Note 5 - Notes Receivable

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Notes to Financial Statements

Financing Receivables [Text Block]

5. NOTES RECEIVABLE

During the quarter ended September 30, 2017, we entered into a Loan Agreement with a privately-held identity and professional services company with ties to the FinTech industry. We committed to lend up to $1,500,000 all of which has been advanced as of December 31, 2019. During 2018, we advanced $550,000 on three separate simple Promissory Note(s). As discussed in Note 3, we converted the Loan Agreement and all outstanding Promissory Notes to an equity ownership of 40 percent of the company. At the same time, we entered into and advanced a $1,000,000 Loan Agreement that bears interest at the rate of 6.0 percent annually with a maturity date of June 2021. In October 2019 and January 2020, we entered into Loan Agreements and advanced an additional $500,000 and $1,000,000, respectively, that bears interest at the rate of 6.0 percent annually with maturity dates of October 2021 and January 2022, respectively. In 2021, the company transferred its advisory business to a new entity. We contributed our note receivable of $2,806,000 and $800,000 of cash for a 28% ownership interest in the new entity.

In the quarter ended March 31, 2018, we entered into a Convertible Loan Agreement with a private limited India based company in the FinTech industry. We committed to lend up to $435,000 with an initial advance of $235,000. The loan bears interest at the rate of 5.0 percent annually with the maturity date on the third anniversary of funding of such Promissory Note. We are entitled to convert the principal on the initial note for up to ten percent ownership of shares of the company. For the quarter ended March 31, 2020, we determined that the principal and interest is likely not collectible and therefore recorded a valuation allowance of $259,000, included in investment loss on the Consolidated Statement of Operations.

In February 2021, we entered into and advanced a $550,000 Promissory Note with a privately held technology company and program manager in the FinTech industry, discussed further in Note 3. The note bears interest at the rate of 4.6 percent annually with the maturity date of October 2023.