Marathon Patent Group and DMG Blockchain Solutions to Form the Digital Currency Miners of North America (DCMNA) and Launch North America’s First Cooperative Mining Pool

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Marathon Patent Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MARA), (“Marathon”) and DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc. (TSX-V: DMGI) (DMGGF: OTC US) (FRANKFURT: 6AX) (“DMG”) have entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding to form Digital Currency Miners of North America (“DCMNA”), which will be a U.S.-based non-profit entity whose mission is to create a better mining environment for North American miners, to help improve their financial performance, and to create North America’s first cooperative mining pool.

Marathon Patent Group and DMG’s U.S. subsidiary, Blockseer, are working together to establish DCMNA, a non-profit entity focused on North American digital currency opportunities, including decentralizing the Bitcoin hashrate and providing more transparency for North American miners. DCMNA’s principal initiative is to create North America’s first cooperative mining pool by licensing Blockseer’s mining pool to all DCMNA members in a cooperative structure. Mining partners who are members will receive rebates based on the hash rate they contribute to the overall pool, thus improving the mining profitability of DCMNA members.

As a founding member of DCMNA and one of North America’s largest enterprise Bitcoin mining companies, Marathon will put all of its mining hashrate (equivalent to 10.36 EH/s, or 7.6% of the total Bitcoin network’s hashrate, if all miners were deployed today at current levels) into the pool.

Benefits of the mining pool include, but are not limited to:

  • Profit sharing, whereby miners receive rebates based on their contributed hashrate
  • Increased transparency as all financial information will be audited by a third-party U.S.-based financial audit firm
  • Lobbying efforts to improve the policies and regulatory environment in North America for miners
  • “Clean block mining” that adheres to the Office of Foreign Asset Control’s (OFAC’s) compliance standards and reduces the risk of mining blocks that include transactions linked to nefarious activities

DCMNA is focused on increasing transparency, trust, and accountability in the emerging mining industry, particularly as more institutions embrace Bitcoin as a store of value. Unlike other Bitcoin mining pools, Blockseer’s pool will be audited by an independent auditing firm, ensuring that the miners receive accurate rewards and that auditors and regulators can trust the data provided. Using DMG’s proprietary patent pending technologies, the pool will also create transaction blocks that specifically omit any transactions deemed risky by Walletscore, and which may not meet OFAC standards. As a result, North American miners who are DCMNA members will reduce the risk of the blocks they mine containing transactions tied to criminal or terrorist-related activities.

DCMNA will also act as unified group to lobby government bodies and regulators on behalf of its membership. The organization will be governed by its mining members, while Marathon’s executive chairman, Merrick Okamoto, will serve as DCMNA’s inaugural chairman. A membership committee will also be formed to develop and regulate DCMNA’s operations and investments in North American digital currency mining issues, which will be identified by its membership.

“We are tremendously proud to lead the launch of DCMNA, a non-profit organization, whose first mandate is to bring its members a vast improvement in mining pool operations by licensing the Blockseer pool to serve our North American mining members,” said Marathon’s executive chairman, Merrick Okamoto. “To date, companies such as ours have relied on pools primarily based in Asia to connect to the Bitcoin network, and we have been frustrated by the lack of transparency and audited data. Marathon has been a leader both in terms of market capitalization and also in terms of lobbying regulators on behalf of our industry, and we look forward to working diligently to build the capabilities of DCMNA on behalf of our mining partners and DCMNA’s new members.”

Dan Reitzik, DMG’s CEO added, “It is an honor to work with Marathon to establish the DCMNA and to provide the technological components for the DCMNA organization. When DMG acquired Datient, the parent of Blockseer in 2018, our intention was to create solutions that would benefit our industry as a whole and increase trust in the Bitcoin ecosystem. Mining is a unique industry, in that miners do not necessarily compete with one another for customers or contracts, but instead work together to secure the blockchain on which Bitcoin transactions are processed. It simply makes sense to amalgamate North American miners toward common goals, and the Blockseer pool is the ideal way in which to lead this process in a safe, transparent, and compliant way.”

Terms of the memorandum of understanding include DMG licensing Blockseer’s technology and associated intellectual property to DCMNA, as well as the management of pool operations. Upon completion of a definitive agreement, detailed terms and conditions will be provided in an upcoming news release. Pool operations are expected to commence shortly after entering into a definitive agreement.

About Marathon Patent Group
Marathon is a digital asset technology company that mines cryptocurrencies, with a focus on the blockchain ecosystem and the generation of digital assets.

About DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc.
DMG is a vertically integrated blockchain and cryptocurrency company that manages, operates, and develops end-to-end digital solutions to monetize the blockchain ecosystem. DMG’s businesses are segmented into three main divisions: data centre operations, data analytics and forensics and developing enterprise blockchains. DMG’s data centre operations focus on earning revenues from block rewards and transaction fees by mining primarily bitcoin as well as providing hosting services for industrial mining clients. DMG’s data analytics and forensic services provide technical expertise software products such as Blockseer Pool, Mine Manager and Walletscore, as well as working with auditors, law firms, and law enforcement organizations. DMG’s permissioned blockchain technology is focused on developing enterprise software for the supply chain management of controlled products. DMG’s strategy is to become the domain experts across the business verticals it focuses on. DMG’s management team includes seasoned crypto experts, forensic & financial professionals and blockchain developers with deep relationships throughout the industry.

For more information on DMG Blockchain Solutions visit: www.dmgblockchain.com

On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Daniel Reitzik, CEO & Director

For further information, please contact:

Marathon Patent Group Company Contact:
Jason Assad
Telephone: 678-570-6791
Email: Jason@marathonpg.com

Marathon Patent Group Investor Contact:
Gateway Investor Relations
Matt Glover and Charlie Schumacher
Telephone: 949-574-3860
Email: MARA@gatewayir.com

DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc.
Email: investors@dmgblockchain.com
Web: www.dmgblockchain.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains forward-looking information based on current expectations. Statements about the Company’s plans for the potential establishment of this new DCMNA pool and definitive agreement, to increase petahash (PH) by self-mining, price of bitcoin, plans and intentions, other potential transactions, acquisition of customers, product development, events, courses of action, and the potential of the Company’s technology and operations, among others, are all forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding looking wording such as “may”, “expect”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “believe” and “continue” or the negative thereof or similar variations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including but not limited to, business, economic and capital market conditions; the ability to manage operating expenses, which may adversely affect the Company’s financial condition; the ability to remain competitive as other better financed competitors develop and release competitive products; regulatory uncertainties; access to equipment; market conditions and the demand and pricing for products; the demand and pricing of bitcoins; security threats, including a loss/theft of DMG’s bitcoins; DMG’s relationships with its customers, distributors and business partners; the inability to add more power to DMG’s facilities; DMG’s ability to successfully define, design and release new products in a timely manner that meet customers’ needs; the ability to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel; competition in the industry; the impact of technology changes on the products and industry; failure to develop new and innovative products; the ability to successfully maintain and enforce our intellectual property rights and defend third-party claims of infringement of their intellectual property rights; the impact of intellectual property litigation that could materially and adversely affect the business; the ability to manage working capital; and the dependence on key personnel. DMG may not actually achieve its plans, projections, or expectations. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the demand for its products, the ability to successfully develop software, that there will be no regulation or law that will prevent the Company from operating its business, anticipated costs, the ability to secure sufficient capital to complete its business plans, the ability to achieve goals and the price of bitcoin. Given these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

The securities of DMG are considered highly speculative due to the nature of DMG’s business.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, failure to obtain regulatory approval, the continued availability of capital and financing, equipment failures, lack of supply of equipment, power and infrastructure, failure to obtain any permits required to operate the business, the impact of technology changes on the industry, the impact of Covid-19 or other viruses and diseases on the Company’s ability to operate, secure equipment, and hire personnel, competition, security threats including stolen bitcoins from DMG or its customers, consumer sentiment towards DMG’s products, services and blockchain technology generally, failure to develop new and innovative products, litigation, increase in operating costs, increase in equipment and labor costs, failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations, government regulations, loss of key employees and consultants, and general economic, market or business conditions. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additionally, the Company undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made by third parties in respect of the matters discussed above.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.