Image Credit: Lilith Von Hexem (Flickr)

Six Benefits that the Metaverse Offers to Colleges and Universities

Even though it’s unclear what exactly the metaverse is and whether it even exists, colleges and universities have jumped onto the metaverse bandwagon. They have augmented in-person and remote video learning with features such as gamified interactive virtual worlds, virtual reality and mixed reality.

In one of the largest efforts thus far, 10 U.S. colleges and universities have teamed up with U.S. technology company Meta and Irish virtual reality platform Engage to create 3D digital versions of their campuses, known as a metaversity. Students will engage in learning wearing immersive virtual reality headsets.

In my recent research, I have examined the metaverse and how it affects organizations and societies. I see six benefits that the metaverse offers to colleges.

1. Makes educational resources affordable

Colleges are facing budget constraints and lack access to resources necessary for learning. The metaverse can help them overcome such constraints.

For example, Nashville, Tennessee-based Fisk University hasn’t purchased cadavers due to high costs and maintenance challenges. The university is enhancing its pre-med program with virtual reality cadavers, which are a more affordable alternative.

In the virtual reality lab, a human heart can be pulled out from a cadaver’s chest cavity. It creates the sense that students can feel the weight of the heart in their hands and examine it. They can enlarge it. The class sees and touches the ventricle walls. Students can compare different hearts to understand the results of health decisions that humans made when they were alive. They engage in discussion and agree on the correct diagnosis.

Fisk University is using virtual cadavers for its pre-med program. Fisk University

Virtual cadavers don’t degrade and are easy to maintain. Additional features, such as surgical procedures and comparative learning between humans and animals, can be added over time.

2. Enhances student performance

Virtual training provides an effective means of visually demonstrating concepts with step-by-step instructions to illustrate tasks. They provide opportunities for learning by doing. Immersion in games can increase  engagement in learning activities.

Atlanta’s Morehouse College has piloted a metaversity that involves courses in world history, biology and chemistry. The college found that virtual reality classes increased student satisfaction, engagement and achievement compared to traditional and online formats and increased students’ academic performance. For instance, the virtual reality world history class had a 10% increase in students’ GPAs compared with the same class taught via Zoom and face-to-face the year before.

3. Makes virtual interactions more like real ones

The internet performs well for sending emails, spreadsheets and PDFs from one device to another to be reviewed or modified independently and asynchronously. It wasn’t built for person-to-person type live and interactive experiences, especially with many participants. Likewise, virtual spaces such as Zoom mostly allow a single conversation. In physical events, participants can move fluidly from one conversation to another.

Some universities are using metaverse technologies to overcome limitations of the internet and video meeting tools. Metaverse-related technologies bridge the gap between real-life and virtual interactions by allowing people to interact more naturally.

Professors and students at the University of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania use virtual meeting space Gather, which mimics features of real-life interactions. Users create avatars and navigate a virtual map that represents the physical environment, such as a building. The proximity chat feature make users feel that they are running into other students and professors in the hall. Users see and hear video and audio feeds of participants close to them. When they move away, the sounds cannot be heard and the video disappears. Unlike on Zoom, users aren’t forced to be in a single conversation. They can move fluidly between conversations as speakers or listeners.

The University of Pennsylvania’s computer and information science department used Gather to recreate Levine Hall, which is home to the department. The virtual building’s layout mimics classrooms, laboratories, elevators,  stairwells and other features of Levine Hall. The student-run hub of technological innovation, Weiss Tech House, has also been recreated virtually.

The Gather space accommodates 200 students and supports multiple conversations simultaneously. There are six virtual spaces that correspond the building’s six floors. Small groups can branch off into subgroups to work on tasks or engage in conversation.

4. Enables experimentation with hard-to-create phenomena

In some situations, learning in real-world environments, such as those involving chemical experiments and flying airplanes, is risky. In such cases, special equipment, such as virtual reality headsets, software and special gloves for haptic responses, can create immersive simulations of real environments. Learners feel as though the digital world is real.

These technologies can create scenarios that are impossible or impractical to create in the real world.

In Fisk University’s planned in-person history courses, students visit historically significant locations wearing virtual reality headsets. They include the Montgomery Bus Boycott; the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama; the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee; and the National Mall in Washington.

In chemistry classes, virtual reality allows visualization of how atoms are arranged in a protein. This insight helps pharmaceutical drug research.

5. Increases accessibility for remote students

Big gaps exist in higher education between rural and urban areas.

In 2015, 18% of men and 20% of women 25 and older living in rural areas of the U.S. had earned at least a bachelor’s degree compared with 32% and 33%, respectively, in urban areas.

Metaverse technologies can close this gap by making educational resources accessible to remote students. South Dakota State University expects that its metaversity will help reach the state’s rural students.

6. Attracts a young demographic

Children and young adults are the dominant populations in well-known metaverses, which are in the gaming sector.

About half of Roblox players are under 13 and 66% are under 16. Likewise, two-thirds of Fortnite’s players in 2021 were young adults. Compared with older generations, this demographic is more experience-driven and sees interesting and exciting learning opportunities in the metaverse.

Universities are using the metaverse to attract them. Southwestern Oregon Community College’s leaders think that its metaversity will increase enrollment. This is because higher proportions of younger generations, such as Generation Z, grew up with virtual reality technologies.

Younger generations show a higher level of interest and involvement in the metaverse. In a survey conducted in the U.S. in March 2022, 64% of Gen Z respondents were interested in having a digital avatar and 56% were interested in attending a music event in the metaverse. The proportions were 28% and 25% for baby boomers.

Unique experience provided by metaverse technologies, such as virtual reality, is thus appealing to younger generations and can become a key tool to attract them to universities.

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Monday, August 29, 2022

MustGrow Biologics Corp. (MGROF)
Reports 2Q22 Operating Results

Joe Gomes, Senior Research Analyst, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

2Q22 Results. MustGrow reported a net loss of $1.4 million, or a loss of $0.03 per share, for the second quarter of 2022. We had estimated a loss of $905,000, or a loss of $0.02 per share. Still in the pre-revenue stage, MustGrow reported negligible revenue of $3,721 versus our estimate of zero.

Delta. The key line items that differed versus our projections were Professional fees, which came in at $377,824 compared to our estimate of $50,000, and Patent expenses, which came in at $134,339, versus our projection of $50,000. We anticipate continued volatility in the expense levels as MustGrow moves toward regulatory approval and revenue generation.…

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Image Credit: Anna Alexes (Flickr)

A New US Data Privacy Bill Aims to Give You More Control Over Information Collected About You

A new US data privacy bill aims to give you more control over information collected about you – and make businesses change how they handle data

Data privacy in the U.S. is, in many ways, a legal void. While there are limited protections for health and financial data, the cradle of the world’s largest tech companies, like Apple, Amazon, Google, and Meta (Facebook), lacks any comprehensive federal data privacy law. This leaves U.S. citizens with minimal data privacy protections compared with citizens of other nations. But that may be about to change.

With rare bipartisan support, the American Data and Privacy Protection Act moved out of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce by a vote of 53-2 on July 20, 2022. The bill still needs to pass the full House and the Senate, and negotiations are ongoing. Given the Biden administration’s responsible data practices strategy, White House support is likely if a version of the bill passes.

As a legal scholar and attorney who studies and practices technology and data privacy law, I’ve been closely following the act, known as ADPPA. If passed, it will fundamentally alter U.S. data privacy law.

ADPPA fills the data privacy void, builds in federal preemption over some state data privacy laws, allows individuals to file suit over violations and substantially changes data privacy law enforcement. Like all big changes, ADPPA is getting mixed reviews from media, scholars and businesses. But many see the bill as a triumph for U.S. data privacy that provides a needed national standard for data practices.

Who and What will ADPPA Regulate?

ADPPA would apply to “covered” entities, meaning any entity collecting, processing or transferring covered data, including nonprofits and sole proprietors. It also regulates cellphone and internet providers and other common carriers, with potentially concerning changes to federal communications regulation. It does not apply to government entities.

ADPPA defines “covered” data as any information or device that identifies or can be reasonably linked to a person. It also protects biometric data, genetic data and geolocation information.

Protected data includes your location – Southernmost House, Key West (C. Watts, Flickr)

The bill excludes three big data categories: de-identified data, employee data, and publicly available information. That last category includes social media accounts with privacy settings open to public viewing. While research has repeatedly shown deidentified data can be easily reidentified, the ADPPA attempts to address that by requiring covered entities to take “reasonable technical, administrative, and physical measures to ensure that the information cannot, at any point, be used to re-identify any individual or device.”

How ADPPA Protects Your Data

The act would require data collection to be as minimal as possible. The bill allows covered entities to collect, use or share an individual’s data only when reasonably necessary and proportionate to a product or service the person requests or to respond to a communication the person initiates. It allows collection for authentication, security incidents, prevention of illegal activities or serious harm to persons, and compliance with legal obligations.

People would gain rights to access and have some control over their data. ADPPA gives users the right to correct inaccuracies and potentially delete their data held by covered entities.

The bill permits data collection as part of research for public good. It allows data collection for peer-reviewed research or research done in the public interest – for example, testing whether a website is unlawfully discriminating. This is important for researchers who might otherwise run afoul of site terms or hacking laws.

The ADPPA also has a provision that tackles the service-conditioned-on-consent problem – those annoying “I Agree” boxes that force people to accept a jumble of legal terms. When you click one of those boxes, you contractually waive your privacy rights as a condition to simply use a service, visit a website or buy a product. The bill will prevent covered entities from using contract law to get around the bill’s protections.

Looking to Federal Electronic Surveillance Law for Guidance

The U.S.’s Electronic Communications Privacy Act can provide federal law makers guidance in finalizing ADPPA. Like the ADPPA, the 1986 ECPA legislation involved a massive overhaul of U.S. electronic privacy law to address adverse effects to individual privacy and civil liberties posed by advancing surveillance and communication technologies. Once again, advances in surveillance and data technologies, such as artificial intelligence, are significantly affecting citizens’ rights.

ECPA, still in effect today, provides a baseline national standard for electronic surveillance protections. ECPA protects communications from interception unless one party to the communication consents. But ECPA does not preempt states from passing more protective laws, so states can choose to provide greater privacy rights. The end result: Roughly a quarter of U.S. states require consent of all parties to intercept a communication, thus providing their citizens increased privacy rights.

ECPA’s federal/state balance has worked for decades now, and ECPA has not overwhelmed the courts or destroyed commerce.

National Preemption

As drafted, ADPPA preempts some state data privacy legislation. This affects California’s Consumer Privacy Act, although it does not preempt the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act or state laws specifically regulating facial recognition technology. The preemption provisions, however, are in flux as members of the House continue to negotiate the bill.

ADPPA’s national standards provide uniform compliance requirements, serving economic efficiency; but its preemption of most state laws has some scholars concerned, and California opposes its passage.

If preemption stands, any final version of the ADPPA will be the law of the land, limiting states from more firmly protecting their citizens’ data privacy.

Private Right of Action and Enforcement

ADDPA provides for a private right of action, allowing people to sue covered entities who violate their rights under ADPPA. That gives the bill’s enforcement mechanisms a big boost, although it has significant restrictions.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the tech industry oppose a private right of action, preferring ADPPA enforcement be restricted to the Federal Trade Commission. But the FTC has far less staff and far fewer resources than U.S. trial attorneys do.

ECPA, for comparison, has a private right of action. It has not overwhelmed courts or businesses, and entities likely comply with ECPA to avoid civil litigation. Plus, courts have honed ECPA’s terms, providing clear precedent and understandable compliance guidelines.

How Big are the Changes?

The changes to U.S. data privacy law are big, but ADPPA affords much-needed security and data protections to U.S. citizens, and I believe that it is workable with tweaks.

Given how the internet works, data routinely flows across international borders, so many U.S. companies have already built compliance with other nations’ laws into their systems. This includes the E.U.’s General Data Protection Regulation – a law similar to the ADPPA. Facebook, for example, provides E.U. citizens with GDPR’s protections, but it does not give U.S. citizens those protections, because it is not required to do so.

Congress has done little with data privacy, but ADPPA is poised to change that.

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Image Credit: Ted Eytan (Flickr)

Competition for Your Internet Business is Keeping Broadband Inflation at a Minimum

Wireless carriers are using the excess capacity on their fifth generation (5G) networks to compete with traditional broadband-internet providers such as cable. Meanwhile, the same cable companies are trying to gain inroads into cell service by promoting new and cheaper cellphone plans.

This competition benefits consumers experiencing high inflation rates in other products they consume by minimizing increases to their internet or cell services. Each of these services has few competitors depending on the region; the additional players, mostly large companies, are welcome by users but may depress earnings.

The consumer-price index (CPI), the most common consumer inflation measure, rose 8.5% from July 2021 to July 2022. The cost of internet service for the same period rose by only 1.7%, according to the Labor Department.

Cell Provider Gains

As 5G is rolled out into communities, cell service providers helped Verizon Communications Inc (VZ) and T-Mobile (TMUS)  sign up 2.2 million wireless-internet customers through mid-year 2022. These customers most often then ended their traditional broadband providers’ service. Often these services included add-on subscriptions that were in addition to the broadband connection and added to earnings. The mobile-phone companies’ wireless broadband signals from cell towers to personal routers are fast enough to satisfy most new customers and reduce the need for installation of cables throughout a home or business.

The impact to cable companies can be seen in their earnings. Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) lost residential customers last quarter for the very first time. Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) had its first decline in nearly a decade. The loss contributed to the cable industry’s worst quarter in years.

Also contributing to the drop, according to cable internet providers, are slower home sales and fewer people moving.

Comcast’s CEO, Brian Roberts, said he expects the pace of internet customers moving to wireless transmission to slow. This is because mobile carriers have capacity constraints that more quickly limit the number of internet users they can add. For instance, T-Mobile says its next-generation network is broad enough to cover 40 million homes and businesses.

“Demand continues to build from dissatisfied suburban cable customers to underserved customers in smaller markets and rural areas,” said T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert on an earnings conference call last month. T-Mobile said a little more than half of the 560,000 internet customers it added during the second quarter came from cable competitors.

Customer savings, on a percentage basis, can be sizeable. One example shows a customer who lowered their internet bill by moving to a 5G network from $85 to $50, which the new provider locked in for as long as they keep the service.

Broadband Direct Internet Provider Gains

Since before the pandemic, the large cable companies had spent years winning over customers for cellphone service who might have otherwise signed up for service with those more recognized for cell service. Comcast and Charter have gained nearly nine million mobile-phone subscribers since Comcast launched its wireless service in 2017.

Cable companies that now offer cell service aren’t using their own cell networks; they’re paying the wireless providers for access under reseller agreements. The relationships they have, help to sell the service, and it’s boosting their bottom lines – Verizon provides to Comcast and Charter, and T-Mobile sells space to Altice USA.

Ultimate Beneficiary

Internet providers, both wired and wireless, are experiencing competition in their traditional businesses. Both will bump up against capacity constraints as the level of new generation wireless being installed will have a maximum that is not large enough to continue indefinite expansion.

The consumers, for now, are the beneficiaries. For those that have rates that are locked in, they need not be concerned about inflation in their cable costs. However, rates have been known to decline.

Paul Hoffman

Managing Editor, Channelchek

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Sources

https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/technology-media-and-telecommunications/articles/telecommunications-industry-outlook.html

https://corporate.comcast.com/press/releases/xfinity-mobile-comcast-business-mobile-samsung-galaxy-z-flip4-galaxy-z-fold4

https://www.wsj.com/articles/wireless-carriers-want-to-be-your-home-internet-providerand-vice-versa-11661209313?mod=hp_lista_pos2

https://www.verizon.com/about/investors/quarterly-reports/2q-2022-earnings-conference-call-webcast

https://investor.t-mobile.com/events-and-presentations/news/news-details/2022/T-Mobile-5G-Swings-into-Yankee-Stadium/default.aspx

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Image Credit: Marco Verch (Flickr)

Why Blockchain May Now be Keeping Tabs on that Stock You Just Bought

If you’re invested in stocks that clear or settle in the U.S., it’s extremely likely the Depository Trust and Clearing Corp. (DTCC) has been entrusted with keeping your assets safe. So when the DTCC announced progress on Project Ion this week, a move that introduces distributed ledger blockchain technology into trade clearing and tracking, the success or failure will impact you and perhaps the speed and accuracy of change in recorded ownership of shares. It also would be seen as a nod by a quasi-government entity to recording asset ownership using crypto.

About Project Ion

The Project Ion platform was developed as an alternative test settlement platform that is implemented with distributed ledger technology (DLT). It is now live, running parallel with standard DTCC settlements for DTCC members. Project Ion is currently processing an average of over 100,000 equity transactions per day and almost 160,000 transactions on peak days. While in parallel production, DTCC standard settlement systems remain the authoritative record.

The project was launched in 2020 and is testing on a small fraction of the billions of shares that change hands each day.

“Digitized assets and emerging technology like DLT are shaping and evolving the financial services landscape, and we remain committed to advancing innovative solutions that capitalize on opportunities, deliver new value and drive the industry forward,” said Murray Pozmanter, managing director and president of DTCC Clearing Agency Services.

Ramifications of Crypto Settlement

As a member of the Federal Reserve and counterparty to the major U.S. exchanges and markets, DTCC clears and settles virtually all broker-to-broker securities transactions, including registered stocks, listed corporate, muni bonds, and UIT trades in the country; the transaction volume is enormous.

The DTCC, a subsidiary of the Depository Trust Company (DTC) has always been out front adopting new technology in order to help improve speed and accuracy of trade settlements. Without the DTC we’d all still be taking physical delivery of stock certificates.

It is now looking to implement crypto-style tracking and is running live testing of a private blockchain to see whether it’s sufficient to clear and settle transactions in the $40 trillion equities market. This could also help move toward faster settlements and fewer securities lending issues.

Not to be overlooked this is a huge milestone for the blockchain technology. Traditional finance’s most trusted and relied upon center is embracing the ledger technology, the same technology that forms the foundation of bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and NFTs.   

Settling stock trades in the U.S. currently takes two days (T+2), which, when compared to the speed of cryptocurrency settlement, is like comparing travel by plane to travel on horseback. High-speed trading, done in fractions of a second, but settling in T+2 is clumsy and needs to improve. Last year brokers were forced to restrict meme stocks from trading because of a $3 billion collateral request from DTCC, which stockpiles money as a safeguard in case something bad happens during the two days while it’s processing a trade. Robinhood and others became involved in lawsuits as the restrictions had costs for their clients.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed speeding up stock settlement times to something called T+0, or same day as executed. Last year, Robinhood (HOOD) CEO Vlad Tenev said that T+0 would’ve prevented volatile markets like those seen with meme-trader favorites GameStop (GME) and AMC (AMC).

Project Ion is private and permissioned and has been developed with large financial firms, including BNY Mellon (BK), Charles Schwab (SCHW), Barclays (BCS), Citadel Securities, Citigroup (C) and Credit Suisse (CS). DTCC partnered with software provider R3 to launch Project Ion using R3’s Corda distributed ledger technology (DLT) software.

Take Away

Without DTC, which is the parent of DTCC, all public market trading on Wall Street literally stops. DTC is registered as a clearing agency with the Securities and Exchange Commission, but they are the clearing partner for all the major clearing houses. Organized as a limited purpose trust company under the New York Banking law and a member of the Federal Reserve System, they have quasi-government status. Its foray into using distributed ledger technology to clear trades shows acceptance of blockchain at the highest levels in finance and may one day make T+0 possible.

Paul Hoffman

Managing Editor, Channelchek

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Sources

https://www.dtcc.com/news/2022/august/22/project-ion

https://www.cftc.gov/sites/default/files/stellent/groups/public/@otherif/documents/ifdocs/dtccjurisdictionnar.pdf

https://www.sec.gov/rules/concept/s71502/ddirks1.htm

https://www.dtcc.com/clearing-services#:~:text=As%20the%20central%20counterparty%20for,handle%20today’s%20enormous%20trading%20volumes.

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Voyager Announces Coinify Sale

Research, News, and Market Data on Voyager Digital

NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2022 /CNW/ – Voyager
Digital Ltd. (“Voyager” or the “Company”) (OTC Pink: VYGVQ) (FRA: UCD) today announced that European Holdings ApS, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Voyager, agreed to sell all of its equity interests in Coinify ApS (“Coinify”) to Ascension ApS, an entity owned by certain members of Coinify management, for US$2 million in cash. An additional, conditional earn-out payment is stipulated in the event of a subsequent sale of Coinify by Ascension ApS within three years following the transaction, thus preserving potential upside for Voyager.

Coinify is a cryptocurrency platform operating in Europe, Asia and other regions, offering individual and corporate cryptocurrency trading, crypto payment processing services, and enterprise solutions via Coinify API. Coinify’s platform is separate and distinct from the Voyager platform.

Voyager purchased Coinify in August 2021; on August 16, 2022, Coinify’s sale was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, which is overseeing Voyager’s ongoing Chapter 11 restructuring process. The sale of Coinify reduces overall headcount by 15% and eliminates Voyager’s ongoing funding requirements for Coinify of up to US$500,000 per month.

Under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 (“MI 61-101”) the transaction is considered a related party transaction, as the purchaser is controlled by Mark Højgaard, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, and Hans Henrik Hoffmeyer, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, who are senior officers. The Company relied on the exemption from the minority approval and the formal valuation requirement available to it pursuant to sections 5.7(a) and 5.5(a) of MI 61-101.

About Voyager Digital Ltd.

Voyager Digital Ltd.’s (OTC Pink: VYGVQ) (FRA: UCD) US subsidiary, Voyager Digital, LLC, is a cryptocurrency platform in the United States founded in 2018 to bring choice, transparency, and cost-efficiency to the marketplace. Voyager offers a secure way to trade over 100 different crypto assets using its easy-to-use mobile application. To learn more about the company, please visit https://www.investvoyager.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements regarding future growth and performance of the business, momentum in the businesses, future adoption of digital assets, the terms of the term sheet and any definitive loan documentation and the Company’s anticipated results may constitute forward looking information (collectively, forward-looking statements), which can be identified by the use of terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “estimate,” “intend,” “continue” or “believe” (or the negatives) or other similar variations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Voyager’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any of its future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, the future events and trends discussed in this press release may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are subject to the risk that the global economy, industry, or the Company’s businesses and investments do not perform as anticipated, that revenue or expenses estimates may not be met or may be materially less or more than those anticipated, that parties to whom the Company lends assets are able to repay such loans in full and in a timely manner, that trading momentum does not continue or the demand for trading solutions declines, customer acquisition does not increase as planned, product and international expansion do not occur as planned, risks of compliance with laws and regulations that currently apply or become applicable to the business and those other risks contained in the Company’s public filings, including in its Management Discussion and Analysis and its Annual Information Form (AIF). Factors that could cause actual results of the Company and its businesses to differ materially from those described in such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, a decline in the digital asset market or general economic conditions; changes in laws or approaches to regulation, the failure or delay in the adoption of digital assets and the blockchain ecosystem by institutions; changes in the volatility of crypto currency, changes in demand for Bitcoin and Ethereum, changes in the status or classification of cryptocurrency assets, cybersecurity breaches, a delay or failure in developing infrastructure for the trading businesses or achieving mandates and gaining traction; failure to grow assets under management, an adverse development with respect to an issuer or party to the transaction or failure to obtain a required regulatory approval. Readers are cautioned that Assets on Platform and trading volumes fluctuate and may increase and decrease from time to time and that such fluctuations are beyond the Company’s control. Forward-looking statements, past and present performance and trends are not guarantees of future performance, accordingly, you should not put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, current or past performance, or current or past trends. Information identifying assumptions, risks, and uncertainties relating to the Company are contained in its filings with the Canadian securities regulators available at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements in this press release are applicable only as of the date of this release or as of the date specified in the relevant forward-looking statement and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after that date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. The Company assumes no obligation to provide operational updates, except as required by law. If the Company does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that it will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements, unless required by law. Readers are cautioned that past performance is not indicative of future performance and current trends in the business and demand for digital assets may not continue and readers should not put undue reliance on past performance and current trends.

Contacts

Voyager Digital,
Ltd.
Voyager Investor Relations Team 
investor.relations@investvoyager.com

Voyager Public Relations Team
pr@investvoyager.com

SOURCE Voyager Digital Ltd.

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

TAAL Distributed Information Technologies (TAALF)
Making its Way Through the Crypto Malaise

TAAL Distributed Information Technologies Inc. delivers value-added blockchain services, providing professional-grade, highly scalable blockchain infrastructure and transactional platforms to support businesses building solutions and applications upon the BitcoinSV platform, and developing, operating, and managing distributed computing systems for enterprise users.

Joe Gomes, Senior Research Analyst, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

2Q22 Results. TAAL reported second quarter 2022 revenue of $7.3 million (all figures in CAD$), up from $6.7 million in the year ago quarter but down from 1Q22 of $8.7 million. The sequential drop reflects the difficult operating conditions in the crypto market, including both declining values and reduced trade volumes. We had projected revenue of $8.1 million. Driven by gains on the sale of assets, TAAL reported net income of $16.3 million, or $0.33 per share, compared to a net loss of $10.1 million, or $0.29 per share, in the year ago period. We had estimated a net loss of $2.1 million, or $0.05 per share.

Site Diversification. TAAL is moving forward with diversifying its computing power, with the recent New Mexico agreement, the ongoing development of the New Brunswick facility, and rental computing power. With additional units on the way, we expect TAAL to be able to replace its current Russian operations by year-end 2022….

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Tokens.com Corp. (SMURF)
Challenging Market Can’t Stop Growth

Tokens.com Corp is a publicly traded company that invests in Web3 assets and businesses focused on the Metaverse, NFTs, DeFi, and gaming based digital assets. Tokens.com is the majority owner of Metaverse Group, one of the world’s first virtual real estate companies. Hulk Labs, a wholly-owned Tokens.com subsidiary, focuses on investing in play-to-earn revenue generating gaming tokens and NFTs. Additionally, Tokens.com owns and stakes crypto assets to earn additional tokens. Through its growing digital assets and NFTs, Tokens.com provides public market investors with a simple and secure way to gain exposure to Web3.

Joe Gomes, Senior Research Analyst, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Second Quarter Results. Tokens.com’s management announced total revenue of $250,714, an increase of $46,724 over the prior year’s $203,990. We had estimated revenue at $450,000. Operating loss was at $502,066 versus last year’s $2.0 million due to a listing expense in the previous year and a decrease in share-based payments. Net loss for the Company was $11.9 million, or $(0.12) per share from a net loss of $8.5 million, or $(0.13) per share, last year.

Challenging Environment but Silver Lining. The Company’s portfolio has seen a large decrease from the crypto market price reductions from the end of the year to the end of the second quarter, as the value of the portfolio has dropped to $6.95 million from $25.17 million. However, management is seeing improved crypto asset pricing since the end of the second quarter. With the Company’s healthy balance sheet and initiatives in the Metaverse and Hulk Labs businesses, we believe the Company is well positioned to ride out the storm….

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Comtech to Present at the 12th Annual Midwest IDEAS Investor Conference on August 24th and 25th in Chicago, IL

Research, News, and Market Data on Comtech Telecommunications

MELVILLE, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aug. 16, 2022– 
August 16, 2022
— Comtech (NASDAQ: CMTL), a leading global provider of next-generation 911 emergency systems and secure wireless communications technologies, today announced that it will participate in the 
Midwest IDEAS Investor Conference on 
Wednesday, August 24, 2022, at The 
Gwen in 
Chicago, IL.
 The Company’s presentation is scheduled to begin at 
12:45PM CT
. The presentation will be webcast and may be accessed through the conference host’s main website: https://www.threepartadvisors.com/midwest and in the investor relations section of the Company’s website: http://www.comtech.com.

Comtech management will provide an overview of the Company and its business opportunities. The Company will also conduct one-on-one meetings with investors throughout the day.

About Comtech

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. is a leading global provider of next-generation 911 emergency systems and secure wireless communications technologies to commercial and government customers around the world. Headquartered in 
Melville, New York and with a passion for customer success, 
Comtech designs, produces and markets advanced and secure wireless solutions. For more information, please visit www.comtech.com.

Forward-Looking
Statements

Certain information in this press release contains statements that are forward-looking in nature and involve certain significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from such forward-looking information. The Company’s 
Securities and Exchange Commission filings identify many such risks and uncertainties. Any forward-looking information in this press release is qualified in its entirety by the risks and uncertainties described in such 
Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

PCMTL

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220816005855/en/

Contacts
Investor
 Relations Robert Samuels 631-962-7102
robert.samuels@comtech.com

Source: 
Comtech Telecommunications Corp.

Image Credit: Bloomberg TV (August 4, 2022)

MicroStrategy’s Huge Bitcoin Portfolio is Now Expected to Expand

There is possibly no greater bitcoin (BTC.X) supporter than Michael Saylor. So when he stepped down last week from his position as CEO of MicroStrategy (MSTR), the firm he founded, there was concern among bitcoin investors, speculators, and enthusiasts, that they were losing an advocate and a loud, supportive voice. It turns out their fears may have been premature. Saylor, who now fills a role as the Executive Chairman of the company he ran for over three decades, has more time to extol the benefits of adopting bitcoin in business and individually. It is beginning to look like he will become an even greater voice cheerleading for bitcoin. The new position will actually allow him to double his focus on cryptocurrency at Microstrategy.

MicroStrategy had put more than $4 billion into bitcoin since its first purchase during the second half of 2020. To do this, the data analytics firm stepped outside of its normal business and raised capital by issuing stock, convertible bonds, and corporate debt. It then borrowed against the bitcoin position and increased its exposure.

As bitcoin’s price rose, the company stock price rose in tandem; when bitcoin fell, the stock fell. As a result, when investors were looking for an equity investment with exposure to bitcoin, some bought MSTR. Similarly, when crypto was selling off, they shorted the company. This year has been a rollercoaster ride for stocks and cryptocurrency. This is why there was speculation Microstrategy was preparing to lessen its aggressive posture toward bitcoin. Saylor’s transition out of the CEO role caused speculation that the company would be less positive toward bitcoin.

It has been eight days since Saylor stepped down, and bitcoin supporters, particularly those that would like to see broader adoption by businesses as an accepted currency, have been surprised on the positive side.

Image: Saylor tweet to demonstrate stock outperformance since adopting bitcoin policy.

One of the more obvious signs of Mr. Saylor’s continued support is his Twitter account, with its endless stream of pro-bitcoin messages. Last Wednesday, the former CEO tweeted, “In my next job, I intend to focus more on #Bitcoin.”

The move is now considered more bullish for bitcoin and perhaps helps to further acceptance of all digital assets. Although Saylor himself may not agree with the word “all,” the only asset that he believes will stand the test of time is bitcoin.

MicroStrategy issued word that the company has not sold any bitcoin holdings and doesn’t have any plans to do so. It is making it clear that this change in leadership roles does not indicate a change in the company’s strategy to acquire and hold bitcoin long-term.

According to MicroStrategy’s Q2 earnings report, it held approximately 129,699 bitcoins, for which it paid a total of $3.977 billion. The market value n June 30 was about $2.451 billion.  $2.4 billion is also the total of loans and debt that MicroStrategy has taken on to acquire bitcoin.

Bitcoin was trading for $23,500.30 per coin on Wednesday; the cryptocurrency fell to $17,593 in June, its lowest point since December 2020. Bitcoin reached an all-time high of more than $68,000 per coin in November 2021. Amid discussion of a margin call on a bitcoin-backed loan from Silvergate, Saylor said in June that the company had enough collateral to cover the loan.

MicroStrategy share prices were up 11.82% Wednesday, trading at $311.15. The company’s shares traded as high as $860 in November 2021, when its bitcoin holdings were worth as much as $7 billion.

To be sure, the MicroStrategy bitcoin story is not ending. The reward has been great for those that held MSTR since mid-2020, but the volatility during that time was also substantial.

Paul Hoffman

Managing Editor, Channelchek

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Sources

https://theartofthebubble.com/2022/08/michael-saylor-microstrategys-ceo-the-largest-bitcoin-holder-steps-down-after-918-1-m-loss-saylor-will-take-a-new-post-as-executive-chairman/

https://www.microstrategy.com/en/investor-relations

https://twitter.com/saylor?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

https://fortune.com/2022/08/03/michael-saylor-microstrategy-stock-bitcoin-bet-debt-outlook/

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/michael-saylor-drops-microstrategy-ceo-role-heres-what-it-means-for-bitcoin-11659556705?mod=search_headline

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Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Blackboxstocks (BLBX)
Reports Second Quarter Results

Blackboxstocks, Inc. is a financial technology and social media hybrid platform offering real-time proprietary analytics and news for stock and options traders of all levels. Our web-based software employs “predictive technology” enhanced by artificial intelligence to find volatility and unusual market activity that may result in the rapid change in the price of a stock or option. Blackbox continuously scans the NASDAQ, New York Stock Exchange, CBOE, and all other options markets, analyzing over 10,000 stocks and up to 1,500,000 options contracts multiple times per second. We provide our users with a fully interactive social media platform that is integrated into our dashboard, enabling our users to exchange information and ideas quickly and efficiently through a common network. We recently introduced a live audio/video feature that allows our members to broadcast on their own channels to share trade strategies and market insight within the Blackbox community. Blackbox is a SaaS company with a growing base of users that spans 42 countries; current subscription fees are $99.97 per month or $959.00 annually. For more information, go to: www.blackboxstocks.com .

Joe Gomes, Senior Research Analyst, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

2Q22 Results. Revenue was $1.4 million, down from $1.46 million a year ago, but up from $1.272 million in the first quarter. Our estimate was $1.5 million. The Company reported a loss of $1.3 million, or $0.10 per share, in the quarter, compared to a net loss of $243,336, or $0.03 per share, last year. Our estimate called for a loss of $996,000, or $0.08 per share.

Economic Headwinds. Challenging financial markets and an overall difficult economic environment weighed on results. Expenses increased as the Company continues to invest in both product development and marketing initiatives. Average member count for the quarter was 6,181, up from 5,709 at the end of the March quarter. We anticipate additional marketing spend in 2H22.…

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision.