Announcements

Medicinal cannabis player MGC Pharma has easily raised $10 million as it looks to fast-track acquisitions and accelerate development of its cannabis-derived products. MGC will use the funds to ramp up its medical R&D program and expand sales of its cosmetics and dermatological cannabis-derived lines with the latter to fund the former.

The Mt Marion Lithium mine has proved it is settling into production with the second shipment of concentrates setting sail for China this week. Neometals and their partners in the project also reported that a third, larger shipment is due to leave Kwinana in early April, which represents a further increase in the pace of production.

Terrain Minerals have picked up the pace with start of another drill program, this time at the Gimlet gold and nickel-copper project in the Fraser Range. The Perth-based junior has been very active and successful in the field since a capital raising in the December quarter and now has Gimlet and the flagship Great Western project generating some excitement for shareholders.

After encouraging results from early exploration, Auroch Minerals have exercised their option on highly prospective Lithium ground in Namibia and will hit the ground running later this month. Early grab samples have returned up to 2.73% Lithium Oxide, a result that would have most Australian explorers sitting up and paying attention. 

Lithium Australia have slammed as ‘false” and “misleading,’ statements about their Sileach Lithium processing technology by takeover target Lepidico. Just weeks after winning a bruising settlement against Lepidico, Lithium Australia have brought back the lawyers. They are seeking to debunk Lepdico’s purported claims that Sileach uses harmful hydrofluoric acid.

Sky and Space Global continues to forge ahead with its narrow-band communications network based on nano-satellites with the Perth company signing an MOU with a leading South American telco. The parties will undertake a joint demonstration of Sky and Space’s first three miniature satellites after they have been launched into space in the second quarter of this year. 

ASX-listed Stargroup is set to share in robust half-year profits at part owned private South Korean ATM machine manufacturer NeolCP. Perth-based Stargroup has an 11 per cent stake in NeolCP, who posted a net profit after tax of AUD$853,705 for the half year ended 31 December 2016. The NeoICP results come on the back of Stargroup themselves posting a record half year. 

It’s all shoulders to the wheel now for Perth based tech play Peppermint Innovation after the Central Bank of the Philippines green-lighted their innovative mobile bill payment and money remittance APP. The company has been sweating on the notoriously hard to get central bank approval to commence a trial of their fully developed technology with their in-country partner.

Wireless technology company Connected IO has produced another imaginative “internet of things” product that looks certain to be a hit. The company has just released its latest wearable body camera for the police and security sectors and they are looking to target markets like the UK, US, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Dubai and Australia for the cutting-edge device.

Lithium Australia signaled they were serious all along about their takeover bid for Lepidico after launching their bidders statement for the company last week despite settling their IP dispute with them. Lithium Australia say their $21m bid will help both companies capture a once-in-a-cycle opportunity in the booming global Lithium market. 

Auroch Minerals now have $8.3m in liquid assets after the UK-based buyer of their Manica gold project in Mozambique came up with more cash and shares as part of last month’s settlement agreement. Auroch will soon be owed only $US1.2m from last year’s $US12m sale and will have enough financial horsepower to fund an exciting Lithium exploration program in Namibia.

ASX listed PharmAust has named Dr Richard Hopkins as the company’s new chief executive. Hopkins was previously running Perth biotech company Phylogica Limited and will start as PharmAust CEO on March 7. 

You know the auto pilot is starting to kick in when you reduce your marketing spend by over $3m and your revenue jumps by $2m anyway. Such was the case in the December half year for ASX listed online screening and verification company CVCheck. Revenues for the half year jumped from $2.9m to $4.9m and costs appear to be well and truly under control. 

Investors rarely get interested in metallurgical flowsheets, but they should make an exception by taking a closer look at some exciting news out of Pilbara Minerals recently. The developer of the Pilgangoora Lithium project told the market that pilot plant trials had exceeded expectations by up to 23% which should look good when translated to the bottom line. 

Financial technology and ATM machine company Stargroup has posted strong growth in its half-year result, delivering the company's best-ever revenue of more than $4 million for the half year. The company says the impressive result was driven by record revenues from its ATM network and they are expecting even better results next quarter after some cost savings kick in. 

How is it that some of the world's largest corporations have become customers and partners of a relatively unknown ASX listed junior that was only back-door listed by Perth connections last year ? These include Coca-Cola, US telco goliath Verizon, leading enterprise level US telco AT&T, Vodafone, The Red Cross, Cisco, US Police and a host of other impressive names. 

ASX-listed Sky and Space Global says its first three miniature telecommunications satellites known as “nano-satellites” are now ready for launch after the completion of final testing in Europe. The nano-satellites are scheduled for launch on board the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle in the second quarter of this year.

Legend Mining have added more tenements to their already sizeable land holdings in the revered Fraser Range district. The acquisition of two tenements from Musgrave Minerals via a share-only deal underlines the Perth-based explorer’s high confidence in a nickel-copper discovery along strike from the breakthrough Nova-Bollinger discovery by Sirius Resources in 2012.

Lithium Australia re-wrote the corporate play book in the last couple of weeks to achieve unfettered ownership and control of their unique Lithium processing IP known as Sileach. They have been locked in mortal legal combat with Lepidico over their IP rights and just a couple of weeks after Lithium Australia launched a takeover bid for Lepidico the legal action has been settled. 

ASX-listed MGC Pharmaceuticals’ cannabis-derived medicinal products will be fast-tracked to Australia following federal government changes to national medical marijuana laws. The changes mean patients that are prescribed medicinal cannabis will be able to import their medication from local providers such as MGC Pharmacueticals. 

ASX listed Perth financial technology company Peppermint Innovation may have discovered a lucrative new route to market for their interesting mobile bill payment technology. The company recently appointed Metro Gas Sales inc, a domestic gas bottle delivery company in the Philippines with over 60,000 household customers as a Peppermint agent.

Sipa Resources’ hopes of uncovering a major nickel-copper discovery at Akelikongo in Uganda have been boosted by new geophysical surveys. The downhole EM surveys have found strong off-hole conductors, whilst a high-resolution ground magnetic survey suggests Akelikongo could be just one of many highly prospective targets in the area.

The board of Australia’s newest Lithium producer, Neometals, have signaled their confidence in the company’s finances by introducing a share buyback valued at up to $5 million over the next 12 months. The move follows the recent start of production at Mt Marion, which will generate plenty of cash and add to an already strong balance sheet.

ASX listed medical device company Analytica has achieved an important strategic milestone with its “PeriCoach” urinary incontinence device receiving patent protection in Japan. The patent is part of the Brisbane-based company’s strategy to secure IP protection in major markets with ageing populations.

Medical device company Analytica have produced a set of clinical trial results that according to the company, tick every major box in the fight against urinary stress incontinence in women. They recently put a mark 2 version of their urinary incontinence device known as the “PeriCoach” to the test in independent clinical trials with some rather interesting results. 

ASX-listed MGC Pharmaceuticals are on schedule to complete a major commercial and operational milestone, with their medical grade cannabis extraction facility nearing completion in Slovenia. The new facility will allow the Perth-based company to ramp up its production of cannabis derivative cannabidiol to 3,000kg per year.

Bringing one of the world’s largest Lithium mines into production would be enough for many companies, however Neometals are keen to show they still have much more in their armory. They recently unveiled potentially lucrative new technology for recycling cobalt from used Lithium ion batteries that could produce a net present value of at least US$84m over 10 years.

Neometals have dealt themselves into an even better position at the newly commissioned Mt Marion Lithium mine by securing improved off-take and mining services agreements with their major partners. The new agreements effectively boost production by 20% and give Neometals upside exposure to the tightening global Lithium market.

ASX-listed Sky and Space Global has signed a deal with the US Defence Department that will ensure the Perth company’s nano-satellites are kept safe as they orbit the earth in space. The agreement comes as the company counts down to the launch of its first 3 trial voice, text and data nano-satellites in the second quarter of this year.

Online CV screening and verification company CV Check has bolstered its board with the appointment of experienced public company director George Cameron-Dow as Non-Executive Director. He is also a non-executive director of ASX listed EVE Investments and previously sat on the boards of Bioxyne Ltd, Windward Resources and Xceed Capital.

In a bold move, ASX-listed MGC Pharmaceuticals has announced it will undertake a new clinical trial to detremine how medicinal cannabis could potentially treat young epilepsy sufferers. The Perth-based company believes the study could present a significant commercial opportunity in the medical marijuana space and it may add a third revenue stream for the company. 

Auroch Minerals have played hardball with AIM listed Xtract Resources over an unpaid debt owing to Auroch for the sale of the Manica Gold Project in Mozambique in March last year. Under the terms of the original AUD$12m sale, Xtract were able to defer USD$2.5m until three months after the sale but only managed to pay down about USD$850,000 of the final USD$2.5m