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Agrinam Acquisition Corporation Announces Completion of U.S.$138,000,000 Initial Public Offering Including Full Exercise of the Over-Allotment Option

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Toronto, Ontario–(Newsfile Corp. – June 15, 2022) – Agrinam Acquisition Corporation (TSX: AGRI.V) (“Agrinam” or the “Corporation“) is pleased to announce the closing (the “Closing“) of its initial public offering of 13,800,000 Class A restricted voting units of the Corporation (the “Class A Restricted Voting Units“) (including 1,800,000 Class A Restricted Voting Units issued pursuant to the exercise in full of the over-allotment option) at an offering price of U.S.$10.00 per Class A Restricted Voting Unit, for aggregate proceeds of U.S.$138,000,000 (the “Offering“). The proceeds from the distribution of the Class A Restricted Voting Units together with an additional U.S.$4,140,000 (funded by the issuance of a portion of the Funding Warrants (as defined below)), or U.S.$10.30 per Class A Restricted Voting Unit sold to the public, has been placed into an escrow account pending completion of a Qualifying Acquisition (as defined below) and will only be released upon certain prescribed conditions, as further described in the final prospectus of Agrinam dated June 10, 2022 (the “Final Prospectus“).

BMO Capital Markets (as lead underwriter and sole bookrunner) and Canaccord Genuity Corp. (as lead manager) acted as underwriters in connection with the Offering (the “Underwriters“). SVB Securities LLC served as non-exclusive financial advisor to the Sponsor (as defined below) in connection with the Offering.

Each Class A Restricted Voting Unit is comprised of one Class A restricted voting share of the Corporation (each, a “Class A Restricted Voting Share“), one share purchase warrant of the Corporation (each, a “Warrant“) and one right of the Corporation (each, a “Right“). Each Right entitles the holder to receive, upon valid conversion thereof and for no additional consideration, one-tenth (1/10) of one Class A Restricted Voting Share (which at such time will represent one-tenth (1/10) of one common share in the capital of the Corporation (each, a “Common Share“), subject to adjustments under the terms of the Qualifying Acquisition) and will expire on the day that is six (6) months after the closing date of the Qualifying Acquisition. Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A Restricted Voting Share (and following the closing of a Qualifying Acquisition, each Warrant would represent the entitlement to purchase one Common Share) for a purchase price of U.S.$11.50, commencing 65 days after the completion of the Qualifying Acquisition and will expire on the day that is five (5) years after the closing date of the Qualifying Acquisition or earlier, as described in the Final Prospectus. Upon the closing of the Qualifying Acquisition, each Class A Restricted Voting Share (unless previously redeemed) will be automatically converted into one Common Share and each Class B share (“Class B Share“) of the Corporation will be automatically converted on a 100-for-1 basis into new proportionate voting shares of the Corporation (the “Proportionate Voting Shares“), with each Proportionate Voting Share being entitled to 100 votes per Proportionate Voting Share and, subject to certain restrictions, being convertible at the option of the holder into Common Shares at a ratio of 100 Common Shares per Proportionate Voting Share. Prior to the consummation of the Qualifying Acquisition, the Class A Restricted Voting Shares may only be redeemed upon certain events.

Agrinam is a newly-organized special purpose acquisition corporation formed under the laws of the Province of British Columbia for the purpose of effecting, directly or indirectly, an acquisition of one or more businesses or assets, by way of a merger, amalgamation, arrangement, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, or any other similar business combination within a specified period of time following the completion of the Offering (the “Qualifying Acquisition“). Agrinam intends to identify, evaluate, and execute an attractive Qualifying Acquisition by leveraging its robust network to find attractive investment opportunities. It intends to focus its search for one or more companies that operate across the Agribusiness industry in North America, either in the primary sector (with a focus on Superfoods and specialty products produced in high-tech greenhouses) or the value-added sector (with a focus on Food Tech as well as Wine & Spirits produced in new regions that have a niche differentiator relative to the competition). Agrinam also intends to generally target companies for its Qualifying Acquisition that have adopted strong ESG practices and technologies for the efficient use of resources and are committed to taking care of the environment, including companies that will seek to promote the recycling of resources by applying the circular economy concept to reuse all possible inputs and avoid or reduce pollution and environmental degradation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Agrinam is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region or set of criteria for purposes of completing its Qualifying Acquisition.

The Class A Restricted Voting Units began trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the “Exchange“) on an “if, as and when issued” basis on June 13, 2022 under the symbol “AGRI. V”. The stock symbols “AGRI.U”, “AGRI.WT.U” and “AGRI.RT.U” have been reserved for the Class A Restricted Voting Shares, the Warrants and Rights, respectively. The Class A Restricted Voting Shares, the Warrants and the Rights comprising the Class A Restricted Voting Units will initially trade as a unit, but it is anticipated that the Class A Restricted Voting Shares, the Warrants and the Rights will begin trading separately approximately forty (40) days following Closing (or, if such date is not a trading day on the Exchange, the next trading day on the Exchange). However, no fractional Warrants or Rights will be issued and only whole Warrants and Rights will trade.

Subject to certain restrictions, the Class A Restricted Voting Shares will be redeemable upon certain events for a pro-rata portion of the amount then held in the escrow account established with the escrow agent, net of taxes payable and other prescribed amounts.

Agrinam Investments, LLC, our sponsor (the “Sponsor“), together with certain of the Sponsor’s and the Corporation’s affiliates, directors and officers, namely Agustin Tristan Aldave (Chief Executive Officer and Director); Guillermo Eduardo Cruz (Chief Operating Officer and Director); Gustavo Castellanos Lugo (Chief Sustainability Officer); Jéronimo Peralta del Valle (Chief Financial Officer); Luis Alberto Ibarra Pardo (Chief Investment Officer); Luis Pedraza Trejo; Nicholas Thadaney (Chairman of the Board and Director); Lara Zink (Director); Jennifer Reynolds (Director); and Donald Olds (Director and Chair of the Audit Committee) (collectively with the Sponsor, the “Founders“), beneficially own or control 3,450,000 Class B Shares in the capital of the Corporation (the “Founders’ Shares“), representing twenty percent (20%) of the issued and outstanding shares of the Corporation (including all Class A Restricted Voting Shares and Class B Shares in the capital of the Corporation, but assuming no exercise of any Warrants or conversion of any Rights). The Founders’ Shares were acquired by the Founders through private agreement and not through the facilities of any stock exchange or any other marketplace, for approximately U.S.$0.007 per share (or U.S.$25,000 in total).

Concurrent with the Closing, the Founders purchased an aggregate of 8,710,000 share purchase warrants (the “Funding Warrants“) at an effective offering price of U.S.$1.00 per Funding Warrant for aggregate proceeds equal to U.S.$8,710,000. The Funding Warrants will generally be subject to the same terms and conditions as the Warrants underlying the Class A Restricted Voting Units (as described above).

The Sponsor’s position in Agrinam was acquired for investment purposes. Subject to certain exceptions, the Founders are restricted from selling their Founders’ Shares and Funding Warrants until the earliest of (i) six (6) months following completion of the Qualifying Acquisition, and (ii) the date on which the closing share price of the Common Shares equals or exceeds U.S.$12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations, extraordinary dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period at any time commencing 90 days following the closing of the Qualifying Acquisition, in each case, as described in the Final Prospectus. In connection with the Offering, and as sponsor to Agrinam, the Sponsor entered into certain material agreements, all as described in the Final Prospectus.

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP is Canadian legal counsel to the Corporation and the Sponsor. Stikeman Elliott LLP is legal counsel to the Underwriters. Dorsey & Whitney LLP is U.S. legal counsel to the Corporation and the Sponsor.

This press release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States, and the securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933. A copy of the Final Prospectus is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About Agrinam Acquisition Corporation

Agrinam Acquisition Corporation is a newly organized special purpose acquisition corporation incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia for the purpose of effecting a qualifying acquisition.

About Agrinam Investments, LLC

Agrinam Investments, LLC is a limited liability company formed under the laws of Delaware and is controlled by Demeter Capital, S.A.P.I. DE C.V. and Maquia Capital Financial Group in their capacities as managers.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflects the Sponsor’s and Agrinam’s current expectations regarding future events. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Sponsor’s or Agrinam’s control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Qualifying Acquisition (including the target business criteria, conditions, timing and completion thereof), the conditional release deposit of the gross proceeds from the Offering from escrow, and Exchange related matters (including trading of certain securities of the Corporation), among other factors discussed under “Risk Factors” in the Final Prospectus.

Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, including expectations and assumptions concerning: the Agriculture industry in North America and the Corporation’s ability to complete a Qualifying Acquisition. While the Corporation considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; future legislative, tax and regulatory developments; and the factors discussed under “Risk Factors” in the Final Prospectus.

Neither the Sponsor nor Agrinam undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Agustin Tristan Aldave
Chief Executive Officer
Agrinam Acquisition Corporation
[email protected]

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/127821

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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central-banks-and-the-fintech-sector-unite-to-change-global-payments-space

 

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

The post Central banks and the FinTech sector unite to change global payments space appeared first on HIPTHER Alerts.

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Fintech

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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