Russia and Iran Integrate Banking Systems To Avoid Western Sanctions
February 7th, 2023
Via Frontier Markets News, an article on efforts by Russia and Iran to integrate their banking systems: Iran and Russia have connected their interbank communication and transfer systems to help boost trade and financial transactions, a senior Iranian official said on Monday, as Tehran and Moscow struggle under Western sanctions, the NYT’s Cora Engelbrecht reports. The financial […]
Read more »Billions in Oil Riches Vanish in Latin America as Pemex Stumbles
February 7th, 2023
Courtesy of Bloomberg, a report on how Pemex has seen its crude output decline almost every year since 2004 as mismanagement, debt and failing projects drag down Mexico’s oil giant: The rebound in oil prices over the last two years brought in record profits for the world’s largest crude producers, shoring up local economies and boosting jobs. Despite the fanfare, […]
Read more »China Builds Influence By Building African Parliaments
February 7th, 2023
Via Global Policy Journal, an interesting look at how China has fully financed the construction of at least 15 new African parliamentary buildings and refurbished several others: In 2005, during Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili’s visit to Beijing, China offered to pay for the construction of a new Lesotho parliament building. The Lesotho government had identified […]
Read more »Indonesia’s Nickel Riches Spur Domestic EV, Battery Ambitions
February 5th, 2023
Courtesy of Nikkei Asia, a look at how Indonesia’s nickel riches are spurring local company EV, battery ambitions: FROM COAL MINERS TO CONGLOMERATES, INDONESIA’S BURGEONING ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND BATTERY SCENE IS ATTRACTING BROAD LOCAL CORPORATE INTEREST BUOYED BY THE COUNTRY’S RICH NICKEL RESOURCES AND GOVERNMENT PROMISES OF INCENTIVES. THE INVOLVEMENT COMES AS GLOBAL EV MAKERS INCLUDING […]
Read more »Ethiopia’s Plans To Open Its Banking Sector
February 5th, 2023
Courtesy of The Africa Report, a look at Ethiopia’s planned banking sector reform: Ethiopia is on the cusp. Since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came into office in April 2018, Ethiopia has laid down a series of reforms, most notably softening its stranglehold of key sectors of the economy, namely aviation, logistics, telecoms and energy. But […]
Read more »Zimbabwe Plans New National Capital
February 5th, 2023
Via Bloomberg, a report that Zimbabwe’s leader is seeking investment for a new national capital with luxury homes just down the road from an impoverished and overcrowded Harare: Zimbabwe’s political leaders have a remedy for the collapse of the capital Harare: Build a new “cybercity” with as much as $60 billion of other people’s money. The […]
Read more »Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.