Türkiye's Botas Buying 4 bcm of LNG from Shell in 10-year Deal

The logo of a Shell gas station is pictured in Ulm, Germany, April 6, 2017. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle
The logo of a Shell gas station is pictured in Ulm, Germany, April 6, 2017. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle
TT
20

Türkiye's Botas Buying 4 bcm of LNG from Shell in 10-year Deal

The logo of a Shell gas station is pictured in Ulm, Germany, April 6, 2017. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle
The logo of a Shell gas station is pictured in Ulm, Germany, April 6, 2017. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

Turkish state energy company Botas and British oil major Shell signed a 10-year LNG agreement on Monday, the Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.

"A total of 40 LNG cargoes of approximately 4 billion cubic meters will be delivered annually for a period covering 10 years starting from 2027," Bayraktar said, Reuters reported.

"This agreement ... provides additional regional and global trade opportunities with the options of receiving (LNG) from the filling port and unloading to European terminals."

Speaking in the ceremony, Bayraktar said the deal has strengthened Turkey's prospects of becoming a natural gas centre and its role in playing a part in Europe's supply security.

Botas signed a 10-year LNG agreement with ExxonMobil in May, under which Botas will purchase up to 2.5 million tons of LNG per year from the US company.

Türkiye meets almost all of its consumption needs with imported gas and brought in 14.3 billion cubic metres (bcm), or 28.3% of the 50.5 bcm that it consumed last year, in the form of LNG.

Türkiye has the supply flexibility to a large part of national consumption needs with liquefied gas instead of pipeline gas if needed, with a gasification capacity of approximately 0.16 bcm per day, according to Reuters calculations.



Dubai to Allow Residents Pay Government Services Using Cryptocurrency

Dubai’s Department of Finance signed on Monday a new MoU with global digital asset platform Crypto.com. WAM
Dubai’s Department of Finance signed on Monday a new MoU with global digital asset platform Crypto.com. WAM
TT
20

Dubai to Allow Residents Pay Government Services Using Cryptocurrency

Dubai’s Department of Finance signed on Monday a new MoU with global digital asset platform Crypto.com. WAM
Dubai’s Department of Finance signed on Monday a new MoU with global digital asset platform Crypto.com. WAM

Dubai is preparing to allow residents to pay for government services using cryptocurrency, signaling the emirate’s intent to support the Dubai Cashless Strategy.

On Monday, Dubai’s Department of Finance (DOF) signed a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) with global digital asset platform Crypto.com, in the presence of Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary General of The Executive Council of Dubai, and Abdulrahman Al Saleh, Director General of DOF.

The initiative, formalized during the Dubai FinTech Summit, will enable seamless and secure payments for government services using stable cryptocurrencies, further strengthening Dubai’s position as a global hub for financial innovation.

Al Basti said that adopting secure cryptocurrency solutions within the Government of Dubai’s payment system reflects a proactive approach to anticipating future needs and responding to global economic and financial developments.

“We take great pride in Dubai Finance’s pivotal role in driving the Dubai Cashless Strategy and shaping a distinctive digital financial future,” said Al Saleh.

The Dubai Cashless Strategy aims to conduct more than 90% of financial transactions across both the public and private sectors through cashless methods by 2026.

“We underscore the significance of the MoU with Crypto.com in accelerating the strategy’s objective,” Al Saleh said.

President and COO of Crypto.com Eric Anziani said this initiative will enable the delivery of the first comprehensive and holistic Government-wide implementation of payment digitization.

Once the necessary technical arrangements for the agreement’s activation are finalized, individuals and businesses customers of government entities will be able to pay service fees seamlessly through Crypto.com's digital wallets.

The platform will securely convert these payments into Emirati dirhams and transfer them to Dubai Finance accounts, ensuring a streamlined, secure, and innovative payment framework.

The Dubai Cashless Strategy is expected to drive economic growth by adding at least 8 billion dirhams ($2.1 billion) annually to the economy, fueled by the development of a wide range of innovative financial technology services and the accelerated expansion of Dubai’s fintech sector.