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NA Proactive news snapshot: Maverix Metals, New Pacific Metals, Blockchain Holdings, Pressure BioSciences, Endeavour Mining, Exactus, Phunware UPDATE …

Last updated: 17:00 28 May 2020 EDT, First published: 10:00 28 May 2020 EDT

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Maverix Metals Inc (NYSEAMERICAN:MMX) (TSE:MMX) said Thursday that Pan American Silver Corp (NASDAQ:PAAS) (TSE:PAAS) will undertake an overnight marketed public offering of 9 million Maverix shares in a transaction led by underwriters Raymond James Ltd and PI Financial Corp. Pan American currently owns nearly 25.6 million shares of Vancouver-based Maverix and 8.25 million warrants, which it plans to exercise upon closing of the secondary offering to net Maverix proceeds of about US$15.6 million. Once the offering is completed, Pan American will own about 26.8 million shares or 21% of the company. If the underwriters exercise an overallotment option to purchase an additional 15% of shares sold in the secondary offering, Pan American would own nearly 25.5 million shares or 19.9% of Maverix.

New Pacific Metals Corp (CVE:NUAG) (OTCQX:NUPMF) announced Thursday it has appointed CEO Mark Cruise to its board of directors, effective immediately. Cruise, formerly the COO of the exploration company, assumed the CEO position on April 27 from Dr Rui Feng, who has stayed on as a director. “The breadth and depth of his experience in the mining sector are an ideal fit for New Pacific’s current stage of development,” said Jack Austin, board chairman, in a statement. “We look forward to working with Mark to advance the Silver Sand Project and build value for our shareholders.”

Blockchain Holdings Ltd (CSE:BCX) announced Thursday that former SAP, Taleo and Monster.com executive Gordon Zeilstra has been appointed as chief revenue officer or its subsidiary TraceSafe Technologies Inc. Zeilstra has over 25 years of experience with startup technology firms and assisted companies in building international profiles as well as sales pipelines. The new TraceSafe executive will be tasked with establishing and scaling the technology company’s global sales team and maintain relationships with government and private enterprises around the world. 

Pressure BioSciences Inc (OTCQB:PBIO) announced Thursday that its pending merger partner Cannaworx Inc will launch a patented proprietary hemp immune booster supplement by mid-July. Once it hits the market, the company believes this product could be one of very few over-the-counter, FDA-registered hemp supplements products — if not the only one — that can claim to be an immune booster. The product, enhanced with hemp seed oil, increases the number of helper T cells in the body, which boosts immune response by enabling macrophage cells to kill and consume bacteria, viruses and other invaders.

Endeavour Mining Corporation (TSE:EDV) (OTCQX:EDVMF) reported Thursday that its shareholders have voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of its acquisition of SEMAFO Inc (TSE:SMF), announced in March. The C$1 billion deal brings together six mines with strong cash flow into one portfolio, the opportunity to optimize assets, and a growth pipeline to create a leading West Africa-based gold producer generating over 1 million ounces a year. Over 99.9% of Endeavour’s shareholders, or 91.9 million votes, are in favour of the merger, the firm said in a statement. Both of the company’s boards have unanimously approved the transaction.

Exactus Inc (OTCQB:EXDI) has announced a hemp buyback program to help support farmers who buy seeds from the company and struggle during planting season due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The company said it will purchase back hemp biomass that meets its processing specifications at fair market value from farmers who buy Exactus’ feminized CBD seeds. The group added that it will match every dollar farmers spend on seeds for those who opt into the program. “We understand that farmers have been greatly impacted by COVID-19 and we want to provide an opportunity for them to find relief from any financial hardship they may have occurred during this time,” Exactus President Derek Du Chesne said in a statement.

Phunware Inc (NASDAQ:PHUN) has announced the debut of its Rapid Application Programming Interface for Devices (RAPID) mobile solution, which is designed to provide small and midsize businesses (SMBs) with access to the group's Multiscreen-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform. RAPID offers SMBs a pre-integrated software layer on mobile to access many of the features of the company’s broader MaaS platform. With RAPID, businesses can deploy native mobile application portfolios on Apple iOS and Google Android operating systems in just a few weeks, the company said. "A lot of small and midsize businesses in the United States are struggling right now as (coronavirus) COVID-19 forces them to not only reduce their workforces, but also rethink how they engage customers and achieve digital transformation during a pandemic," Phuware's chief technology officer, Luan Dang said in a statement.

Australis Capital Inc (CSE:AUSA) (OTCQB:AUSAF) said that its portfolio asset company Cocoon Technology LLC is helping shape contactless commerce during the coronavirus pandemic via its self-service CocoonPod, which gives customers the option to make payments directly through the kiosk, or a mobile device. “As dispensaries begin the initial phases of reopening, they are required to follow guidelines protecting the health and safety of both employees and customers. CocoonPod mitigates these safety concerns while reducing resource requirements,” the company said in a statement on Thursday. Specifically, the CocoonPod self-service kiosk is equipped with mobile applications, platform agnostic integrations into business management systems and payment providers. The consumer-facing units can function as stand-alone kiosks or multi-unit pods.

Mawson Resources Ltd (TSE:MAW) (OTCMKTS:MWSNF) has unveiled another round of high-grade drill assays for its giant Rajapalot gold project in Finland and told investors that it is on track to deliver an updated resources estimate at the beginning of the third quarter of this year. The results come from five additional holes at the Palokas prospect, which were sunk during the recent 14.1 kilometre (km) winter program, and include the deepest intersection so far at Palokas, namely, from a hole 449.7 metres (m) deep. That hole hit 4.9 metres at a grade of 18 grams per ton (g/t) gold, 1,236 parts per million (ppm) cobalt, 18.8 g/t gold equivalent (AuEq) from 449.7 metres, which included 2 metres at 31.2 g/t gold from 452.6m.

InnoCan Pharma Corporation (CSE:INNO) (FSE:IP4) revealed Thursday that its wholly-owned subsidiary, InnoCan Pharma Ltd (Innocan Israel) has filed an international patent application for a novel cannabis-based skin treatment for psoriasis, a disorder where skin cells build up and form dry patches. The patent application stakes out a claim for a topical pharmaceutical composition to treat the symptoms of itching and inflammation commonly associated with psoriasis. "The global psoriasis drugs market is forecast to reach $39 billion by 2027,” according to a report by market intelligence and strategic consulting firm Reports and Data.

Ximen Mining Corp (CVE:XIM) (OTCMKTS:XXMMF) has said fieldwork will kick off at the permitted Providence property in the Greenwood mining camp in British Columbia (BC) in June. The crews and equipment needed for exploration drilling and trenching have been mobilized, Ximen said in a statement on Thursday. Ximen said the work includes the implementation of protocols and measures to prevent and control the risk of transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Seelos Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:SEEL) said it has initiated a preclinical study of SLS-004 in Parkinson’s disease (PD) through an all-in-one lentiviral vector targeting the synuclein alpha (SNCA) gene. Seelos said it is constructing a bimodular viral system harboring an endogenous alpha-synuclein (α-synuclein) transgene and inducible regulated repressive CRISPR/Cas9-unit to achieve constitutive activation and inducible suppression of PD-related pathologies. α-synuclein is a protein of interest to Parkinson's researchers because it is a major constituent of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, protein clumps that are the pathological hallmark of synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and multiple system atrophy (MSA).

Group Eleven Resources Corp (CVE:ZNG) (OTCMKTS:GRLVF) said it has commenced diamond drilling at its PG West zinc-lead and copper-silver project near Limerick in the Republic of Ireland. The drilling at PG West is expected to total around 1,000 metres with drilling on the first hole having commenced on May 22 to an expected depth of 300-400 metres. The target hole consists of the base of the Waulsortian limestone on the southern edge of the Limerick Volcanic Complex, along the Pallas Green Corridor. This hole is located 250 meters south of hole G11-450-02 - the ‘Kilteely hole’ - which intersected the outer margin of a suspected new Irish-Type zinc-system.

Japan Gold Corp (CVE:JG) (OTCQB:JGLDF) said Thursday that Japanese regulators have accepted the firm’s application for new prospecting rights that cover extensions to its Sanru epithermal gold project. The new applications total 7,711 hectares and cover prospective tertiary geology along the eastern side of Sanru, as well as Irving Resources’ Omu project to the north. Sanru, which now comprises 31,822 hectares, is included in the Vancouver-based company’s recently forged alliance with mining major Barrick Gold.

LexaGene Holdings Inc (OTCQB:LXXGF) (CVE:LXG) revealed Thursday that it has placed a pre-commercial instrument that tests for coronavirus (COVID-19) and other respiratory pathogens at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), in Hanover, a town along the Connecticut River in New Hampshire. In a statement, the Beverly, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company, which is developing genetic analyzers for rapid pathogen detection, said the pre-commercial instrument was being used for research by the DHMC’s Laboratory for Clinical Genomics and Advanced Technology (CGAT).

Internet of Things Inc.(CVE:ITT) (OTCMKTS:INOTF) has revealed that its Weather Telematics Inc subsidiary is collaborating with IBI Group (TSE:IBG) to develop the Winter Ice and Snow Decision Support System for Operations Management (WISDOM) platform. WISDOM is a resource management and decision support tool that uses artificial intelligence to assist in real-time responses to winter snow/ice road clearing operations. In a statement Thursday, Internet of Things said Weather Telematics and IBI have partnered with two Ontario counties to pilot the platform in the winter of 2020-21.

Separately, Internet of Things Inc. also said it will be relying on the Canadian Stock Exchanges blanket extension period for filing of the statements for its financial year ended January 31, 2020, due to delays experienced as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The company said it continues to work diligently and expeditiously with its auditors to file the annual filings on or before June 29, 2020. It confirmed that since the filing of its interim consolidated financial statements for the period ended October 31, 2019, there have been no material business developments other than those disclosed through news releases. ITT also announced that it changed its auditors to RSM Canada LLP from MNP LLP with effect from May 19, 2020.

Silver Range Resources Ltd (CVE: SNG) told investors Thursday that it has closed the second tranche of a previously announced placing and updated them on its exploration activity. The second tranche saw the prospect generator issue over 5.2 million units at C$0.08 each, for gross proceeds of C$418,000. Each unit consisted of one common share and one share purchase warrant, with each warrant entitling the holder to purchase one additional common share at a price of $0.16 until May 26, 2022. On April 6, the group announced that it had closed the first tranche of the placing, raising C$104,000 gross, which it said would be used for exploration at its prospects in Nevada, in the US and Nunavut and the Northwest Territories in Canada.

Telson Mining Corp (CVE:TSN) (OTCMKTS:SOHFF) has closed a second and final tranche of a non-brokered private placement announced in December. The second tranche consisted of 1,965,990 units at a price of $0.10 each for gross proceeds of $196,599, according to a statement on Thursday. Each unit is comprised of one common share and one half of one whole transferable share purchase warrant. Each whole share purchase warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share at $0.25 within 24 months from closing. Telson said Estrategica Corporativa en Finanzas of Mexico has increased its stake in the company via the private placement.  Estrategica acquired 1,412,400 shares of the company, and now owns 36,815,650 shares, representing about 22.82% of the company.

Hillcrest Petroleum Ltd (CVE:HRH) (OTCMKTS:HLRTF) announced Thursday that it is bringing its patented clean energy technology to the European Union. The Vancouver-based company has secured exclusive rights under a memorandum of intent to market and deploy the US-patented technology, which potentially increases the efficiency of conventional electrical generators by as much as 80%. The announcement follows a similar exclusive arrangement to market licenses for Hillcrest’s technology in the US. Rights to represent the technology in the US and EU will become binding once the definitive agreements are executed.

Fidelity Minerals Corp. (CVE:FMN) confirmed that it has arranged a private placement financing of up to 8,800,000 units at a price of $0.025 per unit for total gross proceeds of up to $220,000. Each unit consists of one common share and a whole warrant, with each warrant exercisable into one additional common share at $0.05 per share until December 17, 2021. The company said it intends to use the net proceeds of the financing for corporate working capital purposes. The private placement is subject to final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Genprex Inc (NASDAQ:GNPX) said it has received $2.5 million in cash after warrants were exercised at $0.46 per share to purchase approximately 5.4 million shares issued in connection with capital raises in May 2018 and November 2019 by two institutional investors. The company said the warrants exercised accounted for around 70% of its overall outstanding warrants and the exercise of such a large amount was a “significant milestone” in that it provided a “dramatically simplified capital structure”. The additional funds bring the equity capital raised by the group during 2020 to roughly $28 million, with Genprex saying it is in a “strong position” to pursue a planned clinical trial of its lead gene therapy drug candidate.

Silvercorp Metals Inc (NSYEAMERICAN:SVM) (TSX:SVM) has launched a ten-rig drill program targeting gold at its mines in China following promising findings from recent tunneling work, the company told investors. Historical drill results from the LMW, LME and TLP mines within the group's Ying mining district in Henan Province have shown limited gold assays previously. But this was because the focus had been on mining silver-lead-zinc veins so the character of gold mineralization present was poorly understood, Silvercorp said in a statement.

Silvercorp Metals also announced that its board of directors have declared a semi-annual dividend of US$0.0125 per share to be paid to all shareholders of record at the close of business on June 5, 2020, with a payment date of the dividend scheduled on or before June 26, 2020.  The dividends are considered eligible dividends for Canadian tax purposes.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX:OTCM) has announced that the CEO of Nova Minerals Limited (ASX:NVA) (OTCQB:NVAAF), Christopher Gerteisen will take part in a podcast to discuss the recent demand in gold during the current coronavirus pandemic. Nova Minerals is an exploration company with a focus on gold exploration in two highly prospective regions, the Tintina Gold Province in Alaska and the Northern Territory in Australia. Nova additionally has an established diversified portfolio of interest in other minerals. To listen to the podcast, investors should visit: https://www.abnnewswire.net/lnk/1M5HK494

WeedMD Inc. (CVE:WMD) (OTCQX:WDDMF) (FSE:4WE), a federally-licensed producer and distributor of medical-grade cannabis, has announced that it will file its financial statements for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020, on or before July 15, 2020. Due to unforeseen circumstances and logistical challenges resulting from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, WeedMD’s auditors requested a date postponement within the blanket 45-day exemption window provided by the regulators.

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