos. This stability serves as proof of an active and loyal audience genuinely interested in the creator’s content, unlike channels where views vary significantly from one video to another.

Many unauthentic crypto channels not only buy YouTube comments but also invest in increasing video views to create the impression of stability. So, what exactly should we look at in terms of views? Firstly, calculate the average number of views based on the ten latest videos. Then, compare this figure to the views of the most recent videos posted within the past week. If you notice that these new videos have nearly the same number of views as those posted a month or two ago, it’s a clear red flag. Typically, a YouTube channel experiences lower views on new videos, with the number increasing organically each day as the audience engages with the content. If you see a video posted just three days ago already garnering 30k views, matching the total views of older videos, it’s a sign of fraudulent traffic purchased to create the illusion of view stability.

 

3. Influencer’s channel statistics

The primary statistics of interest are region and demographic split, and sometimes the device types of the viewers.

LEVEL 1

When reviewing the shared statistics, the first step is to request a video screencast instead of a simple screenshot. This is because it takes more time to organically edit a video than a screenshot, making it harder to manipulate the statistics. If the creator refuses, step two (if only screenshots are provided) is to download them and check the file’s properties on your computer. Look for details such as whether it was created with Adobe Photoshop or the color profile, typically Adobe RGB, to determine if the screenshot has been edited.

LEVEL 2

After confirming the authenticity of the stats screenshot, it’s crucial to analyze the data. For instance, if you’re examining a channel conducted in Spanish with all videos filmed in the same language, it would raise concerns to find a significant audience from countries like India or Turkey. This discrepancy, where the audience doesn’t align with regions known for speaking the language, is a red flag.

If we’re considering an English-language crypto channel, it typically suggests an international audience, as English’s global use for quality educational content on niche topics like crypto. However, certain considerations apply. For instance, if an English-speaking channel shows a significant percentage of Polish viewers (15% to 30%) without any mention of the Polish language, it could indicate fake followers and views. However, if the channel’s creator is Polish, occasionally posts videos in Polish alongside English, and receives Polish comments, it’s important not to rush to conclusions.

Example of statistics

 

Wrapping up

These are the main factors to consider when selecting an influencer to promote your crypto product. Once you’ve launched the campaign, there are also some markers to show which creators did bring the authentic traffic and which used some tools to create the illusion of an active and engaged audience. While this may seem obvious, it’s still worth mentioning. After the video is posted, allow 5-7 days for it to accumulate a basic number of views, then check performance metrics such as views, clicks, click-through rate (CTR), signups, and conversion rate (CR) from clicks to signups.

If you overlooked some red flags when selecting crypto channels for your launch, you might find the following outcomes: channels with high views numbers and high CTRs, demonstrating the real interest of the audience, yet with remarkably low conversion rates. In the worst-case scenario, you might witness thousands of clicks resulting in zero to just a few signups. While this might suggest technical issues in other industries, in crypto campaigns it indicates that the creator engaged in the campaign not only bought fake views and comments but also link clicks. And this happens more often than you may realize.

Summing up, choosing the right crypto creator to promote your product is indeed a tricky job that requires a lot of resources to be put into the search process. 

Author Nadia Bubennikova, Head of agency  at Famesters

Author

Nadia Bubennikova, Head of agency at Famesters

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Fintech

Central banks and the FinTech sector unite to change global payments space

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The BIS, along with seven leading central banks and a cohort of private financial firms, has embarked on an ambitious venture known as Project Agorá.

Named after the Greek word for “marketplace,” this initiative stands at the forefront of exploring the potential of tokenisation to significantly enhance the operational efficiency of the monetary system worldwide.

Central to this pioneering project are the Bank of France (on behalf of the Eurosystem), the Bank of Japan, the Bank of Korea, the Bank of Mexico, the Swiss National Bank, the Bank of England, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. These institutions have joined forces under the banner of Project Agorá, in partnership with an extensive assembly of private financial entities convened by the Institute of International Finance (IIF).

At the heart of Project Agorá is the pursuit of integrating tokenised commercial bank deposits with tokenised wholesale central bank money within a unified, public-private programmable financial platform. By harnessing the advanced capabilities of smart contracts and programmability, the project aspires to unlock new transactional possibilities that were previously infeasible or impractical, thereby fostering novel opportunities that could benefit businesses and consumers alike.

The collaborative effort seeks to address and surmount a variety of structural inefficiencies that currently plague cross-border payments. These challenges include disparate legal, regulatory, and technical standards; varying operating hours and time zones; and the heightened complexity associated with conducting financial integrity checks (such as anti-money laundering and customer verification procedures), which are often redundantly executed across multiple stages of a single transaction due to the involvement of several intermediaries.

As a beacon of experimental and exploratory projects, the BIS Innovation Hub is committed to delivering public goods to the global central banking community through initiatives like Project Agorá. In line with this mission, the BIS will soon issue a call for expressions of interest from private financial institutions eager to contribute to this ground-breaking project. The IIF will facilitate the involvement of private sector participants, extending an invitation to regulated financial institutions representing each of the seven aforementioned currencies to partake in this transformative endeavour.

Source: fintech.globa

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TD Bank inks multi-year strategic partnership with Google Cloud

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TD Bank has inked a multi-year deal with Google Cloud as it looks to streamline the development and deployment of new products and services.

The deal will see the Canadian banking group integrate the vendor’s cloud services into a wider portion of its technology solutions portfolio, a move which TD expects will enable it “to respond quickly to changing customer expectations by rolling out new features, updates, or entirely new financial products at an accelerated pace”.

This marks an expansion of the already established relationship between TD Bank and Google Cloud after the group previously adopted the vendor’s Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) for TD Securities Automated Trading (TDSAT), the Chicago-based subsidiary of its investment banking unit, TD Securities.

TDSAT uses GKE for process automation and quantitative modelling across fixed income markets, resulting in the development of a “data-driven research platform” capable of processing large research workloads in trading.

Dan Bosman, SVP and CIO of TD Securities, claims the infrastructure has so far supported TDSAT with “compute-intensive quantitative analysis” while expanding the subsidiary’s “trading volumes and portfolio size”.

TD’s new partnership with Google Cloud will see the group attempt to replicate the same level of success across its entire portfolio.

Source: fintechfutures.com

The post TD Bank inks multi-year strategic partnership with Google Cloud appeared first on HIPTHER Alerts.

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