Saudi Energy Minister: Last Oil Barrel Produced Globally will be from Saudi Arabia

Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser
Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser
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Saudi Energy Minister: Last Oil Barrel Produced Globally will be from Saudi Arabia

Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser
Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser

Saudi Minister of Energy and Industry Khalid al-Falih supported the public offering of Saudi Aramco and confirmed the company has several elements that attract investments.

Speaking before international investors in Riyadh, Falih stated that Aramco has the exclusive access to develop quarter of the world’s conventional crude resources, at the lowest cost producer.

He added: “Saudi Aramco is going to be the supplier of last resort and I am certain that the last barrel that gets produced globally is going to be here in Saudi Arabia."

Falih stated that Aramco was a compelling investment in a world that is gradually shifting away from fossil fuels to renewable energy. He reiterated that the kingdom would remain a cornerstone of the global oil industry through Aramco.

Regardless of what happens to oil demand growth or the shift to electric cars, the current era is the time of renewable energy, according to the minister.

He dismissed fear concerning the effect of electric cars on oil demand, saying that production of the cars will increase the demand on products such as chemicals, plastics, and aluminum.

The minister informed the conference that the Kingdom is establishing local cars production industry. He assured the attendees that the demand for regular cars in the region and Saudi Arabia will increase over the coming few years.

Global oil demand is expected to grow by 45 percent by 2050 despite an international push for using more renewable sources of energy, according to Falih. He added that demand for fossil fuels will increase 70 percent by 2050 and demand for oil will be about 115 million barrels per day during 2050.



Russia is Using Bitcoin, Digital Currencies in Foreign Trade

FILE PHOTO: A woman passes by the Bitcoin Monument after bitcoin soared above $100,000, in Ilopango, El Salvador, December 5, 2024. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A woman passes by the Bitcoin Monument after bitcoin soared above $100,000, in Ilopango, El Salvador, December 5, 2024. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas/File Photo
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Russia is Using Bitcoin, Digital Currencies in Foreign Trade

FILE PHOTO: A woman passes by the Bitcoin Monument after bitcoin soared above $100,000, in Ilopango, El Salvador, December 5, 2024. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A woman passes by the Bitcoin Monument after bitcoin soared above $100,000, in Ilopango, El Salvador, December 5, 2024. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas/File Photo

Russian companies have begun using bitcoin and other digital currencies in international payments following legislative changes that allowed such use in order to counter Western sanctions, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Wednesday.

Sanctions have complicated Russia's trade with its major partners such as China or Türkiye, as local banks are extremely cautious with Russia-related transactions to avoid scrutiny from Western regulators, according to Reuters.

This year, Russia permitted the use of cryptocurrencies in foreign trade and has taken steps to make it legal to mine cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin. Russia is one of the global leaders in bitcoin mining.

“As part of the experimental regime, it is possible to use bitcoins, which we had mined here in Russia (in foreign trade transactions),” Siluanov told Russia 24 television channel.

“Such transactions are already occurring. We believe they should be expanded and developed further. I am confident this will happen next year,” he said, adding that international payments in digital currencies represent the future.

Earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin said that the current US administration was undermining the role of the US dollar as the reserve currency by using it for political purposes, forcing many countries to turn to alternative assets.

He singled out bitcoin as an example of such assets, saying that no-one in the world could regulate bitcoin. Putin's remarks indicated that the Russian leader backs the extensive use of cryptocurrencies.