EIB Allocates $482m to Back Moroccan Firms

The logo of the European Investment Bank is pictured in the city of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, March 25, 2017. Reuters/Eric Vidal
The logo of the European Investment Bank is pictured in the city of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, March 25, 2017. Reuters/Eric Vidal
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EIB Allocates $482m to Back Moroccan Firms

The logo of the European Investment Bank is pictured in the city of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, March 25, 2017. Reuters/Eric Vidal
The logo of the European Investment Bank is pictured in the city of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, March 25, 2017. Reuters/Eric Vidal

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group has allocated USD482 million (EUR440 million) to back Moroccan firms in combating the novel global virus impact on liquidity.

Emma Navarro, vice-president of the bank, said in a press conference in Brussels that the EIB will mobilize existing lines of credit, whose outstanding amount to date is 440 million euros, to provide the necessary working capital to businesses.

She added that her institution has contacted, since the beginning of the crisis, its clients, both business leaders and project holders, to offer them its support during this very difficult period.

“We are relaxing our procedures. We are trying to adapt our tools and means of financing as best we can,” Navarro continued.

The EIB also stands ready to support the health system, in particular through the acquisition of medical equipment and the strengthening of health infrastructure, said Navarro, recalling that the Bank is already active in this area in Morocco, notably by financing the construction and modernization of 16 hospitals throughout the Kingdom.

“The partnership that binds us to Morocco is very strong, that is why this country will have our full attention for the duration of this pandemic in order to give it all the necessary support,” she affirmed.



OPEC Sees Robust Oil Demand in Third Quarter

The Secretary-General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Haitham Al Ghais (X)
The Secretary-General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Haitham Al Ghais (X)
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OPEC Sees Robust Oil Demand in Third Quarter

The Secretary-General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Haitham Al Ghais (X)
The Secretary-General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Haitham Al Ghais (X)

The Secretary-General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Haitham Al Ghais, said the group anticipates exceptionally strong demand for oil in the third quarter of this year, with only a narrow gap expected between supply and consumption in the months that follow.

According to Russia’s state news agency on Monday, Al Ghais shared these assessments with reporters on the sidelines of last week’s OPEC seminar in Vienna. He indicated that the organization foresees demand rising by 1.3 million barrels per day on an annual basis in 2025, driven largely by a resilient global economy.

He explained that this outlook suggests a particularly robust increase in consumption during the third quarter. Demand is also projected to stay healthy into the fourth quarter, while the difference between production and usage should remain minimal. Al Ghais noted that this dynamic is among the key factors encouraging the alliance of eight oil-producing countries to consider raising output once again.

OPEC’s latest oil market outlook, published last Thursday, forecasts that global demand will average 105 million barrels per day this year. The report predicts demand will climb further to 106.3 million barrels per day in 2026 and reach 111.6 million barrels per day by 2029.

Meanwhile, eight members of the broader OPEC+ coalition - which includes Russia among other allies - are moving to phase out production cuts that have been in place for years to help stabilize the market.

Five sources told Reuters that OPEC+ producers are leaning toward agreeing on another production increase in September.