The European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Legislation is likely to effectively ban stablecoins USD Tether (USDT) and USDC by requesting stablecoins issuers to build up a sufficiently liquid reserve, with a 1/1 ratio and partly in the form of deposits which, USDT and USDC are unlikely to do. The legislations is also designed to make life tougher for crypto exchanges. In the US, regulators are trying to separate the bad actors in the crypto space — those actively committing fraud — from those who want to advance crypto and its market infrastructure, according to Dawn Stump, the former commissioner at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The Central banks of GCC countries on the other hand have made huge strides in lightly regulating crypto assets.
The Central Bank of the tiny gulf emirate of Bahrain (CBB) enacted banking regulations for digital assets allowing cryptocurrencies as an official method of payment since 2019. The CBB regulation allows banks in Bahrain to work with exchanges so that customers can withdraw and deposit their money easily. CBB launched FinHub 973, a virtual platform to allow fintech companies to test their solutions through the regulatory Sandbox and connect with the hub’s global network for funding and business opportunities. FinHub 973 is all about supporting innovation in the sector and is a good example of the driving forces behind the region’s shifting fintech landscape.
The Saudi Central Bank and Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates have been working together to learn how the two banks can adopt blockchain and digital payments. Saudi Arabia's Financial Sector Development Program (FSDP) launched the Fintech Strategy Implementation Plan in June 2022 to make Riyadh a global Fintech hub. In contrast to their Gulf neighbours, Qatar currently has a ban on cryptocurrency trade with the exception of security tokens in 2020. In most other countries, digital assets fall under the jurisdiction of securities regulators, not central banks.
In Saudi Arabia, the fintech sector generated approximately $157.2 million in venture capital (VC) investments in the first eight months of 2021, up staggeringly from $7.8 million in 2020 and $18 million in 2019. In 2022, the Saudi VC market witnessed a record funding of $584 million in the first half, a 244 percent increase in comparison to the same period in 2021. Saudi Aramco's Prosperity7 Ventures, a one-billion-dollar Venture Capital fund aims to build on this success by identifying ground-breaking companies with exceptional leadership in diverse industries deploying disruptive technologies with the ability to scale and transform.
Showing posts with label Gulf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gulf. Show all posts
Thursday 25 August 2022
Sunday 7 August 2022
Two decoupled energy blocs with India and the Gulf in the middle
Australia’s Strategic Policy Institute opined on the emergence post Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, of two decoupled energy blocs with China and Russia on one side, and Europe, North America, and the Indo-Pacific democracies, on the other side. Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in 2020 almost 30% of EU crude oil imports came from Russia and over 40% of natural gas imports came from Russia while more than half of solid fossil fuel (mostly coal) imports originated from Russia (54 %). European nations are now seeking new sources of gas, oil and diesel fuel from the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and India, as well as an increased focus on local energy production to wean themselves off Russian energy sources.
With Russian oil banned in the United States and Europe, India finds itself in the middle of the two decoupled energy blocs buying Russian crude at substantial discounts, powering its energy-thirsty economy at a lower cost, and refining into products like diesel and jet fuel to sell at better-than-usual margins abroad. Ironically, Europe is eager to buy the same Russian crude after it is refined in India into diesel shipping the fuel to Europe since March 2022, with increased trade flows expected over the coming months. China buys 50% of its oil supplies from the Gulf.
The Strait of Hormuz is the most important chokepoint between the two decoupled energy blocs accounting for about a third of the world’s sea-borne oil (and a fifth of the world’s total oil exports), linking oil and gas Upstream producers in the Middle East with Downstream consumers in Europe, North America, China and Indo-Pacific.
In 2016, according to America’s Energy Information Administration, the waterway carried some 19m barrels of crude and other petroleum products a day. This volume will accelerate through 2030 because of new mega refineries in the Gulf China and India and growing demand in Europe and emerging markets. According to Bloomberg, State-run Qatar Energy’s six new gas-liquefaction plants are set to produce 8 million tons of LNG per year for export to Europe. Morgan Stanley forecasts global LNG consumption to rise by 60% through 2030.
With Russian oil banned in the United States and Europe, India finds itself in the middle of the two decoupled energy blocs buying Russian crude at substantial discounts, powering its energy-thirsty economy at a lower cost, and refining into products like diesel and jet fuel to sell at better-than-usual margins abroad. Ironically, Europe is eager to buy the same Russian crude after it is refined in India into diesel shipping the fuel to Europe since March 2022, with increased trade flows expected over the coming months. China buys 50% of its oil supplies from the Gulf.
The Strait of Hormuz is the most important chokepoint between the two decoupled energy blocs accounting for about a third of the world’s sea-borne oil (and a fifth of the world’s total oil exports), linking oil and gas Upstream producers in the Middle East with Downstream consumers in Europe, North America, China and Indo-Pacific.
In 2016, according to America’s Energy Information Administration, the waterway carried some 19m barrels of crude and other petroleum products a day. This volume will accelerate through 2030 because of new mega refineries in the Gulf China and India and growing demand in Europe and emerging markets. According to Bloomberg, State-run Qatar Energy’s six new gas-liquefaction plants are set to produce 8 million tons of LNG per year for export to Europe. Morgan Stanley forecasts global LNG consumption to rise by 60% through 2030.
Saturday 6 August 2022
The Downstream dilemma - keep investing, or cash in now on what might be refining’s last golden age
In India, several new refineries, petrochemical projects, as well as expansion projects for existing refineries are projected to double India’s refining capacity from the current 5 million barrels per day to 10 million barrels per day by 2030. In the Gulf, four new mega-facilities totaling almost 1.4 million barrels per day are already operational or shortly going live in Jazan, in south-western Saudi Arabia, Al Zour in Kuwait, Karbala in Iraq, Duqm in Oman. Abu Dhabi’s Adnoc Ruwais refinery and Dubai’s Enoc Jebel Ali refinery have raised refining capacity in 2020. Fujairah, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and Bahrain have also implemented various other refining expansions and upgrades. In Nigeria, a giant new refinery is expected to begin processing in the third quarter of 2022. Saudi Aramco is making new refining investments in Poland and China.
This endless demand for refining capacity with economies of scale, maximizing the output of high-value products may be close to a peak due to increasing fuel efficiency, competition from biofuels, rise of electric vehicles and pressures from climate action groups. Current fuel shortages caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may ease but with a projected global economic slump in the last two quarters of 2022 the Great 2022 Downstream boom is bound to come to an end.
These new refineries may be harbingers of refining’s last golden age as among global refining mainstays, oil demand in Europe has been in decline since 2006; in Japan, since 1996. Refineries need constant investment to meet tightening safety and environmental standards, a changing demand mix for fuel, the capital cost of the facility, a host of other expenses and liabilities from unionized workforces, pensions, pollution legacies from less stringent eras as well as carbon prices. Oil majors Shell, BP and TotalEnergies have been selling or closing refineries or converting them to biofuels processing or storage terminals to cash in now on refining’s last golden age.
This endless demand for refining capacity with economies of scale, maximizing the output of high-value products may be close to a peak due to increasing fuel efficiency, competition from biofuels, rise of electric vehicles and pressures from climate action groups. Current fuel shortages caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may ease but with a projected global economic slump in the last two quarters of 2022 the Great 2022 Downstream boom is bound to come to an end.
These new refineries may be harbingers of refining’s last golden age as among global refining mainstays, oil demand in Europe has been in decline since 2006; in Japan, since 1996. Refineries need constant investment to meet tightening safety and environmental standards, a changing demand mix for fuel, the capital cost of the facility, a host of other expenses and liabilities from unionized workforces, pensions, pollution legacies from less stringent eras as well as carbon prices. Oil majors Shell, BP and TotalEnergies have been selling or closing refineries or converting them to biofuels processing or storage terminals to cash in now on refining’s last golden age.
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