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8i Enterprises Acquisition Corp. Announces Execution of Share Exchange Agreement with Diginex Limited

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8i Enterprises Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: JFK) (“JFK” or “8i”), a special purpose acquisition company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive share exchange agreement with Diginex Limited (“Diginex” or the “Company”), a global blockchain financial services and technology company headquartered in Hong Kong. Upon completion of the transaction, Diginex is anticipated to have an initial enterprise value of approximately $276 million[1].

Headquartered in Hong Kong with a presence in TokyoLondonBostonDubai, Lausanne and Berlin, Diginex provides an ecosystem to enable the broader adoption of digital assets across financial markets through three interlocking pillars: (i) Advisory – capital markets origination and distribution of securities via digital assets; and broader blockchain solutions for corporate and financial industry institutions, as well as governments (ii) Markets – a full infrastructure for digital assets exchange trading and custody, and (iii) Asset Management – providing an accessible and credible on-ramp into digital assets for institutional allocators of capital. In furtherance of its focus on global collaboration, Diginex is developing partnerships with institutional investors, corporations, and governments to improve the efficiency and security of business processes while driving institutional adoption of blockchain technologies and the regulated use of digital assets.

James Tan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JFK, commented, “The execution of the share exchange with Diginex comes as the need for increased regulation, transparency, and traceability around the growing use of digital assets has never been greater. After a thorough review of multiple opportunities in this industry, we have determined Diginex is the trusted operator of choice with the advanced technology infrastructure necessary to meet the standards of institutional investors and partners. With their thoughtful ecosystem approach, we believe Diginex is well-positioned to continue unlocking opportunities and driving institutional adoption of blockchain technologies.”

Richard Byworth, Chief Executive Officer at Diginex, said, “Diginex has been built to provide the financial services infrastructure required to take digital assets and blockchain technology to the next level of adoption by institutional investors and corporations globally. We believe that this exciting transaction will enhance our broader market visibility as we further roll out our global platform including our exchange infrastructure, product offering, licenses and market expansion into key geographies around the world.”

Miles Pelham, Chairman of Diginex, added, “Upon the completion of this transaction, as a publicly-listed Nasdaq company, Diginex will continue to pursue its vision of leveraging blockchain technology for both social good and the disruption of financial intermediaries. Our seasoned and diverse team of financial service professionals, compliance experts, and technologists, are dedicated to regulatory compliance and transparency, standards which are essential to furthering our goal of growing the global propagation of digital assets.”

[1] Assuming no redemption from the trust, excluding earn out shares.

Transaction Details

Under the terms of the agreement, JFK will acquire Diginex, with JFK continuing as the listed company on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Upon closing, JFK will change its name to “Diginex Limited”. At the effective time of the share exchange, Diginex’s shareholders will receive 20 million ordinary shares of JFK, valued at $10.00 per share, of which two million ordinary shares will be held in escrow for 12 months after closing of the transaction to satisfy potential indemnification claims under the terms of the agreement. In addition, Diginex shareholders will be entitled to receive earn-out consideration of an additional five million JFK ordinary shares, subject to Diginex achieving share price thresholds of $15$20, and $30 over the next three years as set forth in the agreement. All options held by Diginex option holders under its current employee share option plan, whether vested or unvested, will automatically be cancelled as of the closing of the transaction and in exchange for the cancelled options and upon payment of the exercise price of the options, the option holders will receive 4.2 million ordinary shares of JFK, in the aggregate, which will be subject to lock-up agreements for a period of fifteen (15) months following closing of the transaction, and shall be released in three (3) equal installments over a period of six (6) months following the expiration of such lock-up period.

The Board of directors of JFK at closing will consist of seven directors, to be designated by the Diginex shareholders.

The closing conditions include, among others, the approval of the transaction as a whole by JFK’s existing shareholders and the aggregate dollar amount of the redemptions does not cause the balance of JFK’s trust account (less any fees and costs relating the transaction) to be an amount less than $5,000,001.

Chardan is acting as a financial advisor to JFK, and Loeb and Loeb LLP is acting as legal counsel to JFK. Winston & Strawn LLP is acting as legal counsel to Diginex.

The description of the transaction contained herein is only a summary and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the definitive agreement relating to the transaction, a copy of which will be filed by JFK with the SEC as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

SOURCE 8i Enterprises Acquisition Corp.

Blockchain

SDAX Unveils World’s First Securitised Gold Tokens for Digital Exchange Users

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SDAX, Singapore’s leading Digital Assets Exchange, has expanded its product offering to include a first of its kind tokenised gold product. In partnership with the Oman-based Muscat Precious Metals Refining Company LLC, the MPMT Gold Token offers investors a gold token in a securitised form, unlike other gold token offerings currently available in the market.

The MPMT Gold Tokens, which are available exclusively on the SDAX Exchange platform offer investors increased protection, being in a securitised form and issued by an independent trust and backed by physical gold bullion held in secure vaults at Le Freeport, Singapore.

This product uses securitisation techniques and offers investors who are seeking an easier way to gain exposure to gold without having to find storage methods for housing the physical bullion. Owners are also able to trade gold tokens for physical settlement with qualified market makers through the SDAX platform.

Commenting on the launch, SDAX CEO, Rachel Chia said, “We saw an opportunity in the market to make owning gold through tokenisation a much more secure proposition for investors. These securitised tokens confer an additional layer of safety, allowing investors greater peace of mind about their investments.”

With spot gold prices sitting at record highs, investors are presently faced with a multitude of gold investment options. By securitising the gold tokens, SDAX is providing investors with a convenient, reliable, and most importantly, secure alternative investment approach. The securitised tokens allow for investors to acquire and hold a beneficial ownership interest in a specified quantity of gold legally held by an independent trust for the investors. This is compared to other gold investment options like exchange traded funds (ETFs) or bank issued depository gold certificates where the gold is owned by the ETF provider or the bank.

“As gold prices continue to trade at record highs and with macro-economic forecasts supporting a likely continued trend, we thought it was the perfect time to offer a gold product exclusively to our SDAX users that was unique and not currently available in the market,” Chia added.

In partnership with the Muscat Precious Metals Refining Company LLC, Oman’s first precious metals trading company that specialises in a range of commodities including gold, silver, and platinum, SDAX is able to provide gold tokens at scale and speed.

“We are excited to be part of this new offering that allows investors to gain secure exposure to the gold market through the MPMT Gold Token. As gold prices rise, driven by safe-haven demand, central bank buying and rising geopolitical risks, it is important for investors to have options, which is why we are happy to work with SDAX on this compelling gold investment alternative. This partnership with SDAX will also allow us to reach a wider base of sophisticated investors on the SDAX platform,” said Muscat Precious Metals Refining Company LLC CEO, Shihab Al Busaidi.

The MPMT Gold Token was created with the assistance of global law firm Clifford Chance LLP, London,  global trustee APEX, Jin Huang Bullion as bullion agents, and Hydra X as custodian. Walkers advised on the product and offering with respect to Cayman Islands law. BTPLaw LLC provided advice on the tokens from a Singapore law perspective.

Clifford Chance London Securitisation Partner, Kevin Ingram commented: “This product shows how securitisation techniques can add value to new concepts for the benefit of participants. We are delighted to be involved in the creation of this exciting product.”

“Hydra X is delighted to partner with SDAX and to provide custodial services and technology solutions to facilitate the tokenisation of real-world assets such as gold. This initiative reflects our commitment to making investment opportunities more accessible and leading the way in setting new standards in a blockchain-enabled, regulated digital asset landscape,” added Wee Hao Ng, COO, Hydra X.

The MPMT Gold Token is only available to accredited investors and institutional investors exclusively on the SDAX Exchange platform. For more information on the MPMT Gold Token, visit www.sdax.co/gold.

The post SDAX Unveils World’s First Securitised Gold Tokens for Digital Exchange Users appeared first on HIPTHER Alerts.

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Blockchain

Halving weakness sees $206 million exit crypto funds, Bitcoin miners pivot to AI

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Leading up to Friday’s Bitcoin (BTC) halving, investors opted to remain on the sidelines rather than increase their exposure to cryptocurrencies. CoinShares’ latest report on digital asset fund flows reveals that crypto funds experienced $206 million in outflows last week, while trading volumes for Exchange-Traded Products (ETPs) dropped to $18 billion.

James Butterfill, head of research at CoinShares, noted, “These volumes represent a lower percentage of total Bitcoin volumes (which continue to rise) at 28%, compared to 55% a month ago.” He attributed this decline in investor appetite to expectations that the Federal Reserve would maintain interest rates at elevated levels for a longer duration.

In terms of regional flows, the United States led the outflows with $244 million exiting incumbent ETFs by the week ending April 19. Butterfill highlighted that newly issued ETFs still received inflows, albeit at lower levels compared to previous weeks. Germany and Sweden saw outflows of $8.3 million and $6.7 million, respectively, while Canada experienced inflows of $29.9 million. Switzerland, Brazil, and Australia also witnessed inflows of $7.8 million, $5.5 million, and $2.2 million, respectively.

Butterfill observed that although Bitcoin saw outflows of $192 million, there were minimal flows into short-Bitcoin positions. Ethereum (ETH) experienced outflows of $34 million for the sixth consecutive week. However, multi-asset funds saw improved sentiment, attracting $8.6 million in inflows. Additionally, Litecoin (LTC) and Chainlink (LINK) received inflows of $3.2 million and $1.7 million, respectively.

The report highlighted that blockchain equities sustained their 11th consecutive week of outflows, totaling $9 million, as investors remained concerned about the halving’s impact on mining companies.

In a separate analysis of the post-halving crypto mining industry, CoinShares analysts suggested that many miners might transition to serving the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, which has become more lucrative. They anticipated a shift towards AI in energy-secure locations, potentially leading to Bitcoin mining operations relocating to stranded energy sites.

The analysts projected a 10% decline in the Bitcoin network’s hash rate after the halving as miners deactivate unprofitable ASICs. However, they expected the hash rate to reach 700 exahash (EH/s) by 2025. As of the current data, the Bitcoin hash rate stands at 596.22 EH/s.

The report also noted that substantial cost increases are anticipated due to the halving, with electricity and production costs nearly doubling. Mitigation strategies include optimizing energy costs, enhancing mining efficiency, and securing favorable hardware procurement terms. Miners are actively managing financial liabilities, with some utilizing excess cash to significantly reduce debt.

Source: kitco.com

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NYSE gauges interest in 24/7 stock trading like crypto

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According to reports, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is exploring the possibility of introducing round-the-clock trading, a model akin to that of cryptocurrency markets. In a bid to gauge market sentiment, NYSE’s data analytics team has circulated a survey among market participants. The survey seeks feedback on whether there is support for 24/7 or extended weekday trading hours and, if so, what measures should be implemented to safeguard traders against overnight price fluctuations. As of now, NYSE, alongside Nasdaq and the Chicago Board Options Exchange, operates from Monday to Friday, spanning from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm Eastern Time.

In the United States, assets like cryptocurrencies, United States Treasurys, foreign exchange, and major stock index futures are already tradable 24/7. Certain brokerages, such as Robinhood and Interactive Brokers, provide access to U.S. stocks throughout the week via a “dark pool” trading venue, catering to international retail investors during their local trading hours.

However, recent reports indicated that Robinhood suspended its 24-hour trading services amidst heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, prompting concerns among investors regarding the sustainability of continuous trading.

Effectively managing liquidity in a 24/7 trading environment has proven challenging for trading platforms within the cryptocurrency industry.

According to cryptocurrency research firm Kaiko, there’s often a mismatch between the operating hours of traditional financial institutions and the needs of major crypto traders and market makers. Traders frequently find themselves losing sleep during periods of extreme market volatility.

While the results of NYSE’s survey haven’t been revealed, Tom Hearden, a senior trader at Skylands Capital, conducted his own poll among his 19,300 followers, asking if they would support NYSE transitioning to 24/7 trading hours. Interestingly, over 70% of the 1,459 respondents voted “No.”

NYSE’s survey coincides with the efforts of startup firm 24X National Exchange, which is seeking approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch the first exchange in the country operating round-the-clock.

The FT said, citing two persons familiar with the subject, that the SEC has “months” to study the proposed rule change, and other relevant issues, such who should shoulder expenses and the function of clearing houses, are already being considered by other stakeholders.

“How loud they will be playing in the middle of the night is unknown to me. However, the decision of whether something is commercially feasible or not actually shouldn’t be made by the SEC, James Angel, a Georgetown University finance professor, told FT.

“I support letting the market make the decision. We’re all better off if it succeeds, and the exchange’s stockholders lose out if it fails.
After the company withdrew an application in March 2023, alleging operational and technological concerns, it is the second attempt to receive SEC clearance.

Source: cointelegraph.com

The post NYSE gauges interest in 24/7 stock trading like crypto appeared first on HIPTHER Alerts.

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