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Bloomberg Saudi Aramco aims to become a global refiner and chemical maker, seeking to profit from parts of the oil industry where demand is growing the fastest while also underpinning the kingdom’s economic diversification. The world’s biggest oil exporter is earmarking $500 billion to invest over the next 10 years, including $160 billion for natural gas developments and $100 billion …

ABU DHABI / WAM Al Hilal Bank is the first Islamic bank in the world to leverage blockchain technology for the resale and settlement of an Islamic sukuk. Blockchain was used to transact a secondary market deal in Al Hilal Bank’s $500 million senior sukuk maturing in September 2023. This was the first time that block-chain has been used worldwide …

Bloomberg Plans in Australia to import gas to ease a supply squeeze may fail to bring down domestic prices as it pits the nation against some of the world’s biggest buyers for supplies. Australia finds itself in the odd position of having to consider four projects to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) while simultaneously being on track to become the …

Bloomberg President-elect Jair Bolsonaro is pursuing the sale of Brazil’s deep-sea treasure-trove of oil, but just weeks after his election he’s facing the same political obstacles as his two predecessors. While Bolsonaro’s transition team argues the sale could net some $30 billion to help plug fiscal deficits, a squabble over how to divvy up the spoils between various states and …

Bloomberg An influential panel of lawmakers in UK parliament is encouraging the government to develop hydrogen as a way to provide a green form of heat for industry and homes. The Committee on Climate Change, which advises the government on energy and environmental policies, said ministers should write a strategy for removing carbon emissions from heat in the next three …

Bloomberg Oil rose from its lowest settlement in more than a year in New York. Futures added 1.7 percent, after slumping 7.7 percent. Saudi Arabia is pumping as much as 11.2 million barrels of crude a day, the most since the kingdom extracted its first oil eight decades ago, according to a person familiar with the matter. Theb West Texas …

Bloomberg Justin Trudeau’s federal budget update stirred some anger in Canada’s oil-rich West. Alberta’s Finance Minister Joe Ceci, while welcoming corporate tax breaks announced, said he was disappointed that the urgent need to ease a dramatic crude-shipping glut and price crash wasn’t addressed. The tax changes that will allow businesses to write off capital investments more quickly will help oil …

DUBAI / Emirates Business The value of announced deals with disclosed value in the Mena region increased by 105% to $10 billion (AED36.7 billion) in third quarter of 2018 from $4.9 billion in the same period last year, according to the EY Q3 Mena M&A report. Deal value remained consistent year-on-year. As many as 107 deals were announced in Q3 …

Dubai / Emirates Business Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are playing a vital role in expanding trade ties between the UAE and Caribbean region, according to the heads of chambers of commerce who spoke at the inaugural UAE-Caribbean Coopera- tion Forum in Dubai. During the forum, a panel discussion titled ‘the role of the private sector in building a connected and …

Bloomberg Venezuela’s fuel shortages are worsening as mass resignations at the state oil company’s tanker fleet have delayed gasoline shipments. Petroleos de Venezuela SA’s refineries are running at less than a quarter of their capacity, forcing the country to rely on imported gasoline. Once the cargoes are unloaded at import docks, smaller ships distribute fuel to terminals along the coast, …