SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

NOTE 2 - SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The Company’s fiscal year-end is December 31.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries: Bubblr Holdings Ltd., Bubblr Ltd., and Bubblr CLN Ltd. All significant inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Some of these judgments can be subjective and complex, and, consequently, actual results may differ from these estimates.

Convertible Financial Instruments

The Company bifurcates conversion options from their host instruments and accounts for them as free-standing derivative financial instruments if certain criteria are met. The criteria include circumstances in which (a) the economic characteristics and risks of the embedded derivative instrument are not clearly and closely related to the economic characteristics and risks of the host contract, (b) the hybrid instrument that embodies both the embedded derivative instrument and the host contract is not remeasured at fair value under otherwise applicable generally accepted accounting principles with changes in fair value reported in earnings as they occur, and (c) a separate instrument with the same terms as the embedded derivative instrument would be considered a derivative instrument. An exception to this rule is when the host instrument is deemed to be conventional, as that term is described under applicable GAAP.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company accounts for financial instruments in accordance with ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures.” ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy under ASC 820 are described below:

Level 1 – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities.

Level 2 – Quoted prices in non-active markets or in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, observable inputs other than quoted prices, and inputs that are not directly observable but are corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3 – Prices or valuations that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable.

The carrying value of the Company’s current assets and liabilities are deemed to be their fair value due to the short-term maturity and realization. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company acquired warrant derivative liabilities, which are Level 3 financial instruments that are adjusted to fair market value on reporting dates. At September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 the warrant liabilities balances were $83,495 and $198,479 respectively. There were no changes in the fair value hierarchy leveling during the nine months ended September 30, 2023.

Stock Based Compensation

We follow ASC Topic 718, Compensation–Stock Compensation, which prescribes accounting and reporting standards for all share-based payment transactions in which employee and non-employee services are acquired. Share-based payments to employees and non-employees, including grants of stock options, are recognized as compensation expense in the financial statements based on the stock awards’ fair values on the grant date. That expense is recognized over the period required to provide services in exchange for the award, known as the requisite service period (usually the vesting period). Restricted stock units (“RSUs”) issued as compensation in accordance with the Company’s 2022 Equity Incentive Plan are deemed to be unissued until fully vested. RSU compensation is recognized as expense over the vesting period. Upon repurchase of the award any unrecognized compensation, net of cash payments, is expensed immediately. Awards forfeited due to unfulfillment of obligations, such as termination of employment prior to the award being fully vested, for no cash or other consideration, are not recognized as an expense and any previously recognized costs are reversed in the period of forfeiture.

Employees – We account for share-based compensation under the fair value method which requires all such compensation to employees, including the grant of employee stock options, to be calculated based on its fair value at the measurement date (generally the grant date), and recognized in the consolidated statement of operations over the requisite service period.

Nonemployees - Under the requirements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2018-07, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2018-07”), we account for share-based compensation to non-employees under the fair value method which requires all such compensation to be calculated based on the fair value at the measurement date (generally the grant date), and recognized in the statement of operations over the requisite service period.

Common Stock Purchase Warrants and Derivative Financial Instruments

Common stock purchase warrants and other derivative financial instruments are classified as equity if the contracts (1) require physical settlement or net-share settlement or (2) give the Company a choice of net-cash settlement or settlement in its own shares (physical settlement or net-share settlement). Contracts which (1) require net-cash settlement (including a requirement to net cash settle the contract if an event occurs and if that event is outside the control of the Company), (2) give the counterparty a choice of net-cash settlement or settlement in shares (physical settlement or net-share settlement), or (3) that contain reset provisions that do not qualify for the scope exception are classified as liabilities. The Company assesses the classification of its common stock purchase warrants and other derivatives at each reporting date to determine whether a change in classification between equity and liabilities is required.

Basic and Diluted Net Loss per Common Share

Pursuant to ASC 260, “Earnings Per Share,” basic net income and net loss per share are computed by dividing the net income and net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted net income and net loss per share is the same as basic net income and net loss per share when their inclusion would have an anti-dilutive effect due to our continuing net losses.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, and 2022, the following outstanding stock was excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share as the result was anti-dilutive.

	September 30,
	2023		2022
	(Shares)		(Shares)
Series C Preferred Stock		3,384,135		3,384,135
Warrants		2,358,101		2,358,101
Convertible Notes		-		2,037,834
Total		5,742,236		7,780,070

Foreign Currency Translations

The functional currency of the Company’s international subsidiaries is generally their local currency of Great British Pounds (GBP). Local currency assets and liabilities are translated at the exchange rates on the balance sheet date, and local currency revenues and expenses are translated at weighted average exchange rates during the period. Equity accounts are translated at historical rates. The resulting translation adjustments are recorded directly into accumulated other comprehensive income.

	September 30,				December 31,
	2023		2022		2022
Period-end GBP£: U.S.$ exchange rate		1.2199		1.1171		1.2101
Weighted average GBP£: U.S.$ exchange rate		1.2447		1.2661		1.2430

Aggregate transaction gains or losses, including gains or losses related to foreign-denominated cash and cash equivalents and the re-measurement of certain inter-company balances, are included in the statement of operations as other income and expense. Losses on foreign exchange transactions totaling $6,250 and $289,790 were recognized during the nine months ended September 30, 2023, and 2022, respectively.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method in accordance with ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” The asset and liability method provides that deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and for operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the currently enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount that is believed more likely than not to be realized.

As of September 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022, the Company did not have any amounts recorded pertaining to uncertain tax positions.

UK Taxes

We do not consider ourselves to be engaged in a trade or business in the UK and, as such, do not expect to be subject to UK corporate income taxation. We have subsidiaries based in the UK that are subject to the tax laws of that country. Under current law, those subsidiaries are taxed at the applicable corporate income tax rates. Should any UK subsidiaries be deemed to undertake business activities in the US, they would be subject to US corporate income tax in respect of their US activities only. Relief would then be available against the UK tax liabilities in respect of the overseas taxes arising from US activities. At present, this is not applicable as our UK subsidiaries only undertake activities in the UK. Our UK subsidiaries file separate UK income tax returns.

UK Tax Risk

Companies that are incorporated outside the UK may become subject to UK taxes in a number of circumstances, including circumstances in which (1) they are deemed resident in the UK for tax purposes by reason of their central management and control being exercised from the UK or (2) they are treated as carrying on a trade, investing or carrying on any other business activity in the UK, whether or not through a UK Permanent Establishment (“PE”).

In addition, the Finance Act 2015 introduced a new tax known as the diverted profits tax (“DPT”), which is charged at 25% of any “taxable diverted profit.”. The DPT has had an effect since April 1, 2015, and may apply in circumstances including (1) where arrangements are designed to ensure that a non-UK resident company does not carry on a trade in the UK through a PE; and (2) where a tax reduction is obtained through the involvement of entities or transactions lacking economic substance. We intend to operate in such a manner that none of our companies should be subject to the UK DPT and that none of our companies (other than those companies incorporated in the UK) should: (1) be treated as resident in the UK for tax purposes; (2) carry on a trade, invest or carry on any other business activity in the UK (whether or not through a UK PE).

However, this result is based on certain legal and factual determinations, and since the scope and the basis upon which the DPT will be applied by HM Revenue & Customs (“HMRC”) in the UK remains uncertain and since applicable law and regulations do not conclusively define the activities that constitute conducting a trade, investment or business activity in the UK (whether or not through a UK PE), and since we cannot exclude the possibility that there will be a change in law that adversely affects the analysis, HMRC might successfully assert a contrary position. The terms of an income tax treaty between the UK and the home country of the relevant Bubblr subsidiary, if any, could contain additional protections against UK tax.

Any arrangements between UK-resident entities of Bubblr and other entities of Bubblr are subject to the UK transfer pricing regime. Consequently, if any agreement between a UK resident entity of Bubblr and any other Bubblr entity (whether that entity is resident in or outside of the UK) is found not to be on arm’s length terms and, as a result, a UK tax advantage is being obtained, an adjustment will be required to compute UK taxable profits as if such an agreement were on arm’s length terms. Any transfer pricing adjustment could adversely impact the tax charge incurred by the relevant UK resident entities of Bubblr.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

The Company has reviewed all recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements and does not believe the future adoption of any such pronouncements may be expected to cause a material impact on our financial statements.

Reclassifications

Certain accounts have been reclassified in prior periods to conform to current period presentation. Compensation expense that was previously reported separately has been combined with general and administrative expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for all periods presented.