Trust Stamp announces proposed action to address suspected naked short-selling

Rhea-AI Summary

Trust Stamp is addressing potential illegal short selling of its stock, which may have artificially depressed its stock price. The company will engage forensic experts and work with other listed companies to address this activity. Short selling may be liable for fraud and breaches of SEC regulations. Trust Stamp aims to obtain restitution for the damage caused and cooperate with regulatory authorities.

Positive

• Trust Stamp is taking measures to address potential illegal short selling, demonstrating their commitment to protecting shareholder interests.
• The company is engaging forensic experts and working with other listed companies to address the issue, showing proactive efforts to combat illicit trading activity.

Negative

• The stock price may have been artificially depressed due to short selling, which could have a negative impact on investors.
• Trust Stamp is facing potential damage caused by illicit short selling, which may result in financial losses for the company and its shareholders.

ATLANTA, Aug. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trust Stamp (Nasdaq: IDAI), the Privacy-First Identity Company^TM announced that it is examining measures to address potential illegal short selling of its stock. The Company said that it believes certain individuals and/or companies may have engaged in illicit naked short selling that may have artificially depressed its stock price. Trust Stamp’s board will consider a number of options to address this activity including the engagement of forensic experts, as well as working with other listed companies and their counsel that have identified similar trading activity in their shares.

Gareth N Genner, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, commented, “Our concerns as to possibly illicit short selling activities were reinforced when the Securities and Exchange Commission (“the SEC”) exercised its powers under Regulation SHO to place the stock on the “Threshold List” as a consequence of failures to deliver that can in some instances be indicative of naked shorting.

Inclusion on the Threshold List signifies that for five consecutive settlement days there had been a failure to deliver at least 10,000 shares which also had to comprise at least 0.5% of our total shares outstanding. Over the last month, a very large proportion of our trading volume has been short sales and it is reasonable to assume that this shorting activity may have artificially depressed the stock price.

Short selling is not necessarily illegal, but with limited exceptions such as bona fide market makers, a seller intentionally and improperly placing short sales not knowing that they have borrowed or located the shares, or being reckless as to whether they will be able to borrow or locate the shares, maybe liable for fraud in addition to breaches of SEC regulations. In this case it appears from the continuing failures to deliver that one or more short sellers may have made short sales without having borrowed or located the shares needed to cover their short positions.

Given the damage that illicit short selling causes to legitimate investors, we are working to uncover any such activities and then obtain advice as to potential civil remedies to obtain restitution for the damage caused, as well as proactively cooperating with the SEC, U.S. Department of Justice, FINRA and Nasdaq in respect of enforcement action that can be pursued against any bad actors that are identified.” 

Inquiries

Trust Stamp                                                   Email: Shareholders@truststamp.ai

Gareth Genner, CEO            

About Trust Stamp

Trust Stamp the Privacy-First Identity Company^TM, is a global provider of AI-powered identity services for use in multiple sectors including banking and finance, regulatory compliance, government, real estate, communications, and humanitarian services. Its technology empowers organizations with advanced biometric identity solutions that reduce fraud, protect personal data privacy, increase operational efficiency, and reach a broader base of users worldwide through its unique data transformation and comparison capabilities.

Located in six countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, Trust Stamp trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market (Nasdaq: IDAI). The company was founded in 2016 by Gareth Genner and Andrew Gowasack.

Safe Harbor Statement: Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Remarks 

All statements in this release that are not based on historical fact are “forward-looking statements” including within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The information in this announcement may contain forward-looking statements and information related to, among other things, the company, its business plan and strategy, and its industry. These statements reflect management’s current views with respect to future events-based information currently available and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. The company does not undertake any obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after such date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.