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Rumbu Holdings Announces Execution of Definitive Agreement for Qualifying Transaction

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Calgary, Alberta–(Newsfile Corp. – May 1, 2023) – Rumbu Holdings Ltd. (TSXV: RMB.P) (“Rumbu” or the “Company”), a capital pool company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV”), is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding Letter of Agreement (the “Definitive Agreement”) with Daryl and Jamie Lockyer (the “Lockyers”), effective as of May 1, 2023. The Definitive Agreement sets forth the terms and conditions of the proposed business combination of Rumbu and the Funeral Home Business (the “Funeral Business”) owned by the Lockyers (the “Transaction”), with the ongoing public company acquiring the Funeral Business. The Transaction will constitute as a Qualifying Transaction (“QT”) pursuant to the rules of the TSXV. The Definitive Agreement sets forth the detailed terms of the Transaction and contains such other terms and conditions as are customary for transactions of the nature and magnitude contemplated in the Definitive Agreement. If completed, the proposed Transaction will constitute the Company’s Qualifying Transaction as set forth in Policy 2.4 of the policies of the TSXV (“Exchange Policy 2.4”). There are no finder’s fees or commissions and there are no deposits, advances or loans to be made in connection with the QT.

About Rumbu Holdings

Rumbu is a reporting issuer in good standing in Alberta and British Columbia and its Common Shares (the “Rumbu Shares”) are listed for trading on the TSX Venture Exchange ( the “TSXV”). Currently, Rumbu has 6,500,000 Common Shares issued and outstanding, stock options outstanding to acquire 650,000 Common Shares at a price of $0.10 per share until December 10, 2032 (the “Stock Options”) and Agent’s Options outstanding to acquire 400,000 Common Shares at a price of $0.10 per share until December 10, 2027 (the “Agent’s Options”).

About the Funeral Home Business of the Lockyers

The Lockyers jointly own a Funeral Home Business (the “Funeral Business”) with a primary funeral home located in Smithers, British Columbia. Daryl Lockyer is 49 and Jamie Lockyer is 42 and together they have a combined 65 years of funeral service experience in Western Canada. The Funeral Business is a funeral and cremation business that provides all funeral and cremation related services to the public in its market area. The Lockyers believe that Rumbu will allow and provide a vehicle to them to expand their Funeral Business in Western Canada and particularly in Alberta and British Columbia. They also believe that Rumbu will enable them to access faster growth opportunities in this market place today where succession planning is booming. There are a lack of corporate purchasers of funeral homes in Western Canada and the Lockyers have already identified a number of opportunities that may be acquired by Rumbu after completion of the Transaction. They plan to take advantage of the current times to purchase funeral homes in condensed geographic areas and to create clusters of funeral homes with synergistic benefits in those geographic areas. The Lockyers believe that based upon proven results and experience by them in the past that the partnership with Rumbu will fuel growth in the funeral home business and unlock additional potential value. In the Transaction, Rumbu will acquire the business and assets of the Funeral Business in exchange for the issuance of 6,000,000 Common Shares of Rumbu to the Lockyers.

Selected Financial Information about the Funeral Business

The following table sets out selected financial information with respect to the Funeral Business. This information has not been verified by independent appraisals, however, the Lockyers are in the process of completing audited financial statements for the Funeral Business and such financial statements will be included in the documents being prepared in connection with the Transaction. The information disclosed below is based upon financial information which has not been audited or verified by independent accountants or certified business valuators. The Lockyers have retained an audit firm to completed the audited financial statements and when completed, these statements will be included in the Information Circular to be provided to all Shareholders for the approval of the Transaction.

Year Ended 
December 31, 2022 (unaudited)
Total Assets $1,500,000  
Total Liabilities $ 400,000  
Net Asset Value $1,100,000  
2022 Gross Revenues $ 850,000  

 

Proposed Qualifying Transaction

Pursuant to the terms of the Definitive Agreement, Rumbu will acquire the Funeral Business in exchange for the issuance by Rumbu of 6,000,000 Common Shares of Rumbu (the “QT Shares”) to the Lockyers. The value of the Common Shares as determined by the Directors of Rumbu to be issued to the Lockyers is $0.10 per share. The outstanding management and director options of Rumbu and the Agent’s Options, as the case may be, shall remain outstanding and shall be governed by their applicable Option Agreements. The QT Shares shall be distributed to the Lockyers and shall be distributed pursuant to their instructions.

The Transaction may be considered a “Related Party Transaction” pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (“MI-61-101“) and Rumbu shall be required to hold a Special Meeting of the Shareholders of Rumbu (the “Shareholders”) and obtain a majority of the minority shareholder approval, as Daryl Lockyer is a Director of Rumbu and the Transaction constitutes a Non-Arms Length Transaction pursuant to the policies of the TSXV. Mr. Lockyer is a Director and Shareholder of Rumbu holding 500,000 Common Shares and 125,000 Options of Rumbu. Therefore, the Transaction will be subject to shareholder approval and Rumbu specifically confirms that it will be seeking shareholder approval under the policies of the TSXV.

Proposed Concurrent Financing

Concurrently with closing of the Transaction, Rumbu and the Lockyers will use their “commercially reasonable efforts” to cause Rumbu to complete a private placement of Subscription Receipts (the “Subscription Receipts”) at a price per Subscription Receipt to be determined in the context of the market (the “Offering Price”) for gross proceeds of a minimum of $300,000 and a maximum of $500,000 (the “Private Placement”). Each Subscription Receipt will be automatically converted into one Common Share of Rumbu concurrent with the completion of the Transaction at no additional cost to the holder. Rumbu has not yet engaged agents with respect to the Private Placement. The net proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to fund the business activities of the Funeral Business and for working capital and general corporate purposes, as will be more specifically described in a subsequent news release that will be used to describe the Transaction in more detail and include audited financial statements. The parties agree that the net proceeds of the Private Placement will be held in escrow by an escrow agent acceptable to both parties and released concurrently with the completion of the Transaction.

Directors, Officers and Other Insiders

On the closing of the Transaction, it is anticipated that the board of the Resulting Issuer will consist of five Directors and Shelina Hirji will resign as a Director and be replaced by Jamie Lockyer. Ross Drysdale, Shane Wylie, J. Michael Sullivan and Daryl Lockyer will remain as Directors. Daryl Lockyer will be appointed as the new President, Chief Executive Officer and Treasurer of the Resulting Issuer, Jamie Lockyer will be appointed as Secretary and Shelina Hirji will be appointed as the Chief Financial Officer. Daryl Lockyer has been involved in the Funeral Home Business for more than 40 years as a mortuary, funeral home manager, executive and director. For the past 20 years, Mr. Lockyer has been the President of The Caring Group Corp. (“TCG”), a funeral home business headquartered in Lethbridge, Alberta with funeral homes in Alberta and British Columbia. Jamie Lockyer has been employed by TCG for 25 years in various positions of responsibility. Ross Drysdale has been an officer and director of a number of private and public companies for more than 50 years, specializing in companies listed on the TSXV. Shelina Hirji as the Chief Financial Officer of the Resulting Issuer has many years of experience as the CFO of private and public companies, including West High Yield (W.H.Y.) Resources Ltd. The Company will provide additional information about its proposed new directors, officers and insiders in a subsequent news release.

Additional Information and Description of Significant Closing Conditions

The closing of the Transaction will be subject to several conditions, including, but not limited to the following:

  1. The receipt of all regulatory, corporate and third party approvals, including the approval of the TSXV and compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements and conditions necessary to complete the Transaction;
  1. The completion of the Private Placement (unless waived by the Lockyers and Rumbu);
  1. The maintenance of Rumbu’s listing on the TSXV;
  1. The confirmation of the representations and warranties of each party to the Definitive Agreement as set out in such Agreement;
  1. The absence of any material adverse effect on the financial and operational condition of the business or the assets of each of the parties to the Definitive Agreement;
  1. The delivery of standard completion documentation including, but not limited to, legal opinions, officers’ certificates and certificates of good standing or compliance of the parties; and

other mutual conditions precedent customary for a transaction such as the Transaction.

Information Circular

In connection with the Transaction and pursuant to the requirements of the TSXV, Rumbu will draft and send to the Shareholders an Information Circular with respect to the approval of the QT. The Information Circular will contain details regarding the Transaction, the Funeral Business, the Private Placement and the Resulting Issuer. The Resulting Issuer intends to list as a Tier 2 Industrial Issuer in the Funeral Services sector, subject to meeting the requirements of the TSXV.

Sponsorship of Qualifying Transaction

Sponsorship of a Qualifying Transaction of a capital pool company is required by the TSXV unless exempt in accordance with TSXV policies. Rumbu intends to apply for an exemption from the sponsorship requirements and there is no assurance that Rumbu will ultimately obtain an exemption from sponsorship.

General

In accordance with the policies of the TSXV, Rumbu’s Common Shares have been halted from trading and will remain so until the documentation required by the TSXV for the Transaction can be provided to the TSXV. Rumbu’s Common Shares will remain halted until completion of the Transaction.

For further information concerning this press release, please contact:

Ross O. Drysdale
President and Chief Executive Officer
Rumbu Holdings Ltd.
Telephone: (403) 585-3737
Email: [email protected]

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV”) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility of the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this Press Release.

Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements

Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance and if applicable pursuant to Exchange 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 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.

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as “plan”, “expect”, “project”, “intend”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate” and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions “may” or “will” occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management’s estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward- looking statements. More detailed information about potential factors that could affect financial results is included in the documents filed from time to time with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities by the Company.

The Securities of Rumbu being offered have not been, nor will be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent, U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements. This release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities in the United States.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/164236

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

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