Category: Partners

Targeting Ore Reserves, PFS and ML application by the end of 2026

HIGHLIGHTS

• May 2025 Optimised Scoping Study (OSS) outlined a compelling Tunkillia development project: ¹

  • Annual production: ~120,000oz gold + ~250,000oz silver

  • Total LoM operating cash: ~A$2.7 billion (unlevered, pre-tax)

  • Net Present Value (NPV _7.5% ): ~A$1.4 billion (unlevered, pre-tax)

  • Internal Rate of Return (IRR): ~73.2% (unlevered, pre-tax); and

  • Payback period: ~0.8 years (unlevered, pre-tax)

• ~18,000m reverse circulation (RC) drilling on high value ‘Starter Pits’, which are modelled to yield 365koz Au and A$1.3bn cash in first ~2 years, paying back development cost ~3x over ¹

• Barton approached by several prospective development and finance partners following OSS; expediting development drilling programs to support conversion of JORC Mineral Resources to JORC (2012) Ore Reserves, feasibility studies, and a Mining Lease application by end of 2026

ADELAIDE, AU / ACCESS Newswire / September 10, 2025 / Barton Gold Holdings Limited (ASX:BGD)(OTCQB:BGDFF)(FRA:BGD3) (Barton or Company) is pleased to announce the start of JORC upgrade drilling for its South Australian Tunkillia Gold Project (Tunkillia). An initial round of ~18,000m RC drilling is designed to convert Tunkillia’s high value ‘Stage 1′ and ‘Stage 2′ optimised open pits to JORC (2012) ‘Measured’ and ‘Indicated’ categories, supporting expedited project financing discussions. ¹

The current 1 ^st stage ~18,000m RC drilling program will:

• target conversion of all of ‘Stage 1′ and ‘Stage 2′ pit materials to JORC ‘Indicated’ category; and

• target conversion of a high-value subset of ‘Stage 1′ pit materials to JORC ‘Measured’ category.

A 2 ^nd stage RC and diamond drilling ( DD ) program planned for March to June 2026 will then:

• target conversion of all other Tunkillia OSS mineralisation JORC ‘Indicated’ category;

• expand Tunkillia’s geotechnical database for further open pit design optimisation; and

• expand Tunkillia’s metallurgical database for detailed recovery and production modelling.

Commenting on Tunkillia’s upgrade drilling programs, Barton Managing Director Alex Scanlon said :

“The Tunkillia OSS demonstrated the financial and capital leverage available to large-scale bulk processing operations, with the major advantage of a higher-grade ‘Starter Pit’ that can pay back development costs 2x over in the first year.

“Having been approached by multiple prospective development and finance partners, upgrade drilling on Tunkillia’s ‘Starter Pits’ will expedite development and financing discussions while Barton evaluates the optimal path forward.

“We are aiming to generate maximum optionality for Tunkillia’s development, and plan to convert Mineral Resources to Ore Reserves, complete a Pre-Feasibility Study, and submit a Mining Lease application by the end of 2026.”

Program background

Tunkillia’s May 2025 OSS outlined a compelling development profile, with ‘Starter Pits’ modelled to produce: ²

• ‘Stage 1′: ~206,000oz gold and ~491,000oz silver during the first ~13 months of operation; and

• ‘Stage 2′: ~159,000oz gold and ~432,000oz silver during the next ~14 months of operation.

These ‘Starter Pits’ are therefore modelled to return: ²

• ~$825 million operating free cash during the first ~13 months at a cash cost of only A$997/oz Au, paying back up-front capital cost more than 2x over during this time; and

• a total ~$1.3 billion operating free cash during the first ~27 months at an average cash cost of only A$1,429/oz Au, paying back up-front capital cost more than 3x over during this time.

Figure 1 below shows Tunkillia’s key ‘Stage 1′ and ‘Stage 2′ Starter Pits, with the location of new drill hole collars planned for the initial September to December 2025 JORC Mineral Resource upgrade program.

This stage of development drilling will comprise ~18,270m RC drilling across 209 planned drill holes. The objective is to increase confidence in ‘Stage 1′ and ‘Stage 2′ mineralisation, validate deposit geostatistics, and test the drill hole spacing required for future upgrade drilling in other Tunkillia mineralisation zones.

The drilling shown below is complementary to a significant number of existing surrounding drill holes, and is expected to convert all ‘Stage 1′ and ‘Stage 2′ mineralisation to JORC ‘Indicated’ category, with the highest-value subset of the ‘Stage 1 Starter Pit’ mineralisation converted to JORC ‘Measured’ category.

Figure 1 – Tunkillia OSS Optimised Open Pits with planned Stage 1 upgrade drilling

Authorised by the Board of Directors of Barton Gold Holdings Limited.

For further information, please contact:

About Barton Gold

Barton Gold is an ASX, OTCQB and Frankfurt Stock Exchange listed Australian gold developer targeting future gold production of 150,000ozpa with 2.2Moz Au & 3.1Moz Ag JORC Mineral Resources (79.9Mt @ 0.87g/t Au), brownfield mines, and 100% ownership of the region’s only gold mill in the renowned Gawler Craton of South Australia. ^*

Challenger Gold Project 313koz Au + fully permitted Central Gawler Mill ( CGM ) Tarcoola Gold Project 20koz Au in fully permitted open pit mine near CGM Tolmer discovery grades up to 84g/t Au & 17,600g/t Ag Tunkillia Gold Project 1.6Moz Au & 3.1Moz Ag JORC Mineral Resources Competitive 120kozpa gold & 250kozpa silver project Wudinna Gold Project 279koz Au project located southeast of Tunkillia Significant optionality, adjacent to main highway

Competent Persons Statement & Previously Reported Information

The information in this announcement that relates to the historic Exploration Results and Mineral Resources as listed in the table below is based on, and fairly represents, information and supporting documentation prepared by the Competent Person whose name appears in the same row, who is an employee of or independent consultant to the Company and is a Member or Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG) or a Recognised Professional Organisation (RPO). Each person named in the table below has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and types of deposits under consideration and to the activity which he has undertaken to quality as a Competent Person as defined in the JORC Code 2012 (JORC).

The information relating to historic Exploration Results and Mineral Resources in this announcement is extracted from the Company’s Prospectus dated 14 May 2021 or as otherwise noted in this announcement, available from the Company’s website at www.bartongold.com.au or on the ASX website www.asx.com.au. The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the Exploration Results and Mineral Resource information included in previous announcements and, in the case of estimates of Mineral Resources, that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimates, and any production targets and forecast financial information derived from the production targets, continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company confirms that the form and context in which the applicable Competent Persons’ findings are presented have not been materially modified from the previous announcements.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This document may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as “seek”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”, “expect”, “target” and “intend” and statements than an event or result “may”, “will”, “should”, “would”, “could”, or “might” occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. Forward-looking information is subject to business, legal and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things, risks relating to property interests, the global economic climate, commodity prices, sovereign and legal risks, and environmental risks. Forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and opinions at the date the statements are made. Barton undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements for events or circumstances that occur subsequent to such dates or to update or keep current any of the information contained herein. Any estimates or projections as to events that may occur in the future (including projections of revenue, expense, net income and performance) are based upon the best judgment of Barton from information available as of the date of this document. There is no guarantee that any of these estimates or projections will be achieved. Actual results will vary from the projections and such variations may be material. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied upon as, a promise or representation as to the past or future. Any reliance placed by the reader on this document, or on any forward-looking statement contained in or referred to in this document will be solely at the readers own risk, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty thereof.

¹ Refer to ASX announcement dated 5 May 2025

² Refer to ASX announcement dated 5 May 2025

^* Refer to Barton Prospectus dated 14 May 2021 and ASX announcement dated 8 September 2025. Total Barton JORC (2012) Mineral Resources include 1,049koz Au (39.7Mt @ 0.82 g/t Au) in Indicated category and 1,186koz Au (40.2Mt @ 0.92 g/t Au) in Inferred category, and 3,070koz Ag (34.5Mt @ 2.80 g/t Ag) in Inferred category as a subset of Tunkillia gold JORC (2012) Mineral Resources.

SOURCE: Barton Gold Holdings Limited

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 17, 2025 / Every great industry eventually faces the same showdown. Not over who builds the best technology or who moves the fastest, but over who writes the rules. VHS vs. Betamax. Windows vs. Mac. iOS vs. Android. History is peppered with examples where setting the standard meant owning the market. Few would have predicted that recycling – once dismissed as a regulatory afterthought and a cost of doing business – would be the next arena for such a battle.

Yet here it is, and SMX (NASDAQ:SMX) is positioning itself as the referee everyone else will have to play by. That claim is no exaggeration when you consider that SMX and BT-Systems’ Competence Center REDWAVE just pulled off a successful two-day demonstration before heavyweight influencer NAFRA. The trials proved what no one else has managed: real-time sorting and certification of food-grade plastics, flame-retardant plastics, and even carbon black plastics, long considered impossible to recycle at scale.

The bigger story, however, is not the breakthrough itself, but what it unlocks. For decades, recycling has been mired in fragmentation, with each country, and often each city, writing its own patchwork of rules for what counts as recycled. Audits were inconsistent, compliance was more paperwork than proof, and the result was confusion for companies and skepticism for consumers. That’s changed.

What SMX has just demonstrated is that the patchwork method of recycling can finally be replaced by a unified framework built on molecular traceability and block-chain-backed digital passports. And the best part of that proposition is that it is no longer theory. It is a system running at industrial speed, ready to be scaled.

This System Changes The Rules of Recycling

And here is why that matters. Whoever sets the recognized standard for certified recycling will control the flow of billions, even trillions, in global trade. Companies that want to sell into compliant markets will have to meet that standard. Governments that want to enforce recycling mandates will have to rely on that standard. Investors who want to price the value of recycled content will have to look to that standard. This is not just about recycling. It is about market dominance.

The Plastic Cycle Token (PCT) is the financial proof point. Once plastics are verified through SMX’s system, they can be tokenized and traded. That means standards are not just about compliance. They are about creating an entirely new asset class that regulators, companies, and investors can all agree on. Without proof, recycling is an expense. With proof, it becomes a tradable commodity. The PCT makes that shift possible, and standards make it inevitable.

By demonstrating their system to NAFRA, SMX and REDWAVE effectively handed an influential body a blueprint for global adoption. NAFRA represents European interests in flame-retardant and high-performance materials where compliance is non-negotiable. Their validation signals that SMX’s system is not just about recycling bales of plastic. It is about meeting the toughest safety standards on an industrial scale. That opens doors across Europe’s regulatory corridors, from automotive and construction to consumer electronics, where flame-retardant plastics are mission-critical. When institutions like these validate a system, it moves from experiment to inevitability. That is how standards are born.

SMX is Creating Global Material Economics

SMX has made no secret of its ambition to turn proof into the foundation of global material economics. With REDWAVE, it now has an industrial partner with the scale and credibility to take that vision out of the lab and onto the production line. Their joint system does not just recycle plastics. It certifies them, embeds trust into them, and sets them apart as compliant across any jurisdiction. That is exactly how VHS became the global norm and how GDPR reshaped privacy law. Standards start with proof, and SMX has just provided it.

The next phase is deployment, and with the LOI already in place, industrial rollouts are coming. That will not just raise the bar for recycling. It will force competitors, regulators, and entire industries to measure themselves against the SMX-REDWAVE system. Standards are never polite suggestions. They are the rules of the game. And the company that writes them is the one that defines the market.

Recycling is no longer about who can collect the most bottles or cut the most emissions. It is about who controls the certification that makes those efforts valuable. With NAFRA watching closely, SMX and REDWAVE are not just in the recycling business. They are in the business of setting the standard. And in the history of markets, that is always where the real power lies.

About SMX

As global businesses face new and complex challenges relating to carbon neutrality and meeting new governmental and regional regulations and standards, SMX is able to offer players along the value chain access to its marking, tracking, measuring and digital platform technology to transition more successfully to a low-carbon economy.

Forward-Looking Statements

The information in this press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intends,” “may,” “will,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this press release may include, for example: matters relating to the Company’s fight against abusive and possibly illegal trading tactics against the Company’s stock; successful launch and implementation of SMX’s joint projects with manufacturers and other supply chain participants of gold, steel, rubber and other materials; changes in SMX’s strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects and plans; SMX’s ability to develop and launch new products and services, including its planned Plastic Cycle Token; SMX’s ability to successfully and efficiently integrate future expansion plans and opportunities; SMX’s ability to grow its business in a cost-effective manner; SMX’s product development timeline and estimated research and development costs; the implementation, market acceptance and success of SMX’s business model; developments and projections relating to SMX’s competitors and industry; and SMX’s approach and goals with respect to technology. These forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this press release, and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing views as of any subsequent date, and no obligation is undertaken to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include: the ability to maintain the listing of the Company’s shares on Nasdaq; changes in applicable laws or regulations; any lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on SMX’s business; the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and identify and realize additional opportunities; the risk of downturns and the possibility of rapid change in the highly competitive industry in which SMX operates; the risk that SMX and its current and future collaborators are unable to successfully develop and commercialize SMX’s products or services, or experience significant delays in doing so; the risk that the Company may never achieve or sustain profitability; the risk that the Company will need to raise additional capital to execute its business plan, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all; the risk that the Company experiences difficulties in managing its growth and expanding operations; the risk that third-party suppliers and manufacturers are not able to fully and timely meet their obligations; the risk that SMX is unable to secure or protect its intellectual property; the possibility that SMX may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; and other risks and uncertainties described in SMX’s filings from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

EMAIL: info@securitymattersltd.com

SOURCE: SMX (Security Matters) Public Limited

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

HONOLULU, HI / ACCESS Newswire / September 17, 2025 / Harold Clarke isn’t a traditional realtor. As CEO of MegaCapital Hawaii Corp.-a private real estate office specializing in discreet acquisitions and long-term holdings in Hawai‘i-he works with ultra-high-net-worth families seeking privacy, permanence, and legacy. But Clarke’s philosophy around real estate was shaped decades ago, far from the islands.

In the 1980s, when Clarke was growing up in Peru, real estate was viewed through the lens of legacy. “Where I came from, homes weren’t trophies in the superficial sense,” he explains. “They were generational estates-deeply considered, quietly held, and built to last. The scale and intentionality of those properties shaped how I think about permanence today.”

Today, Clarke is one of the most discreet and influential figures in Hawai‘i’s luxury real estate market. His clientele consists almost exclusively of ultra-high-net-worth individuals who buy not from public listings, but from whispered conversations and private dossiers, often without a property ever touching the open market. He does not advertise. His clients do not scroll.

For decades, the prevailing myth around wealth and real estate in America, especially in places like Hawai‘i, the Hamptons, and Malibu, has been centered on the trophy: the gated estate, the panoramic pool, the beachside architectural marvel featured in glossy spreads and watched from behind velvet ropes.

That era, Clarke argues, is quietly closing. What’s replacing it isn’t louder. It’s quieter. More intentional. And far more permanent.

A Shift in Function, Not Just Form

“Real estate is no longer about display. It’s about insulation.” That’s how Clarke frames what he’s seeing, and facilitating, every day. Over the last five years, a noticeable shift has taken hold among the wealthiest families: the move away from high-visibility, high-vanity purchases toward holdings that are invisible by design.

Data from private wealth consultancies supports this. More than 70% of family offices surveyed in 2024 said they are now prioritizing real estate as an intergenerational asset over short-term appreciation. In the U.S., luxury properties are increasingly being acquired by trusts rather than individuals – structures structured not for liquidity but for permanence.

These transactions are rarely publicized. They occur in legal offices, not online portals. The buyers aren’t chasing acclaim. They’re protecting bloodlines.

Clarke’s firm, MegaCapital Hawaii Corp, manages both public and private real estate platforms – Luxury Big Island and Private Listings. The distinction isn’t about price point. It’s about intention. Trophy properties are often sold for the reaction they create. Generational holdings are secured for the silence they offer.

“When someone asks me to find them a home,” Clarke says, “I ask what they want to protect. Because that’s what the purchase is really about.”

Why the Market You See Isn’t the One That Moves

It’s tempting to look at listing sites or high-profile property sales and assume that’s where the action is. But Clarke would disagree.

His Private Listings platform contains several of the most valuable residential properties in Hawai‘i – none of which have ever been seen by the public. Access is invite-only. Viewings happen quietly. Transactions are conducted directly between families, with no trace online.

“By the time something’s visible,” Clarke says, “it’s already passed through the hands of people who chose not to take it.”

This model, he believes, reflects how serious capital actually moves. The majority of real estate wealth in Hawai‘i, as in much of the world, is not trading hands through public spectacle. It’s moving through lineage. Through trust. Through the silent mechanisms of generational planning.

And it’s not just anecdotal. Institutional investors have followed suit. In 2025, Carlyle raised $9 billion for U.S. real estate, focusing almost entirely on properties with multigenerational potential – logistics hubs, residential land, and safe-haven estates. The flash is fading. The function is ascending.

The Moral Imperative of Stability

It’s easy to dismiss this shift as another iteration of the ultra-rich protecting their assets. But to reduce it to that is to miss something deeper-something Clarke has witnessed across continents, from Lima to Miami to Kona.

“For many of our clients, wealth came from volatility,” he says. “What they’re looking for now isn’t luxury. It’s control. Not control over others. Control over uncertainty.”

In this sense, real estate becomes a moral decision. A decision about where children will return after the storms. A decision about keeping something untouched by chaos, whether economic, environmental, or political. For UHNW families, property becomes a perimeter , against exposure, against fragility, against the unpredictable edges of the future.

And that, perhaps, is why Clarke’s message resonates so deeply now. In a world gripped by climate risk, institutional erosion, and algorithmic noise, the idea of permanence carries weight. Not permanence in concrete, but permanence in intention. In protection. In silence.

No Signage, No Spotlight, No Applause

Harold Clarke doesn’t place signs on the properties he represents. His clients don’t want them. They don’t need them. And increasingly, they see those signs not as a badge of opportunity, but as a signal that the opportunity has already passed.

“We’re not selling homes,” Clarke says. “We’re helping people place their history. Their future.”

That may not make for flashy headlines. But it creates something far more lasting. Something that doesn’t seek attention, because it already has what matters: roots.

Contact Information:

Name: Harold X. Clarke

Company: MegaCapital Hawaii Corp.

Website: luxurybigisland.com and Private Listings by Harold Clarke

Email: harold@private-listings.com

SOURCE: Harold X. Clarke

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 17, 2025 / Every industry has its white whale, the problem that defies solution year after year. For the recycling world, that problem has always been carbon black plastics. Their dark pigmentation absorbs the infrared and laser signals used by sorting systems, making them virtually invisible on conveyor belts. Billions of tons of this material flow into landfills and incinerators every year because no one could figure out how to separate and certify them at scale. Until now.

SMX (NASDAQ:SMX) and BT-Systems’ Competence Center REDWAVE just demonstrated that the unsolvable problem is finally solved. Over two days of live trials in front of NAFRA from Europe, the partners showed that food-grade plastics, flame-retardant plastics, and yes, even carbon black plastics, can be detected, sorted, and certified in real time –with an accuracy rate of 99% to 100% at 2m/s – a pace at the high end of sorting speeds. That showing was more than a technical success. It was the moment recycling’s toughest problem, carbon black plastics, met its match.

The breakthrough comes from SMX’s molecular marking technology, which embeds invisible markers at the sub-molecular level into the products themselves. Unlike traditional systems that rely on surface imaging or paperwork, SMX makes proof inseparable from the plastic itself. When paired with REDWAVE’s high-speed detection systems, those digital markers can be read and acted on instantly. And it does something few thought possible. For the first time, carbon black plastics are no longer ghosts in the recycling stream. SMX makes them visible, verifiable, and valuable.

Unleashing Massive Untapped Plastics Value

The implications for industries are enormous. Automotive and electronics manufacturers depend heavily on carbon black plastics because of their strength, durability, conductivity, and resistance to UV light. Yet the inability to recycle them has created supply bottlenecks and added costs. With SMX’s breakthrough, recycled carbon black plastics can flow back into supply chains, reducing reliance on expensive virgin materials. That lowers costs, improves sustainability, and provides regulators with compliance tools they have never had before.

Flame-retardant plastics, another complex category, were also addressed in the trials. These materials are vital for safety but nearly impossible to recycle without contaminating other streams. SMX’s markers allow them to be identified, separated, and reused with confidence. This opens the door to closed-loop recycling systems for electronics and automotive components that were previously off-limits.

And then there is food-grade plastic, the most sensitive and tightly regulated of all. For years, companies have been forced to blend recycled content of questionable quality into packaging or pay a premium for virgin material. SMX and REDWAVE just proved that food-grade plastics can be reliably separated and certified, creating a secure pipeline of recycled content that meets global safety standards. That is not just a technical win. It is a commercial unlock worth billions.

SMX, the PCT, and Layers of Proof

The Plastic Cycle Token (PCT) opens that door to turn proof into financial power. Once plastics are certified through the SMX system, they can be tokenized and traded on open markets. That means recycled carbon black plastics, flame-retardant plastics, and food-grade plastics are no longer liabilities. They are assets. Governments can enforce quotas with real-time data, companies can show compliance without red tape, and investors can treat recycled content as a new class of tradable commodity. Waste becomes wealth, and the hardest problems in recycling become the biggest opportunities.

By embedding value into the material itself, the PCT closes the gap between sustainability promises and economic performance. Instead of chasing subsidies or surviving on regulatory pressure, companies now have a commercial reason to scale circular practices. The more they recycle and certify, the more value they unlock. That feedback loop transforms recycling from a cost burden into a competitive advantage and even a profit center, aligning stakeholder interests with environmental outcomes.

The PCT also lays the groundwork for a transparent global marketplace in recycled materials. Every token represents certified proof tied to actual plastic, eliminating the guesswork that has plagued sustainability reporting for decades. This standardization enables spot pricing, cross-border trading, and verifiable accounting for recycled content. With investors, regulators, and consumers demanding certainty, the PCT provides it by turning proof into performance and making recycling a measurable, bankable part of the material economy.

Why NAFRA Matters

What makes these demonstrations so important is not just the science but the setting. They were conducted under the eyes of NAFRA, a respected European industry body for flame retardants and critical safety materials. These institutions are not casual observers. They influence policy, standards, and industry adoption.

For SMX, showcasing its Plastics Passport technology in front of NAFRA is especially significant. This is the body that speaks directly to regulators, manufacturers, and safety authorities across Europe. It validates SMX’s ability to tackle flame-retardant materials, a challenge first explored in technical work as far back as 2021. To return in 2025 with a live demonstration that proves the concept at industrial speed is a door-opener to new markets and regulatory frameworks. By impressing NAFRA, SMX is not just solving a plastics problem. It is creating credibility that can accelerate adoption across the automotive, electronics, and packaging industries where safety standards rule the game.

Don’t under-appreciate the accomplishment. Carbon black plastics have been the Achilles heel of recycling for decades. Many companies and governments have tried to solve the problem, and every effort has fallen short. With this breakthrough, SMX and REDWAVE have done what no one else could. They have made the invisible visible, the unsortable sortable, and the worthless valuable. And they did more than unlock recycling.

By embedding molecular proof directly into all types of plastics, SMX now provides manufacturers and regulators with a system that verifies both recycling integrity and flame-retardant compliance in a single scan. Don’t under-appreciate that result, either. That is more than a technical milestone. SMX just proved that even the most complex and chemically treated plastics can finally play by the rules.

About SMX

As global businesses face new and complex challenges relating to carbon neutrality and meeting new governmental and regional regulations and standards, SMX is able to offer players along the value chain access to its marking, tracking, measuring and digital platform technology to transition more successfully to a low-carbon economy.

Forward-Looking Statements

The information in this press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intends,” “may,” “will,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this press release may include, for example: matters relating to the Company’s fight against abusive and possibly illegal trading tactics against the Company’s stock; successful launch and implementation of SMX’s joint projects with manufacturers and other supply chain participants of gold, steel, rubber and other materials; changes in SMX’s strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects and plans; SMX’s ability to develop and launch new products and services, including its planned Plastic Cycle Token; SMX’s ability to successfully and efficiently integrate future expansion plans and opportunities; SMX’s ability to grow its business in a cost-effective manner; SMX’s product development timeline and estimated research and development costs; the implementation, market acceptance and success of SMX’s business model; developments and projections relating to SMX’s competitors and industry; and SMX’s approach and goals with respect to technology. These forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this press release, and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing views as of any subsequent date, and no obligation is undertaken to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include: the ability to maintain the listing of the Company’s shares on Nasdaq; changes in applicable laws or regulations; any lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on SMX’s business; the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and identify and realize additional opportunities; the risk of downturns and the possibility of rapid change in the highly competitive industry in which SMX operates; the risk that SMX and its current and future collaborators are unable to successfully develop and commercialize SMX’s products or services, or experience significant delays in doing so; the risk that the Company may never achieve or sustain profitability; the risk that the Company will need to raise additional capital to execute its business plan, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all; the risk that the Company experiences difficulties in managing its growth and expanding operations; the risk that third-party suppliers and manufacturers are not able to fully and timely meet their obligations; the risk that SMX is unable to secure or protect its intellectual property; the possibility that SMX may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; and other risks and uncertainties described in SMX’s filings from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

EMAIL: info@securitymattersltd.com

SOURCE: SMX (Security Matters) Public Limited

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

While 95% of companies face AI setbacks, a new survey reveals the root cause is a breakdown in the quality practices that once enabled safe, high-velocity development.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / September 17, 2025 / The race to deploy AI has dangerously decoupled development speed from software quality, leading to a near-universal rate of project setbacks across the tech industry. This is the central finding of a new report, “The 2025 Software Testing Vibe Check: Agentic AI Edition,” from Sauce Labs, the leading platform for continuous quality.

The report, based on a survey conducted by Wakefield Research, argues that the core principles of the DevOps movement-which successfully bonded speed and quality together over the last decade-have been diminished in the AI gold rush. This has created a capability gap, with the survey revealing that 82% of companies lack the appropriately skilled testers or adequate tools to manage their AI initiatives safely.

“For a decade, the best tech companies proved you could move fast and be stable,” said Prince Kohli, CEO at Sauce Labs. “But now we’re seeing a potentially dangerous decoupling of speed from quality. This survey reveals a deep chasm between the few companies equipped to manage AI and the many who are unprepared.”

Set amongst the survey data lies a sobering statistic: Most professionals (61%) report their own leadership doesn’t understand the fundamentals of software testing. This leadership blind spot results in teams being tasked with implementing powerful AI without proper support, creating a culture where employees are set up to fail. Consequently, 60% of respondents believe employees will take the blame for AI’s mistakes.

Other Key Findings from ‘The Great Decoupling’ Report:

• A Universal Toll: The capability gap is exacting a heavy price. A near-universal 95% of companies have experienced setbacks from their AI initiatives, a consequence of deploying complex technology without the right support structures in place.

• An Acceleration into the Gap: Despite these setbacks, nearly half of companies (48%) are “doubling down” on their AI investments. This high-stakes gamble suggests market pressure is forcing them to accelerate even when they lack the internal capability to do so safely, widening the chasm between ambition and reality.

• A Reality Distortion Field: The industry is operating with an optimistic timeline that ignores the quality gap. While 72% believe in full autonomous testing by 2027, 60% of companies haven’t even established the basic accuracy benchmarks needed to measure success.

• The Innovator’s Dilemma: The industry is split on how to proceed. While nearly half (47%) have slowed or paused AI initiatives due to poor results, a nearly equal number (48%) are “doubling down,” accelerating into the problem in a high-stakes bet that they can fix quality issues mid-flight.

“The next great challenge isn’t building more powerful AI; it’s building the quality frameworks to control it,” Kohli added. “The goal is to re-couple speed and quality for the AI era. You need a platform that provides a safety net to let your developers innovate at full speed – and even help them accelerate – without fear of breaking everything.”

For a deeper analysis, download the complete report here: http://www.saucelabs.com/resources/report/agentic-ai-survey-in-software-testing

The survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 400 US-based tech professionals, including executives and software engineers, in June 2025.

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About Sauce Labs

Sauce Labs is the leading platform for continuous quality, trusted by the world’s top enterprises – like Walmart, Bank of America, and Indeed. More than 8 billion tests have been run on the Sauce Labs platform, and over 300,000 users depend on Sauce Labs to help them quickly deliver the highest quality software experiences. Our unified platform powers continuous quality across the SDLC – using AI-driven analytics to identify key quality signals from development through production. With over a decade of expertise and deep roots in the Selenium and Appium open-source communities, Sauce Labs helps teams test on thousands of different devices, browsers, and operating systems – anywhere, any time, and at any scale. For more information, please visit saucelabs.com.

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SOURCE: Sauce Labs

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire