SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2024

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

Preparing consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclose 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; consequently, results may differ from these estimates.

Intangible Assets - Capitalized Product Development Costs

Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 350, “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other,” includes software that is part of a product or process to be sold to a customer and shall be accounted for under Subtopic 985-20. Our products contain embedded software internally developed by Bubblr, which is an integral part of these products because it allows the various components of the products to communicate with each other, and the products are clearly unable to function without this coding.

The costs of product development that are capitalized once technological feasibility is determined (noted as Technology in progress in the Intangible Assets table, in Note 5 to Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements) include sub-contractor expenses, payroll, employee benefits, and other headcount-related expenses associated with product development. The Company determines that technological feasibility for products is reached after all high-risk development issues have been resolved. Once the products are available for general release to the Company’s customers, the Company ceases capitalizing the product development costs and any additional costs, if any, are expensed. The capitalized product development costs are amortized on a product-by-product basis using the straight-line amortization. The amortization begins when the products are available for general release to our customers.

Segment Reporting

Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 280, “Segment Reporting,” requires public companies to report financial and descriptive information about their reportable operating segments. The Company identifies operating segments based on how our chief operating decision maker internally evaluates separate financial information, business activities and management responsibility. Accordingly, the Company has one reportable segment, consisting of fees for App usage.

	Six Months Ended				Three Months Ended
	June 30,				June 30,
Net sales:	2024		2023		2024		2023
North America	$	2,672	$	-	$	1,168	$	-
Europe		-		-		-		-
Totals	$	2,672	$	-	$	1,168	$	-

Long-lived assets, net (property and equipment and intangible assets):	June 30, 2024		December 31, 2023
North America	$	37,737	$	38,881
Europe		1,110,289		1,449,049
Totals	$	1,110,289	$	1,449,049

Intangible Assets

The cost of intangible assets with determinable useful lives is amortized to reflect the pattern of economic benefits consumed on a straight-line basis over the estimated periods benefited. Patents, technology, and other intangibles with contractual terms are generally amortized over their respective legal or contractual lives. When certain events or changes in operating conditions occur, an impairment assessment is performed, and lives of intangible assets with determinable lives may be adjusted.

Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable or that the useful lives of these assets are no longer appropriate. Each impairment test is based on comparing the undiscounted future cash flows to the recorded value of the asset. The asset is written down to its estimated fair value if an impairment is indicated. The Company did not have any impairment of long-lived assets for the six months ending June 30, 2024, and a $6,367 motor vehicle impairment in the year ending December 31, 2023.

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 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 or 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 significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable.

The carrying value of the Company’s current assets and liabilities is deemed to be their fair value due to their short-term maturity and realization. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company acquired warrant derivative liabilities, which are Level 3 financial instruments adjusted to fair market value on reporting dates. At June 30, 2024, and December 31, 2023, the warrant liabilities balances were $19,315 and $39,116, respectively. There were no changes in the fair value hierarchy leveling during the six months ended June 30, 2024.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for stock-based compensation in accordance with 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 expenses in the financial statements based on the fair values of the stock awards 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).

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 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 are 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 six months ended June 30, 2024, and 2023, the following outstanding stock was excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share as the result was anti-dilutive.

	June 30,
	2024		2023
	(Shares)		(Shares)
Series C Preferred Stock		3,384,135		3,384,135
Warrants		2,358,101		2,358,101
Total		5,742,236		5,742,236

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.

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. Gains on foreign exchange transactions totaling $19,801 and losses of $2,531 were recognized during the six months ended June 30, 2024, and 2023, respectively.

	June 30,				December 31,
	2024		2023		2023
Period-end GBP£: U.S.$ exchange rate		1.2649		1.2649		1.2731
Weighted average GBP£: U.S.$ exchange rate		1.2651		1.2521		1.2441

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 believed more likely than not to be realized.

As of June 30, 2024, and December 31, 2023, the Company did not record any amounts about uncertain tax positions.

UK Taxes

We do not consider ourselves 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 only for their US activities. Relief would then be available against the UK tax liabilities with respect to 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 residents 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 have a material impact on our financial statements.

Reclassifications

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