New Joint Initiative to Tackle Core Identity Challenge For The Global Precious Metals Industry

Rhea-AI Summary

SMX (NASDAQ:SMX) announced a joint initiative with FinGo and Bougainville Refinery Ltd on December 22, 2025, to evaluate an integrated physical-to-digital framework for authenticating gold from mine to export.

The program pairs SMX's molecular-level gold authentication, FinGo's biometric Human Identity-as-a-Service (HIDaaS) for KYC/AML, and BRL's refinery operations to create tamper-resistant digital provenance, auditable compliance records, and verified custody transfers aligned with LBMA, DMCC, and World Gold Council guidance.

Market Reality Check

$167.17 Last Close

Volume Volume 314,204 is well below 20-day average of 4,043,375 (relative volume 0.08). low

Technical Price at 176.03 is trading below 200-day MA of 1,833.37, despite recent strength.

Peers on Argus 1 Down

SMX is up 12.74% while key peer NISN appeared in momentum scanners moving down 7.95%, suggesting today’s move is stock-specific rather than sector-driven.

Historical Context

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Dec 18	Cannabis compliance framing	Positive	+23.7%	Positions verification systems as suited to new federal cannabis oversight.
Dec 18	Federal reform positioning	Positive	+23.7%	Claims molecular identity can support reclassified, federally regulated cannabis.
Dec 17	Cannabis traceability tech	Positive	+8.8%	Announces patented seed‑to‑sale molecular identity system for cannabis.
Dec 17	Verification infrastructure pitch	Positive	+8.8%	Describes material identity plus Plastic Cycle Token for enforceable verification.
Dec 17	Stock re-rating recap	Positive	+8.8%	Highlights >1,900% move since November tied to compliance infrastructure narrative.

Pattern Detected

Recent company news around compliance and traceability has repeatedly coincided with strong positive price reactions.

Recent Company History

This announcement extends SMX’s recent streak of traceability- and compliance-focused news. Between Dec 17–18, 2025, SMX highlighted cannabis seed‑to‑sale molecular identity, federal cannabis reclassification alignment, and a broader physical‑verification system, with 24‑hour moves up to 23.73%. Another release detailed a >1,900% move since November, framing SMX as infrastructure for provable compliance. Today’s Bougainville gold‑supply initiative fits the same theme of material identity and auditable chains of custody across regulated markets.

Market Pulse Summary

The stock moved -5.0% in the session following this news. A negative reaction despite this partnership would contrast with recent news-driven gains, where prior traceability and compliance releases saw moves up to 23.73%. The gold‑supply initiative continues the same narrative of material identity and auditable custody, but recent regulatory filings detailing reverse splits and expanded equity plans indicate investors also track dilution and capital structure closely, which could overshadow operational announcements during weaker tape or risk‑off shifts.

Key Terms

kyc/aml regulatory

"FinGo's biometric digital identity and KYC/AML infrastructure, and BRL's operational..."

KYC/AML combines Know Your Customer identity checks and Anti‑Money Laundering monitoring that require firms to verify who their customers are and watch for unusual or illegal transaction patterns. Investors care because weak KYC/AML can lead to regulatory fines, fraud and reputational damage that hurt revenue and share price, while strong controls reduce legal risk and make the business more stable—like a locked door and an alarm system for financial activity.

esg regulatory

"meets applicable regulatory, compliance, and ESG requirements."

ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance, which are key factors investors consider when evaluating how sustainable and responsible a company is. It involves assessing how a company manages its impact on the environment, treats its employees and communities, and operates transparently and ethically. Investors use ESG criteria to identify businesses that align with their values and have the potential for long-term success.

biometric technical

"FinGo's biometric digital identity and KYC/AML infrastructure..."

Biometric describes measurements of unique physical or behavioral traits—like fingerprints, face shape, voice, or the way someone types—used to identify or verify a person. For investors, biometrics matter because they underpin products and services that promise stronger security or convenience, create new market opportunities, and raise regulatory and privacy risks that can affect a company’s costs, customer trust, and long-term value.

human identity-as-a-service (hidaas) technical

"FinGo complements this capability through its Human Identity-as-a-Service (HIDaaS) platform..."

A human identity-as-a-service (HIDaaS) is a cloud-based platform that verifies and manages people’s identities using tools like biometric checks, ID document scans, and secure login methods. For investors it matters because HIDaaS products act like a digital gatekeeper for many online businesses, offering recurring subscription revenue and reducing fraud and compliance risk—similar to renting a secure front door and security guard for a company’s online operations.

london bullion market association (lbma) regulatory

"set by leading global gold-market bodies, including the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA)..."

An industry body that sets quality standards, rules and oversight for the wholesale trading and storage of gold and silver, acting like a referee and rulebook for the bullion market. It maintains an approved list of refiners and vaults, supports trusted pricing and trade practices, and helps investors know they are buying genuine metal and can sell it easily, which reduces risk and keeps the market liquid.

dubai multi commodities centre (dmcc) regulatory

"including the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC)..."

A free-trade zone and business hub in Dubai that provides company registration, licensing, and infrastructure tailored to commodities trading, shipping, and related services. Think of it as a specialized neighborhood that makes it easier and cheaper for firms to set up, operate, and trade internationally by offering streamlined rules, tax advantages, and logistics support. For investors, presence in this hub can signal easier market access, lower operating costs, and clearer legal standing for firms involved in commodity and trade activities.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

SMX, FinGo & Bougainville Refinery Ltd to Deliver Verifiable Identification for Gold

NEW YORK, NY; PORT MORESBY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA AND LONDON, GB / ACCESS Newswire / December 22, 2025 / SMX (Security Matters) PLC (NASDAQ:SMX; SMXWW), a leader in physical-to-digital authentication and traceability technology, today announced a joint initiative with FinGo, a secure digital identity provider, and Bougainville Refinery Ltd (BRL) to evaluate a combined technology framework for authenticating the gold supply chain from mine and miner through refinery and export.
The initiative reflects a shared objective to establish Bougainville as a global reference point for transparent, responsible, and technology-enabled gold trade, demonstrating how advanced authentication and digital identity infrastructure can be embedded at a national supply-chain level.

The parties will assess the deployment of an integrated material and human verification platform designed to deliver traceability, auditability, and transparency across the entire gold value chain. It brings together SMX's molecular-level gold authentication, FinGo's biometric digital identity and KYC/AML infrastructure, and BRL's operational, compliance, and export capabilities as a licensed gold refinery and supply-chain operator.

Authenticating Both the Metal and the Human

The joint initiative addresses a challenge in global precious-metals markets: the ability to verifiably authenticate both the physical gold and the individuals handling it, in a manner that meets applicable regulatory, compliance, and ESG requirements.

SMX's proprietary technology enables gold to be invisibly and permanently authenticated at the material level, creating a secure physical-digital link that remains intact through refining and downstream processing. This material identity is anchored to a tamper-resistant digital record, enabling continuous verification, auditability, and provenance assurance.

FinGo complements this capability through its Human Identity-as-a-Service (HIDaaS) platform, providing biometric identity verification, KYC/AML alignment, and secure authorization of individuals operating across the supply chain from miners and aggregators to refinery personnel and export counterparties. This is designed to enable actions, custody changes, and transactions to be confidently attributed to verified individuals, including in remote or infrastructure-limited environments.

Leveraging BRL's Operations and Bougainville's Commitment to Transparency

Bougainville Refinery Ltd brings established refinery operations, export workflows, and regulatory compliance processes into the initiative. BRL's role is to operationally integrate SMX and FinGo technologies within real-world gold sourcing, refining, and export environments, with a goal to strengthen chain-of-custody integrity while supporting robust AML, KYC, and responsible-sourcing standards.

SMX believes that the joint initiative both aligns with the Bougainville Government's stated commitment to responsible resource management and the use of advanced technologies to enhance transparency, trust, and economic participation across the gold value chain, as well as demonstrates how public-private partnerships can embed next-generation compliance and traceability infrastructure directly into national supply-chain operations.

Together, the initiative has been designed to evaluate how an integrated framework can enhance:

• End-to-end provenance and chain-of-custody assurance from mine to export

• Alignment with international KYC/AML, responsible-sourcing, and ESG standards

• Digitised, auditable compliance records for regulators, counterparties, and financiers

• Reduced reliance on manual, paper-based verification processes

Aligning with Global Gold Market Standards and Responsible Sourcing Framework

The initiative is aligned with the direction set by leading global gold-market bodies, including the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), and the World Gold Council, to advance transparency, responsible sourcing, and robust chain-of-custody expectations across international precious-metals markets.

As regulators, refiners, and market participants face requirements to demonstrate compliance with responsible gold guidance, AML/KYC obligations, and ESG frameworks, the initiative is being designed to evaluate how physical-to-digital authentication and biometric identity infrastructure can act as practical, scalable enablers of these global standards.

By embedding material-level gold authentication, verified human identity, and auditable digital records directly into supply-chain operations, the initiative is being designed to represent a concrete step toward supporting the objectives articulated in LBMA Responsible Gold Guidance, DMCC sourcing and compliance frameworks, and World Gold Council principles strengthening trust, accountability, and consistency across global gold markets.

Setting a Global Benchmark for Responsible Gold Trade

Beyond the single deployment expected in the initiative by the parties, it is intended to serve as a reference model for how jurisdictions can modernise gold supply chains, balancing commercial efficiency with transparency, accountability, and inclusion.

By combining material-level authentication, biometric human identity, and operational supply-chain controls, the initiative aims to demonstrate how next-generation physical-to-digital infrastructure can underpin trusted gold markets not only for Bougainville, but as a replicable framework for governments, refiners, and exporters globally.

SMX believes that the initiative represents what is possible when government commitment, operational capability, and advanced technology converge: a supply-chain environment where miners, refiners, regulators, financiers, and end-markets can participate with confidence, even amid the complexity of global precious-metals trade.

Executive Commentary Jonathan Kenneth, Director, Bougainville Refinery Ltd, said: "This initiative will evaluate the ability to support miners, gold dealers and the Bougainville Government with genuine end-to-end transparency across the gold supply chain. By combining advanced authentication and digital identity technologies, the refinery believes that it can assist in stronger resource management, clearer custodial ownership, and compliance with global best-practice frameworks aligned with the World Gold Council, LBMA, and DMCC. This is an exciting time for Bougainville as we continue to progress toward a more transparent, responsible, and internationally trusted gold industry."

Bottom of Form

For further information contact:

SMX GENERAL ENQUIRIES	Follow us through our social channel @secmattersltd
E: info@securitymattersltd.com	@smx.tech

About Bougainville Refinery Ltd (BRL)

Bougainville Refinery Ltd is a gold refinery and supply-chain operator focused on compliant sourcing, refining, and export of precious metals. BRL operates with a strong emphasis on regulatory compliance, responsible sourcing, and transparent supply-chain operations.

About FinGo

FinGo is a digital identity company providing secure, biometric-based identity verification through its VeinID technology. FinGo's Human Identity-as-a-Service platform enables privacy-preserving KYC, authentication, and transaction authorization across complex and remote supply chains.

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: successful launch and implementation of SMX's joint projects with manufacturers and other supply chain participants of 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; 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.

SOURCE: SMX (Security Matters)

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

FAQ

What is the goal of SMX, FinGo and Bougainville Refinery Ltd's December 22, 2025 initiative (SMX)?

To evaluate an integrated physical-to-digital framework that authenticates gold material and verifies individuals across the supply chain from mine to export.

How does SMX's technology authenticate gold in the SMX joint initiative?

SMX uses an invisible, permanent material-level authentication that links physical gold to a tamper-resistant digital record for continuous provenance verification.

What role does FinGo play in the SMX (SMX) joint project in Bougainville?

FinGo provides biometric Human Identity-as-a-Service for KYC/AML alignment and verified authorization of miners, aggregators, refinery staff, and export counterparties.

How will Bougainville Refinery Ltd participate in the SMX initiative (SMX)?

BRL will operationally integrate SMX and FinGo technologies into real-world sourcing, refining, and export workflows as a licensed refinery and supply-chain operator.

Which global standards does the SMX joint initiative aim to align with?

The initiative is designed to align with LBMA responsible gold guidance, DMCC sourcing and compliance frameworks, and World Gold Council principles.

What investor-relevant benefits does the SMX initiative claim to evaluate?

The parties aim to evaluate end-to-end chain-of-custody assurance, digitised auditable compliance records, reduced paper-based verification, and alignment with international KYC/AML standards.