OAPEC secretary general: OPEC+ decision to cut oil production correct, comes at right time

Update According to the OAPEC secretary-general, the decision took into account the uncertainty surrounding the performance of the global economy. (Reuters/File Photo)
According to the OAPEC secretary-general, the decision took into account the uncertainty surrounding the performance of the global economy. (Reuters/File Photo)
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Updated 15 October 2022

OAPEC secretary general: OPEC+ decision to cut oil production correct, comes at right time

OAPEC secretary general: OPEC+ decision to cut oil production correct, comes at right time
  • OPEC and its allies lowered production target by 2 million barrels per day on Oct. 5

KUWAIT CITY: The secretary general of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) said on Saturday that the OPEC+ decision to cut its oil production target is correct and was taken at the right time.

The decision took into account the uncertainty surrounding the performance of the global economy, and was in line with the successful approach taken by OPEC+ in taking proactive steps to avoid any oil market imbalances, especially on the demand and supply sides, OAPEC secretary general Ali bin Sabt added in a statement.

OAPEC comprises Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Syria, Tunisia and the UAE.

The 13-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies lowered their production target by 2 million barrels per day when they met on Oct. 5.


Saudi Arabia, UAE ‘play critical role in space exploration’

Saudi Arabia, UAE ‘play critical role in space exploration’
Updated 14 sec ago

Saudi Arabia, UAE ‘play critical role in space exploration’

Saudi Arabia, UAE ‘play critical role in space exploration’
  • Investment firm boss Brian Hook tells forum that people and funding will drive growth
  • Panel discussion hears ‘third space revolution’ is inspiring younger generations

MIAMI: Saudi Arabia and the UAE are playing a “critical role” in the future of space exploration, the boss of a major investment firm has told a panel of industry experts in Miami.

Brian Hook, the vice-chairman of Cerberus, told the FII forum that countries like the Kingdom and the UAE had greatly accelerated a new space race. “By putting both their people and their funding behind (it), they brought into existence this sort of new space economy,” he said.

He and other panelists examined the potential for development and investment in the space industry, and spoke about the breakthroughs and dynamics that make it appealing to the general public, investors and enterprises.

Hook said that allowing the private sector into the market had gained fresh momentum, and the overall market value was expected to surpass $1 trillion in the coming years.

“Private equity and venture capital have been funding and enabling some of the most innovative companies for space exploration,” he said.

Helene Huby, CEO of The Exploration Company, which wants “affordable, sustainable and open” space exploration, said there had been a renaissance in the industry in the last few years.

“We are living in the third revolution. The first was the Apollo mission, which was about access. The second was the industrialization of space exploration with the International Space Station,” Ruby said.

“And what we see now is a revolution that is not about access, it’s not about costs and industrialization. It’s about staying in space.”

Speakers said that current enthusiasm around space exploration and increased investments would play a critical role in addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges, including climate change, food shortages and droughts.

“One of the things that people don’t consider is the effect that human spaceflight has not only on the people that fly but also the people on the ground,” said Jane Pointer, founder of carbon-neutral spaceflight company Space Perspective.

“Space is a great contribution to humanity,” added Alan Pellegrini, CEO of Thales North America, a defense and aerospace company.

“I was young at the time but Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon transformed my life and inspired me to a career in aerospace. And I think it is having the same effect on younger generations today.”

“Space has always been a place where you can collaborate regardless of which nation you belong to, and I really hope that that spirit continues,” he added.

 


Medina Capital founder delivers cybercrime warning at FII Priority conference

Medina Capital founder delivers cybercrime warning at FII Priority conference
Updated 6 min 16 sec ago

Medina Capital founder delivers cybercrime warning at FII Priority conference

Medina Capital founder delivers cybercrime warning at FII Priority conference
  • Basic ‘common sense stuff’ will help people protect themselves, says Manuel Medina

MIAMI: Almost half of organizations globally will have experienced a cyberattack on their software supply chains by 2025, according to analyst firm Gartner.

As Manuel Medina, founder and managing partner of Medina Capital, said: “There are only two types of enterprises and government agencies today: the ones that have been hacked and the ones that are going to be hacked.”

Speaking at the FII Priority conference in Miami, Medina highlighted the risk of cyberattacks, and said: “The internet was not designed to do what it’s doing today.”

Globalization and technological advances, such as cloud computing, mobility and virtualization, have made the internet less secure.

Companies across a host of industries are spending billions digitizing their infrastructure, but that infrastructure is difficult to protect, he said.

On an individual level, it mostly comes down to common sense, Medina added.

Social media companies do not charge users on their platforms because they are monetizing the users themselves, and by sharing copious amounts of personal information, users are only making it easier for both social media companies and potentially hackers to access their data, he said.

“They (social media companies) take your personal identity, and everything that they do is (about) how they track you in order to get commerce and sell you stuff. So, that’s totally contradictory to protecting you.”

Medina Capital, which hires “elite hackers,” has a motto of not liking people, because “people are the weak link,” Medina said.

“You are as strong as your weakest link.”

He added: “You can have the best software and the best systems,” but “human weakness” is the reason for the collapse of a security system.

Cybercriminals do not need weapons, politics or strategy; all they need is a laptop and a network connection, and governments need to evolve and cooperate to tackle this kind of criminal, Medina said.

Prosecuting cybercriminals is difficult because of globalization and innovation whereby it is possible for some evidence or information to be stored on a server located in a different country than the one where the criminal is being prosecuted, he said.

“The system today is the same system that it was 80 years ago. So, one of the things that we need to do is bring ourselves up to date.”

Individuals, too, need to do some basic “common sense stuff” to protect themselves, such as using multifactor authentication and storing their passwords in a secure digital wallet, he said.

“You have to sacrifice a little bit of convenience in order for you to be able to sleep better at night.”


GCC banks to see ‘limited impact’ from global banking worries prompted by SVB collapse: Kamco

GCC banks to see ‘limited impact’ from global banking worries prompted by SVB collapse: Kamco
Updated 31 March 2023

GCC banks to see ‘limited impact’ from global banking worries prompted by SVB collapse: Kamco

GCC banks to see ‘limited impact’ from global banking worries prompted by SVB collapse: Kamco

RIYADH: Banks in the Gulf Cooperation Council region are set to see a limited impact from the banking crisis hitting the US and Europe, according to a report from Kamco Invest.

The investment banking subsidiary of Kuwait Projects Company argues that financial institutions in the GCC had limited exposure to Silicon Valley Bank – the US firm that collapsed in March prompting concerns of contagion sweeping across the world in the manner of the 2008 global crash.

The report says balance sheets of the banks in the region remain strong, and in the final quarter of 2022 both aggregate lending and customer deposits remained strong.

“The broader GCC banking sector is expected to see only a limited indirect impact from the ongoing banking sector crisis in the US and Europe,” said the report, adding: “Shares of banks globally and in the region, especially, were affected due to fears of a contagion as the collapse of SVB was the biggest lender failure since the global financial crisis of 2008. 

“However, the collapse had only marginal impact with minimal exposure of banks only in the UAE, while most of the other countries in the GCC remained unaffected. 

“The bulk of the exposure was from various startups and VCs that had accounts with SVB that may now bank with local banks, although under increased scrutiny.”

The report also shows that rising interest rates in the US and its almost full replication by most GCC central banks during 2022 resulted in higher aggregate net interest margin for the region’s banking sector. 

NIM for GCC banks averaged at a multi-year high of over 3 percent during the fourth quarter of 2022, despite partially reflecting the higher interest rates as bulk of the rate hikes were made during the second half of the year. 

Saudi Arabia’s banks reported the highest average margin of 3.2 percent during the quarter followed by UAE and Qatari banks with margins also above the 3 percent mark after several quarters.

Aggregate lending in the GCC remained strong during the final quarter of 2022, with  central bank data showing Qatari banks experienced the strongest lending growth during, while Bahrain and the UAE banks showed a slight decline. 

Customer deposits bounced back to a stronger growth over the same period, with a quarter-on-quarter increase of 2.5 percent to reach $2.2 trillion 


Riyadh chosen to host Global Real Estate Summit

Riyadh chosen to host Global Real Estate Summit
Updated 31 March 2023

Riyadh chosen to host Global Real Estate Summit

Riyadh chosen to host Global Real Estate Summit

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will host the 42nd edition of the Global Real Estate Summit next December in Riyadh, it has been announced.

The summit is considered the industry's largest annual gathering, and sees real estate leaders and CEOs from all over the globe coming together, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

The event will address the Saudi real estate sector in light of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and its successes achieved to date.

Workshops, meetings, and lectures aiming to deal with the challenges of the real estate industry as well as available investment opportunities will be held throughout the event. 

There will also be discussions on the role of the industry's leaders in creating revolutionary ideas through best international practices and the mechanism of their application in the region.

A visit to prominent major projects will also occur during the summit.

The Kingdom’s achievement in hosting this global summit comes after the World Real Estate Federation meeting in Cannes, France, held on March 15, with the participation of Eye of Riyadh, the media partner of the international real estate event MIPIM, held between March 14 to 17.


Global money market funds see strong demand for fifth week in a row

Global money market funds see strong demand for fifth week in a row
Updated 31 March 2023

Global money market funds see strong demand for fifth week in a row

Global money market funds see strong demand for fifth week in a row

BENGALURU: Global money market funds continued to attract big inflows in the week ended March 29, as investors chased safer assets amid lingering worries over the turmoil in the banking sector and concerns over tightening economic conditions, according to Reuters.

Global money market funds obtained a net inflow of $47.6 billion, which was their fifth consecutive weekly inflow, underscoring investors’ caution after the collapse of two regional US lenders earlier this month.

Meanwhile, investors sold about $18 billion worth of global equity funds after buying about $13.1 billion a week ago.

They exited US and European equity funds of $20.68 billion and $630 million respectively, but acquired $2.3 billion worth of Asian funds.

Still, some sector-focused equity funds were in demand, with tech and consumer discretionary receiving a net of $1.41 billion and $630 million in net buying.

Meanwhile, global bond funds received $481 million in a second consecutive week of net buying, thanks to safe-haven demand for government bond funds. Global government bond funds had $5.08 billion worth of inflows.

However, high-yield and short- and medium-term bond funds saw $2.94 billion and $1.43 billion worth of net selling, respectively.

Among commodities, precious metal funds obtained $371 million in a third straight week of net buying. Energy funds also gathered $111 million worth of inflows.

Data for 23,903 emerging market funds showed that equities received $1.1 billion and bonds secured $24 million worth of inflows after witnessing two weekly outflows in a row.

Euro zone government bond yields edged up on Friday as receding concerns about the prospects of a global banking crisis offset the likelihood of persistent inflation in the zone.

Euro zone inflation dropped by the most on record in March, according to data on Friday. Core price pressures, which exclude food and energy, accelerated, which keeps the heat on the European Central Bank to keep raising rates.

Two-year German Schatz yields, the most sensitive to shifts in expectations for interest rates, were up 4 basis points at 2.79 percent. They’ve risen by 41 bps this week — their largest weekly increase since early 1990.