All posts by Hamish Khamisa

Preview: Canadian Securities Exchange at PDAC 2014

PDAC_Logo_webIn just a few days, the 2014 edition of the PDAC conference will take place. Hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of attendees from all over the world are expected to converge at the Toronto Convention Centre to learn about and discuss the latest trends, thoughts and technologies impacting the mining industry.

Among the dozens of topics that will be discussed in various panels and workshops, one of the burning issues on the minds of many attendees will be the current capital raising climate.

As many readers may already know, the CSE has been actively engaging in the conversation about finding ways to enable junior mining and exploration companies to successfully weather the current capital raising storm.

From the exhibition floor to the podium, the CSE will continue in its efforts to promote innovative and pragmatic solutions for junior mining and exploration companies as well as for the industry as a whole.

Here is a rundown of the events and activities the CSE will be participating in at PDAC 2014:

Mineral Outlook Luncheon, Monday March 3rd

Ned Goodman, Deputy Chairman of the CSE and President & CEO of Dundee Corporation will be the keynote speaker at the (now sold out) Mineral Outlook Luncheon on Monday March 3rd from 12PM-2PM

An Exchange with the Exchanges: The Role of Stock Exchanges in Facilitating Capital-Raising, Tuesday March 4th

CSE CEO Richard Carleton will be a member of a panel of guests representing stock exchanges in Canada, Australia and Peru as part of the session entitled “An Exchange with the Exchanges: The Role of Stock Exchanges in Facilitating Capital-Raising.” This panel will discuss the state of the mineral exploration industry and the role that stock exchanges can play in helping companies navigate the current capital environment. For more information on this session at 10:30AM please click here.

PDAC Investor Lunch & Networking Event, Tuesday March 4th

The CSE is co-sponsoring a lunch and networking event along with MNP LLP, and Chitiz Pathak LLP.  This event will feature presentations from CSE-listed companies as well as opportunities for PDAC attendees to network with one another.  Click the following link for more details on the PDAC Investor Lunch which is to be held on Tuesday March 4th from 11:30AM to 1PM.

Making the Switch to CSE, Tuesday March 4th

For those interested in learning more about how to make the transition to the CSE, be sure to register for and attend the Making the Switch session  on Tuesday, March 4th from 1:15PM-2PM.

In addition to events, the CSE will also be exhibiting at booths 2542 and 2544 where attendees can meet with members of our team as well as talk to representatives from several CSE listed companies.

MTCC_Toronto

PDAC 2014 runs from March 2nd to March 5th in Toronto at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. For more information, including registration information and schedules, you can visit their website at http://www.pdac.ca/convention.

If you are attending, be sure to say hi to our team in person or via Twitter. We look forward to seeing you there!

A Chance to Do Better: Comments From Capital Ideas 2013

In October of 2013, the British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) held its annual Capital Ideas Conference with a particular focus on mining and venture capital markets.  A broad variety of topics were discussed such as raising capital, high frequency trading, retail investor participation.  The BCSC has put together a selection of videos of the panel discussion which is worthwhile to check out.

While it is intuitively simple, the impact of an entire economic sector losing altitude is jarring to the people and stakeholders within it.  In addition to the companies themselves, the broker dealers, financiers and even the exchanges have been impacted by the downturn in the sector.

This conference was an interesting forum for two key reasons. First, it allowed participants to confront the reality of adapting to new models of doing business. Second, and more importantly, it enabled stakeholders to think about the future of the marketplace and to challenge the existing ways of operating in the capital markets that don’t fit the current cycle for many junior mining and exploration companies.

A topic the CSE is particularly passionate about addressing is the current state of raising capital faced by many junior companies.  During a portion of the panel discussion that focused on the challenges facing public companies, CSE CEO Richard Carleton was invited to provide his thoughts on the subject.

According to Richard, despite the many challenges facing the industry, there are opportunities for positive change.

Some of the improvements to the marketplace he mentioned included:

  • Costs to be lowered for the dealers and companies that do business with exchanges
  • Promoting effective market making models
  • Levelling the playing field for access to market data

Check out the following video to hear Richards remarks on the possible opportunities to improve the marketplace for multiple participants.

Hitting their Stride: Two Growing Tech Firms Push Confidently into 2014

A great piece was published today by Peter Murray of Proactive Investors that discussed two emerging technology companies listed on the CSE.  The article discusses Gener8 Media Corp. (CSE:GNR) and RESAAS Services Inc. (CSE:RSS) and their respective performances in 2013 as well as what has been driving their recent successes.

Of particular interest is how both of these technology companies have approached the challenges of growing their businesses and how they’ve sought the additional capital to support that growth.

Highlights from the article include:

  • How Gener8 Media Corp has become a leading provider of 2D to 3D conversion for the entertainment industry;
  • Gener8’s capital raising strategy and how it has helped to transform their business;
  • The success of RESAAS’s online social platform designed around real estate agents;
  • How RESAAS has managed its resources to enable them to compete for additional revenues.

We’re happy to hear about the growth these companies have achieved and look forward to hearing about what transpires for 2014.

For more information, you can check out the full article here:
Gener8, RESAAS put West Coast on CSE’s tech map with big 2013 gains

And watch the video profiles below for each company:

Photo above: Gener8 CEO Rory Armes – photo/video credit Noravera Visuals – www.noravera.com