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Woodbridge Ventures II Inc. and Sparq Naturals, Inc. Enter into Letter of Intent for Qualifying Transaction

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Toronto, Ontario–(Newsfile Corp. – November 22, 2022) – Woodbridge Ventures II Inc. (TSXV: WOOD.P) (“Woodbridge” or the “Company“), a capital pool company as defined under TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV” or the “Exchange“) Policy 2.4 – Capital Pool Companies, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a non-binding letter of intent dated November 17, 2022 (the “LOI“) with Sparq Naturals, Inc. (“Sparq“), a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, whereby Woodbridge and Sparq will complete an arrangement, amalgamation, share exchange, or similar transaction to ultimately form the resulting issuer (the “Resulting Issuer“) that will continue on the business of Sparq (the “Transaction“), subject to the terms and conditions outlined below. Woodbridge intends that the Transaction will constitute its Qualifying Transaction, as such term is defined in the policies of the Exchange.

Woodbridge completed its initial public offering in November 16, 2021. The common shares of Woodbridge (the “Woodbridge Shares“) are listed for trading on the TSXV under the stock symbol “WOOD.P”. Woodbridge has not commenced commercial operations and has no assets other than cash. Woodbridge was incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario.

Sparq manufactures inhalation devices that promote wellness by trading in nicotine and harmful chemicals for lab-tested, health-focused formulations that include vitamins, amino acids, botanicals and natural flavoring. Sparq’s products were born out of the desire to offer consumers an entirely new and guilt-free genre of nicotine-replacement products. Sparq is a private company and was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on July 9, 2015.

The LOI was negotiated at arm’s length and is effective as of November 17, 2022. None of the current directors or officers of Woodbridge hold any director or management position with Sparq. The Transaction does not constitute a Non-Arm’s Length Qualifying Transaction, and the approval of the shareholders of Woodbridge will not be required. In the event that approval from the shareholders of Sparq is required, such approval will be sought as a condition to the closing of the Transaction.

The material terms and conditions outlined in the LOI are non-binding on the parties and the LOI is, among other things, conditional on the execution of a definitive agreement (the “Definitive Agreement“) to be negotiated between the parties. It is currently anticipated that, immediately prior to the completion of the Transaction, Woodbridge will effect a share consolidation (the “Consolidation“) on a basis to be determined.

The LOI contemplates that as a condition of closing, Sparq will complete a private placement of subscription receipts (or similar security) at a price per subscription receipt to be determined in the context of the market, at a price and offering size to be determined by Sparq, acting reasonably, and conform to the minimum requirements as required by the TSXV for qualifying as a Qualifying Transaction and subsequent trading on the TSXV (the “Concurrent Equity Offering“). Sparq may acquire additional businesses, conduct additional financings or enter into strategic agreements, including but not limited to agreements with consultants, directors, officers, employees or third party service providers, that are accretive to or in the best interests of the business of Sparq (collectively, the “Pre-Closing Transactions“) and may, pursuant to the Pre-Closing Transactions, issue additional Sparq Shares or securities convertible into Sparq Shares. It is currently the understanding of Woodbridge that Sparq expects to conduct additional financings prior to the completion of the Transaction that would be up to a maximum of USD$1 Million and complete the Concurrent Equity Offering.

Immediately prior to the Transaction, Woodbridge will, if so requested by Sparq, effect a Consolidation at a ratio per outstanding Woodbridge Share (the “Consolidation Ratio“) such that the number of Woodbridge Shares shall be issued and outstanding prior to completion of the Transaction will conform to the capital strategy of Sparq. Pursuant to the Transaction, post-Consolidation Woodbridge Shares, in an amount and in a ratio to be determined, will be issued in exchange for outstanding common shares of Sparq (such ratio being the “Exchange Ratio“). The Exchange Ratio will be determined once the proportionate ownership of the Resulting Issuer has been established by the parties. The value of Woodbridge has been established at $1.5 million.

The LOI contemplates that the Transaction will be completed no later than May 31, 2023, or such other date as may be mutually agreed to in writing between Woodbridge and Sparq. There can be no assurance that a Definitive Agreement will be successfully negotiated or entered into, or that the Concurrent Equity Offering or Pre-Closing Transactions or the Transaction will be completed.

Conditions to the Transaction

Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, acceptance by the TSXV, approval of certain matters by the holders of the Woodbridge Shares and other customary conditions including:

  • completion of the Concurrent Equity Offering and Pre- Closing Transactions;
  • entry into the Definitive Agreement on or before February 28, 2023;
  • receipt of all director, shareholder, third party and requisite regulatory approvals (including Sparq shareholder approval) relating to the negotiation and execution of a Definitive Agreement in respect of the Transaction and as may be contemplated by the Definitive Agreement;
  • preparation and filing of a disclosure document, as required by the TSXV, (the “Disclosure Document“) outlining the definitive terms of the Transaction and describing the business to be conducted by Woodbridge following completion of the Transaction, in accordance with the policies of the TSXV;
  • receipt by the TSXV of a Sponsor Report (as defined in the policies of the TSXV), if required, satisfactory to the TSXV; and
  • completion of the Consolidation.

There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Sponsorship

Woodbridge intends to make an application for exemption from the sponsorship requirements of the TSXV in connection with the Transaction, however there is no assurance that the TSXV will exempt Woodbridge from all or part of applicable sponsorship requirements.

Board Changes

Woodbridge also announces that Carey Berdock has been appointed as a director of the Company as of November 15, 2022. Mr. Berdock is the Market Manager for Crawford Packaging. Mr. Berdock brings broad experience in sales and negotiation, serving as Canadian Director of Sales and Business Development for Bunzl Canada. Mr. Berdock fills the vacancy created by David Tsubouchi who has resigned as a director of the Company to focus on other ventures.

Further Information

Woodbridge will provide further details in respect of the Transaction, the Concurrent Equity Offering and Pre-Closing Transactions by way of updating press releases as the Transaction advances, in accordance with the policies of the TSXV.

All information contained in this press release with respect to Woodbridge and Sparq (but excluding the terms of the Transaction) was supplied by the parties respectively, for inclusion herein, without independent review by the other party, and each party and its directors and officers have relied on the other party for any information concerning the other party.

Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSXV acceptance and if applicable pursuant to TSXV requirements, majority of the minority shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is 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 Disclosure Document 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 TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

Trading in the listed securities of the Company will remain halted pursuant to Policy 5.2 Section 2.5/ Policy 2.4 Section 2.3(b).

For further information, please contact:
Raphael Danon, President, CEO & Director
Phone: (416) 884-0840

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” (collectively, “forward-looking statements“) within the meaning of 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 press release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to 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. In this press release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to: the Transaction and certain terms and conditions thereof; the business of Sparq; the negotiation and completion of the Definitive Agreement; the terms and completion of the Concurrent Equity Offering; the board of directors and management of the Resulting Issuer upon completion of the Transaction; the Consolidation of Woodbridge Shares; the Exchange Ratio, TSXV sponsorship requirements and intended application for exemption therefrom; shareholder, director and regulatory approvals; and future press releases and disclosure.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based on current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions, having regard to Sparq and Woodbridge’ experience and their perception of historical trends, and includes, but is not limited to, expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions pertaining to Sparq’s business and Sparq and Woodbridge’ ability to continue as going concern. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information, including but not limited to: any risks related to the uncertainties surrounding the duration and the direct and indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and general economic conditions, including rising interest rates and inflation, on the business, operations and financial condition of Sparq, as well as on consumer behavior and the economy in general, including the ability to enforce leases, perform capital expenditure work, increase rents, raise capital through the issuance of common shares or other securities of Sparq and/or the Resulting Issuer and obtain mortgage financing on Sparq’s properties; labour availability; changes to regulatory environment; armed hostilities and geopolitical conflicts; failure to obtain necessary regulatory, corporate and third party approvals in a timely fashion, or at all. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Sparq and/or Woodbridge as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. Woodbridge does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act“) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, unless an exemption from such registration is available.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/145340

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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