MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, Feb. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smartkem, Inc. (Nasdaq: SMTK), (“Smartkem” or the “Company”), a leader in advanced materials, today announced that it has entered into a debt conversion agreement, pursuant to which certain outstanding accounts payable of Smartkem were satisfied in full through the issuance of equity securities of the Company. Under the terms of the agreement, approximately $2.0 million of outstanding obligations owed were converted into a combination of shares o ...

Core Points - IDEX Biometrics ASA has successfully completed a loan financing of NOK 30 million, which has been converted into 3,000,000,000 new shares at a subscription price of NOK 0.01 per share [1] - The company is offering up to 600,000,000 new shares at the same subscription price as the debt conversion, pending approval of a prospectus by the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway [1][2] - The subscription period for the subsequent offering is set to begin on 22 May 2025 and will end on 5 June 2025 at 16:30 CET [3] Company Information - IDEX Biometrics ASA is a global leader in fingerprint biometrics, providing authentication solutions for payments, access control, and digital identity [5] - The company focuses on card-based applications for payments and digital authentication, partnering with leading card manufacturers and technology companies [5]

Core Viewpoint - Nio Strategic Metals Inc. has successfully completed debt conversion agreements to improve its financial position by eliminating outstanding debt and preserving cash flow [1][4]. Financial Transactions - The company converted a loan of $450,000 and settled $45,000 in accrued services by issuing 11,000,001 common shares at a deemed price of $0.045 per share [1]. - The debt conversion agreements are classified as related party transactions, and the company relied on exemptions from certain requirements under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 [2]. Impact on Financial Position - Following the agreements, Nio will not carry any debt on its balance sheet, except for usual short-term accrued payables, significantly improving its financial health [4]. - The insider, Nio-Metals Holdings LLC, now owns approximately 45.9% of the issued and outstanding shares after receiving 10,000,000 shares as part of the debt conversion [5]. Corporate Governance - The company did not file a material change report 21 days prior to the closing of the debt conversion agreements, which it deemed reasonable to expedite financial improvement [3]. - An Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders is scheduled for July 9, 2025, to discuss corporate matters [5]. Company Overview - Nio Strategic Metals is focused on becoming a ferroniobium producer and holds niobium properties in Quebec [6].

Group 1 - IDEX Biometrics ASA announced a resolution to issue 3,000,000,000 shares in a debt conversion, increasing the total number of shares to 3,831,594,232 [1] - Altea AS will receive 287,500,000 shares from the debt conversion, resulting in a total holding of 354,837,255 shares, which represents 9.26% of the company's shares and voting rights [1] Group 2 - The disclosure is made in accordance with section 4-2 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act (STA) and published under section 5-12 of the STA [2]

Core Viewpoint - Nio Strategic Metals Inc. plans to enter into share-for-debt agreements to settle an aggregate of $495,000 of outstanding debt, which will significantly improve its financial position by eliminating debt from its balance sheet [1][4]. Debt Conversion Agreements - Nio has agreed to convert a loan principal of $450,000 from Nio-Metals Holdings LLC into 10,000,000 shares at a price of $0.045 per share [2]. - Additionally, the company has entered into agreements with four current directors and its Chief Financial Officer to convert unpaid service fees of $45,000 into 1,000,001 shares at the same price [3]. Financial Position Improvement - The Board of Directors and Management believe that these agreements will drastically enhance the financial position of the Corporation by eliminating existing debt, except for usual short-term accrued payables [4]. Related Party Transactions - The debt conversion agreement and shares for services agreements are classified as Related Party Transactions under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 [5]. - The Corporation is relying on exemptions from certain requirements of MI 61-101, as the fair market value of the shares does not exceed 25% of its market capitalization [6]. Share Issuance and Hold Period - The issuance of shares is subject to approval from the TSX Venture Exchange, and the shares will be subject to a four-month hold period as per applicable securities regulations [7]. Insider Ownership Post-Transaction - Following the debt conversion agreement, Nio-Metals Holdings LLC will own approximately 45.9% of the issued and outstanding shares, totaling 46,658,211 shares [8].