TORONTO and VADUZ, Liechtenstein, Nov. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Abaxx Technologies Inc. (CBOE:ABXX) ("Abaxx" or the "Company"), a financial software and market infrastructure company, majority shareholder of Abaxx Singapore Pte Ltd., the owner of Abaxx Commodity Exchange and Clearinghouse (individually, "Abaxx Exchange" and "Abaxx Clearing"), and producer of the SmarterMarkets Podcast, today announced it has acquired a strategic position in ARTEX AG ("ARTEX"), the world's first regulated, institutionally-backed, trading venue for fine art, which is operated by ARTEX Global Markets AG ("ARTEX Global Markets"), a subsidiary of ARTEX.
In connection with this strategic investment, Abaxx has entered into a cooperation agreement with ARTEX, which provides access to a new regulated financial market for Abaxx's proprietary Digital Title and ID++ technology; and the opportunity to develop new tradeable futures contracts on Abaxx Exchange, based on a transparent, transaction-based price index for fine art.
The cooperation is anchored in a shared interest in building new market infrastructure and trusted technology to unlock value in historically opaque real-asset markets - and providing Abaxx with deepened access and capabilities in Europe, including:
- Access to a new commercial vertical for Abaxx's Private Digital Title and ID++ technology within the multi-trillion dollar addressable market for tokenized global financial assets.
- A source of transparent, real-time transaction data for securitized fine art, which can serve as the basis for a fine art price index, on which a benchmark futures contract can be developed for trading on Abaxx Exchange.
- A strategic partnership with a regulated exchange in Europe and access for Abaxx Exchange to ARTEX's network of institutional partners, including European banks, asset managers, and other major financial institutions¹.
"Smarter markets require smarter data and trusted market infrastructure," said Josh Crumb, Founder and CEO of Abaxx. "The global art market-with $2.5 trillion of assets in private hands - has remained opaque and illiquid precisely because it lacks both². What ARTEX has accomplished is incredibly difficult. Like Abaxx, they are innovators who have spent years building the foundational, regulated infrastructure needed to unlock a new asset class. By integrating our platforms, we expand our technology footprint into a global asset class and secure the foundation for a pipeline of new, tradable futures products on Abaxx Exchange."
"Abaxx is the ideal partner to accelerate our mission," said Yassir Benjelloun-Touimi, CEO & Co-Founder of ARTEX. "My career has centered on creating liquid, tradable markets from complex and illiquid assets, and Abaxx shares that DNA. Their expertise in market structure and state-of-the-art digital title technology are the perfect complement to our regulated exchange. Together, we will enhance robustness, expand global reach and provide critical validation to our institutional partners as we establish art as a legitimate mainstream asset class."
ARTEX Investment Details
Under the terms of the securities exchange agreement, Abaxx will acquire two tranches of zero-coupon convertible debentures (the "Artex Debentures"), convertible into (i) up to 10% of Artex's issued and outstanding common shares on a fully diluted basis at the time of conversion, for a period of three years from the date of issuance of each respective Debenture at a deemed conversion price of USD$1,000,000 per approximately 1% of Artex's issued and outstanding common shares on a fully diluted basis, and (ii) common share purchase warrants issued by Artex (the "Artex Warrants") giving Abaxx the right to acquire up to an additional 9.9% of Artex's issued and outstanding common shares on a fully diluted basis, exercisable for a period of three years from the respective date of issuance of the Artex Warrants at an exercise price based on the valuation of Artex at the time of exercise, as approved by Artex's board
of directors and, where applicable, regulatory approvals.
Artex has issued the Artex Debentures under the first tranche with the second tranche closing expected to occur on or around January 2026.
¹ARTEX is regulated by the Financial Market Authority (FMA) in Liechtenstein and compliant with the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II).
²Deloitte Private and ArtTactic, Art & Finance Report 2025 (9th Edition). The estimate reflects total art and collectible assets held by ultra-high-net-worth individuals in 2024.
About ARTEX AG
Co-founded by financial markets expert and accomplished art collector and H.S.H. Prince Wenceslas of Liechtenstein, ARTEX Global Markets AG, a subsidiary of ARTEX AG, operates a regulated multilateral trading facility ("MTF") for fine art. ARTEX democratizes access to masterpieces-ranging from the Renaissance to the 20th century- by enabling fractional ownership and real-time trading. Listed artworks are exhibited globally in renowned institutions.
ARTEX Global Markets is operated by ARTEX Global Markets AG, a company incorporated in the Principality of Liechtenstein under company number FL-0002.682.571-2 with registered offices at Wuhrstrasse 6, 9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein.
ARTEX Global Markets is regulated by the Financial Markets Authority under reference number 307407. For more information on ARTEX Global Markets please visit www.artexgm.com
About Abaxx Technologies
Abaxx Technologies is building Smarter Markets: markets empowered by better tools, better benchmarks, and better technology to drive market-based solutions to the biggest challenges we face as a society, including the energy transition.
In addition to developing and deploying the next generation of digital market infrastructure that reconciles law, identity, and technology to enable real-time collateral mobility, Abaxx is the majority shareholder of Abaxx Singapore Pte. Ltd., the owner of Abaxx Exchange and Abaxx Clearing, and the parent company of wholly owned subsidiaries Abaxx Spot Pte. Ltd. and Adaptive Infrastructure.
Abaxx Exchange delivers the market infrastructure critical to the shift toward an electrified, low-carbon economy through centrally-cleared, physically-deliverable futures contracts in LNG, carbon, battery materials, and precious metals, meeting the commercial needs of today's commodity markets and establishing the next generation of global benchmarks.
Abaxx Spot modernizes physical gold trading through a physically-backed gold pool in Singapore. As the first instance of a co-located spot and futures market for gold, Abaxx Spot enables secure electronic transactions, efficient OTC transfers, and is designed to support physical delivery for Abaxx Exchange's physically-deliverable gold futures contract, providing integrated infrastructure to deliver smarter gold markets.
Adaptive Infrastructure closes critical gaps in post-trade infrastructure by providing a unified custodial foundation across environmental markets and digital title assets. Incorporated in Barbados and regulated by the Financial Services Commission of Barbados, the company delivers institutional-grade custody, settlement, and transfer agency services designed to reduce risk and improve reliability across asset classes.
For more information, visit abaxx.tech | abaxx.exchange | abaxxspot.com | basecarbon.com | smartermarkets.media
For more information about this press release, please contact:
Steve Fray, CFO
Tel: +1 647-490-1590
Media and investor inquiries:
Abaxx Technologies Inc.
Investor Relations Team
Tel: +1 246 271 0082
E-mail: ir@abaxx.tech
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This press release includes certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "project", "intend", "expect", "may", "will", "plan", "should", "would", "could", "target", "purpose", "goal", "objective", "ongoing", "potential", "likely" or the negative thereof or similar expressions.
In particular, this press release contains forward-looking statements including, without limitation, statements regarding the expansion of Abaxx's product suite, the benefits of the strategic investment and cooperation agreement with Artex, the implementation and integration of new technology, the expansion of Abaxx's offered products into new markets and jurisdictions and the anticipated closing of the second tranche investment with Artex. Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analyses and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Such factors impacting forward-looking information include, among others: risks relating to the global economic climate; dilution; Abaxx's limited operating history; future capital needs and uncertainty of additional financing; the competitive nature of the industry; currency exchange risks; the need for Abaxx to manage its planned growth and expansion; the effects of product development and need for continued technology change; protection of proprietary rights; the effect of government regulation and compliance on Abaxx and the industry; acquiring and maintaining regulatory approvals for Abaxx's products and operations; the ability to list Abaxx's securities on stock exchanges in a timely fashion or at all; network security risks; the ability of Abaxx to maintain properly working systems; reliance on key personnel; global economic and financial market deterioration impeding access to capital or increasing the cost of capital; and volatile securities markets impacting security pricing unrelated to operating performance. In addition, particular factors which could impact future results of the business of Abaxx include but are not limited to: operations in foreign jurisdictions; protection of intellectual property rights; contractual risk; third-party risk; clearinghouse risk; malicious actor risks; third- party software license risk; system failure risk; risk of technological change; dependence of technical infrastructure; changes in global weather patterns; changes in the price of commodities, capital market conditions, restrictions on labor and international travel and supply chains, and the risk factors identified in the Company's most recent management's discussion and analysis filed on SEDAR+. Abaxx has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of Abaxx's normal course of business.
Abaxx cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. In addition, although Abaxx has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. When relying on forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Abaxx has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraphs will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Abaxx as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Abaxx undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements and information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and information. Cboe Canada does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
