Fintech
Trail Blazing Ventures Ltd. Announces Proposed Qualifying Transaction
![](https://thefintechbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/trail-blazing-ventures-ltd-announces-proposed-qualifying-transaction.jpg)
Calgary, Alberta–(Newsfile Corp. – August 5, 2022) – Trail Blazing Ventures Ltd. (TSXV: BLAZ.P) (the “Corporation“) is pleased to announce details concerning its proposed arm’s length qualifying transaction (the “Transaction“) involving a proposed business combination with Ecologyst Outfitters Inc. (“Ecologyst“), a private company incorporated under the laws of British Columbia.
Ecologyst is a company with a goal of disrupting the legacy clothing industry by producing and selling sustainably and ethically produced fashion through its manufacturer-to-consumer (“M2C“) business model using 100% natural biodegradable materials. Its mission is to create the world’s most sustainable clothing supply chain. Founded in 2019 in Victoria, British Columbia, Ecologyst combines technology and in-house ethical production to eliminate waste and reduce inventory, while maintaining high quality standards. Ecologyst is expanding their M2C model to bring their locally produced production practices to more cities across North America. Ecologyst believes that the future is circular, where the solution to ending the environmental degradation associated with the existing clothing industry lies with owning fewer, higher quality and ethically produced garments. For more information, visit www.Ecologyst.com.
Prior to the completion of the Transaction, Ecologyst intends to complete a brokered private placement offering of up to $4,000,000 (the “Subscription Receipt Private Placement“). The Private Placement shall be in the form of subscription receipts of Ecologyst (“Subscription Receipts “) at a price of $0.20 per Subscription Receipt. The Private Placement is expected to be completed prior to the closing of the Transaction. In connection with the completion of the Transaction, the Subscription Receipts shall automatically convert into Newco Common Shares (as defined below). Additionally, Ecologyst is currently in the process of completing a non-brokered private placement of common shares for up to $3,000,000 (the “Initial Private Placement“). The Initial Private Placement is in the form of common shares of Ecologyst (“Ecologyst Common Shares“) at a price of $0.20 per Ecologyst Common Share. The Initial Private Placement is expected to be completed in September 2022.
The Corporation has entered into a non-binding letter of intent with Ecologyst dated August 4, 2022 (the “LOI“) pursuant to which the Corporation and Ecologyst intend to complete the Transaction by way of share purchase, plan of arrangement, amalgamation, three-cornered amalgamation or alternate structure to be determined, having regard to relevant tax, securities and other factors and potentially including a pre-closing reorganization of Ecologyst, to form the resulting issuer (“Newco“) to be named “Ecologyst Outfitters Inc.” or such other name as may be determined by Ecologyst. Pursuant to the proposed Transaction, each issued and outstanding Ecologyst Common Share and Subscription Receipt will be exchanged into one common share of Newco (“Newco Common Share“) on a 1:1 basis so that all of the issued and outstanding Ecologyst Common Shares will be exchanged for approximately 80,513,934 Newco Common Shares (not including Ecologyst Common Shares issued pursuant to the Initial Private Placement, the Subscription Receipts issued pursuant to the Subscription Receipt Private Placement or other Ecologyst Common Shares reserved for issuance), and each unexercised incentive stock option of Ecologyst shall be exchanged for a replacement option issued by Newco with the same terms as the option exchanged therefor. Additionally, it is expected that the outstanding common shares and options of the Corporation will be consolidated on a 2:1 basis.
It is intended that the Transaction, when completed, will constitute the Corporation’s “Qualifying Transaction” in accordance with Policy 2.4 of the TSX Venture Exchange (the “Exchange“) Corporate Finance Manual. A more comprehensive news release will be issued by the Corporation disclosing details of the Transaction, including financial information respecting Ecologyst, further details regarding the Private Placement, the names and backgrounds of all persons who will constitute insiders of Newco, and information respecting sponsorship, once an agreement has been finalized and certain conditions have been met, including:
i) approval of the Transaction by the boards of directors of the Corporation and Ecologyst;
ii) satisfactory completion of due diligence; and
iii) execution of the definitive agreement.
The Corporation does not anticipate that Shareholder approval will be required with respect to the Transaction under the rules of the Exchange. However, the structure of the Transaction has not yet been finalized so shareholder approval under corporate law may be required. In the event a final agreement is not reached, the Corporation will notify shareholders. Trading in the common shares of the Corporation will remain halted and is not expected to resume trading until the Transaction is completed or until the Exchange receives the requisite documentation to resume trading.
ABOUT THE CORPORATION
The Corporation is a capital pool company (a “CPC“) that has not commenced commercial operations and has no assets other than cash. Except as specifically contemplated in the Exchange’s CPC Policy, until the completion of its qualifying transaction, the Corporation will not carry on business, other than the identification and evaluation of businesses or assets with a view to completing a proposed qualifying transaction.
For further information, please contact:
Darren Bondar
Chief Executive Officer
Trail Blazing Ventures Ltd.
Telephone: 1-800-503-1875
Email: [email protected]
Rene Gauthier
Chief Executive Officer
Ecologyst Outfitters Inc.
Telephone: 250-385-7873
Email: [email protected]
Forward-Looking Information Cautionary Statement
Statements in this press release regarding the Corporation’s business which are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties, such as terms and completion of the proposed Transaction, terms and completion of the Subscription Receipt Private Placement and completion of the Initial Private Placement, the goal of Ecologyst to disrupt the legacy clothing industry and the belief that Ecologyst’s business model can provide solutions to environmental degradation issues. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature, they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results in each case could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. The forward-looking statements and circumstances discussed in this press release, including the completion of the Transaction may not occur or could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting the Corporation, including (without limitation) risks relating to Ecologyst completing the Initial Private Placement and the Subscription Receipt Private Placement, risks relating to the viability of the M2C business model and the scalability of local production practices and risks regarding market conditions, economic factors, and the equity markets generally. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and, except as required by applicable securities laws, the Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, execution of a binding definitive agreement relating to the Transaction, completion of satisfactory due diligence, Exchange acceptance, receipt of requisite regulatory approvals, and if applicable pursuant to Exchange requirements, majority of the minority shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approvals, and any ancillary matters thereto, are obtained. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.
Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative.
The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO THE U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION
IN THE UNITED STATES
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/133001
Fintech
How to identify authenticity in crypto influencer channels
![](https://thefintechbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11.jpg)
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.
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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
Fintech
Central banks and the FinTech sector unite to change global payments space
![central-banks-and-the-fintech-sector-unite-to-change-global-payments-space](https://thefintechbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/51859-central-banks-and-the-fintech-sector-unite-to-change-global-payments-space.jpg)
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.
Fintech
TD Bank inks multi-year strategic partnership with Google Cloud
![td-bank-inks-multi-year-strategic-partnership-with-google-cloud](https://thefintechbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/51861-td-bank-inks-multi-year-strategic-partnership-with-google-cloud.jpg)
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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