Mineral supply chain to be transformed by Cobalt Blockchain and DLT Labs
Mineral supply chain to be transformed by Cobalt Blockchain
and DLT Labs
TORONTO
,
April 3, 2018
/CNW/ - Cobalt Blockchain Inc. (the "Company" or "COBC") (TSXV:COBC) and DLT Labs Inc. ("DLT") are
pleased to announce that they have signed a Letter of Intent to establish a joint venture to provide secure, traceable and transparent methods for
tracking and certifying the provenance of metals and minerals, through the entire supply chain from source to end-user.
Leveraging the expertise of COBC, and DLT's supply chain and logistics product DL Asset Track, the joint venture will develop and deploy a
new enterprise-grade platform based on international blockchain standards. The new platform will be specifically designed for companies trading in
base and precious minerals, including cobalt, gold, and diamonds. The initiative addresses the growing need for complete transparency in the
movement of minerals and metals, especially where conflict-free certification is important. The new platform will be selectively piloted prior to
being offered on a commercial basis, beginning with COBC's recently-announced cobalt assets in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
("DRC").
COBC's business is to provide conflict-free cobalt to address the demand for advanced batteries in smartphones and electric vehicles, tracked via
a blockchain-based platform, providing transparency and immutability of the certification record. COBC has 12 years of on-the-ground
experience, and holds licenses for 3T (tin, tungsten, tantalum) conflict-free metals, in the DRC. The Company recently announced two definitive
agreements for cobalt/copper concessions in proximity of active artisanal and small-scale ("ASM") copper/cobalt mining in the DRC, totalling over
48 square kilometers. COBC has also signed letters of intent and is working towards definitive agreements for several other mineral concessions in
addition to exclusive supply agreements with local mining cooperatives.
More than 12 percent of global cobalt production currently originates from ASM operations in the DRC and the announced joint venture
represents a significant step forward in COBC's goals of delivering certified, ethically-sourced cobalt to the market in the near-term. Trading
partners from ASM sources to smelters to automotive partners can collaborate and establish a shared view of end-to-end transactions without
compromising confidential details or privacy.
"This initiative is a significant milestone in ensuring the supply and use of conflict-free minerals, and will have an enduring and positive impact on our
industry," said
Lance Hooper
, President and Chief Operating Officer at COBC. "The combination of COBC's mining and metals trading, conflict-
free certification experience, and DLT's innovative and enterprise-grade blockchain capabilities, signal an ability to automate trust within the
minerals and metals supply chain."
"Companies and consumers demand assurances that the minerals and metals in their products are conflict-free. We now have the technology and
tools to protect workers and prevent abhorrent labor practices so there is no excuse to support bad actors", said
Loudon Owen
, Chairman and
CEO of DLT. "We are excited to partner with COBC, with their vast experience and deep domain expertise, to ensure supply chain transparency
and the ethical sourcing of minerals."
DLT is a global leader in blockchain platforms, properly known as Distributed Ledger Technology, which enable an immutable record of the
transactions in the supply ecosystem, allowing permissioned parties real-time access to secure and trusted data. Blockchain technology is ideally
suited for application to a large network of partners.
About Cobalt Blockchain Inc.
Cobalt Blockchain Inc. ("COBC") (TSX-V:COBC) is a Canadian resource company expanding its exploration and development business to
include cobalt assets in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
("DRC"). COBC has been authorized by its shareholders to acquire a 100%
interest in an existing metals trading business specializing in sourcing conflict-free minerals from artisanal and small-scale mines in the DRC.
Leveraging its experience with existing mineral traceability systems, COBC is developing a Distributed Ledger-based certification platform to
provide manufacturers and end-users greater certainty of provenance and further assurance that all minerals procured are ethically-sourced.
COBC senior management have over twelve years of experience working in the DRC and have a proven international track record in exploration
success and the trading of certified conflict-free, child-labour-free minerals.
About DLT Labs Inc.
DLT Labs Inc. ("DLT") is a global leader in the development and implementation of Blockchain solutions for enterprises, with offices in
Canada
,
India
and
Japan
. With the world's premier team of distributed application designers and integrators, DLT has extensive enterprise experience and
expertise with all distributed ledger/Blockchain technologies including Enterprise Ethereum, IBM's Fabric, R3's Corda, JP Morgan's Quorum, and
other leading enterprise platforms. DLT's leading group of architects, using proprietary DNC Cluster Framework and Parent & Child Smart
Contract Architecture, have designed and deployed a suite of secure and scalable Distributed Applications that provide enterprise solutions for
data and digital asset provenance storage, management and exchange. DLT is an Authorized IBM Business Partner.
Forward-Looking Information
This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of
historical facts, that address future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the
Company expects are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such statements are based on
reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from
those in the statements. There are certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. These
include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or
business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments
may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on the Company, investors should review
registered filings at
www.sedar.com
.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange)
accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
SOURCE
Cobalt Blockchain Inc.
View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2018/03/c2195.html
%SEDAR: 00009488E
For further information:
Lance Hooper, President and Chief Operating Officer, Cobalt Blockchain Inc., Telephone: +1-416-500-3670, Email:
[email protected], Website: www.cobc.co; Loudon Owen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DLT Labs, Telephone: +1-416-307-3271, Email:
[email protected], Website: www.dltlabs.com
CO: Cobalt Blockchain Inc.
CNW 10:13e 03-APR-18