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Oil Markets Steady as Investors Weigh Banking Crisis, Russia

A general view shows an oil rig used in drilling at the Zubair oilfield in Basra, Iraq, July 5, 2022. (Reuters)
A general view shows an oil rig used in drilling at the Zubair oilfield in Basra, Iraq, July 5, 2022. (Reuters)
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Oil Markets Steady as Investors Weigh Banking Crisis, Russia

A general view shows an oil rig used in drilling at the Zubair oilfield in Basra, Iraq, July 5, 2022. (Reuters)
A general view shows an oil rig used in drilling at the Zubair oilfield in Basra, Iraq, July 5, 2022. (Reuters)

Oil prices stabilized in Asian trade on Monday as investors sought cues from broader financial markets, while comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend ratcheted up geopolitical tensions in Europe.

Brent crude futures held unchanged at $74.99 a barrel at 0357 GMT after hitting a session high of $75.64. US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $69.29 a barrel, up 3 cents, after rising to $69.92 earlier in the session.

Brent rose 2.8% last week, while WTI rebounded 3.8% as jitters in the banking sector eased.

Oil markets are closely watching the sentiment in financial market, while oil fundamentals remain sidelined, said Vandana Hari, founder of oil market analysis provider Vanda Insights.

"Expect most price action in Brent and WTI futures to occur during the Europe and US trading hours, marked by plenty of intraday volatility," Hari said.

"A strong rebound is not on the cards until the (banking) crisis dissipates fully, which could take days, if not weeks," she added.

Keeping a lid on oil's gains, the dollar was firm on Monday as investors assessed regulators' moves to rein in jitters in the global banking system.

A stronger dollar makes dollar-denominated commodities more expensive for holders of other currencies and tends to weigh on demand for oil.

Prices drew some support from President Vladimir Putin comments that he will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, escalating geopolitical tensions in Europe over Ukraine.

NATO criticized Putin on Sunday for what it called his "dangerous and irresponsible" nuclear rhetoric.

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday that Moscow was very close to achieving its target of cutting crude output by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) to around 9.5 million bpd.

Despite lowering output, Russia is expected to maintain crude oil exports by cutting refinery output in April, data from industry sources and Reuters calculations showed on Friday.

Exports of Russian oil products have to date been more affected than crude exports by a recent European Union embargo, with tons of diesel stuck on ships awaiting buyers.

Analysts said Russian crude inventories have been rising since September last year, and the country would likely want to avoid further stockbuilds during refinery maintenance season from March to June.

"If Russia wants to draw down the inventories that it has built, output cuts may need to be extended beyond June," analysts at FGE said in a note.

Meanwhile, in France, industrial action is disrupting refineries, reducing crude demand and fuel production.

Investors are also watching out for China's manufacturing and services purchasing managers' indexes (PMIs) to be releases later this week.

In the US, oil rigs rose four to 593 last week, up for the first time in six weeks, while gas rigs held steady at 162, energy services firm Baker Hughes Co said in a report on Friday.

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Business

Saudi Aramco Achieves 70% Local Content Target through iktva Program

Saudi Aramco Achieves 70% Local Content Target through iktva Program
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Saudi Aramco Achieves 70% Local Content Target through iktva Program

Saudi Aramco Achieves 70% Local Content Target through iktva Program

Saudi Aramco announced on Wednesday that its supply chain transformation program, iktva (In-Kingdom Total Value Add), has achieved its target of reaching 70% local content.

Building on this milestone, the company said that it plans to increase local content in its goods and services procurement to 75% by 2030.

Since its launch, the iktva program has contributed more than $280 billion to the Kingdom’s gross domestic product, reinforcing its role as a key driver of industrial development, economic diversification, and long-term financial resilience.

Through the localization of goods and services, the program has strengthened the resilience and reliability of Aramco’s supply chains, enhanced operational continuity, reduced supply chain vulnerabilities, and provided protection against global cost inflation - capabilities that proved critical during periods of disruption.

Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser expressed pride in the scale of transformation achieved through iktva and its positive impact on the Kingdom’s economy, noting that the announcement represents a major milestone in the program’s journey and reflects a significant leap in Saudi Arabia’s industrial development, fully aligned with the Kingdom’s national vision.

“iktva is a core pillar of Aramco’s strategy to build a competitive national industrial ecosystem that supports the energy sector while enabling broader economic growth and creating thousands of job opportunities for Saudi nationals,” he stressed.

By localizing supply chains, the program ensures operational reliability and mitigates disruptions that may affect global supply chains, he added, noting that its cumulative impact over a decade demonstrates the sustained value it continues to generate.

Over the past decade, iktva has emerged as a leading example of supply-chain-driven economic transformation, converting Aramco’s project spending into domestic economic multipliers that have created jobs, improved productivity, stimulated exports, and strengthened supply chain resilience.

The program has identified more than 200 localization opportunities across 12 key sectors, representing an annual market value of $28 billion. These opportunities have translated into tangible investment outcomes, catalyzing more than 350 investments from 35 countries in new manufacturing facilities within the Kingdom, supported by approximately $9 billion in capital. These investments have enabled the local manufacture of 47 strategic products in Saudi Arabia for the first time.

iktva has also contributed to the creation of more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs across the Kingdom, further strengthening the local industrial base and national capabilities. To support continued growth, the program organized eight regional supplier forums worldwide in 2025, in addition to its biennial forum. These events helped connect global investors, manufacturers, and suppliers with localization opportunities in Saudi Arabia.

Business

AirAsia X Unveils Kuala Lumpur-Bahrain-London Route

FILE PHOTO: Planes from AirAsia are seen on the tarmac of Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA2) in Sepang, Malaysia, February 26, 2024. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Planes from AirAsia are seen on the tarmac of Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA2) in Sepang, Malaysia, February 26, 2024. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain/File Photo
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AirAsia X Unveils Kuala Lumpur-Bahrain-London Route

FILE PHOTO: Planes from AirAsia are seen on the tarmac of Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA2) in Sepang, Malaysia, February 26, 2024. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Planes from AirAsia are seen on the tarmac of Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA2) in Sepang, Malaysia, February 26, 2024. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain/File Photo

Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia X on Wednesday unveiled plans to resume flights from Kuala Lumpur to London via a new hub in Bahrain, using the extended range of narrow-body jets to stitch fresh routes alongside established carriers.

The service, due to start in June, would make Bahrain AirAsia X's first hub outside Asia, placing it within reach of busy markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

It also marks a ‌return to ‌the British capital more than a decade after the airline suspended ‌non-stop ⁠flights from Kuala Lumpur ⁠and retired its Airbus A340 jets.

Co-founder Tony Fernandes said Bahrain could become a regional gateway for underserved secondary cities across Asia, Africa and Europe.

"While ... of course London is a very emotional destination for many people in Southeast Asia, the real aim is to have a bunch of A321s flying maybe 15 times a day to Bahrain," he told Reuters in an interview.

"From Bahrain, you connect to Africa and Europe with a big emphasis ⁠on creating connectivity that doesn't exist."

The move follows Asia's ‌largest low-cost carrier completing its acquisition of the short-haul ‌aviation business from parent Capital A, bringing the group's seven airlines under one umbrella.

Fernandes, also CEO ‌of Capital A, stressed the importance of the Airbus A321XLR, an extra-long-range narrow-body aircraft ‌he said would let the airline replicate its Asian low-cost model on intercontinental routes.

"That aircraft enables me to start thinking we can do what we did in Asia to Europe and Africa," he said, citing potential secondary routes such as Penang to Cologne or Prague.

AirAsia plans to ‌redeploy its larger A330s to longer routes while building up the Bahrain hub, with possible African destinations including the Maghreb region, Egypt, ⁠Morocco, Tanzania and Kenya. ⁠A Bangkok-to-Europe route is also under consideration.

Fernandes played down direct competition with Gulf carriers such as Emirates and Qatar Airways, positioning AirAsia X as a budget option aimed at a different market.

"I'm all about stimulating a new market," he said. "We've got into our little playground (of) 3 billion people, most of them have not been to Europe."

Business

Von der Leyen: EU Must 'Tear Down Barriers' to Become 'Global Giant'

(FILES) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a speech in Brussels, on January 22, 2026. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP)
(FILES) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a speech in Brussels, on January 22, 2026. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP)
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Von der Leyen: EU Must 'Tear Down Barriers' to Become 'Global Giant'

(FILES) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a speech in Brussels, on January 22, 2026. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP)
(FILES) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a speech in Brussels, on January 22, 2026. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP)

The EU must "tear down the barriers" that prevent it from becoming a truly global economic giant, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday, ahead of leaders' talks on making the 27-nation bloc more competitive.

"Our companies need capital right now. So let's get it done this year," the commission president told EU lawmakers as she outlined key steps to bridging the gap with China and the United States.

"We have to make progress one way or the other to tear down the barriers that prevent us from being a true global giant," she said, calling the current system "fragmentation on steroids."

Reviving the moribund EU economy has taken on greater urgency in the face of geopolitical shocks, from US President Donald Trump's threats and tariffs upending the global trading to his push to seize Greenland from Denmark.

AFP said that Von der Leyen delivered her message before heading with EU leaders including France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz to a gathering of industry executives in Antwerp, held on the eve of a summit on bolstering the bloc's economy.

A key issue identified by the EU is the fact that European companies face difficulties accessing capital to scale up, unlike their American counterparts.

To tackle this, Plan A would be to advance together as 27 states, von der Leyen said, but if they cannot reach agreement, the EU should consider "enhanced cooperation" between those countries that want to.

Von der Leyen said Europe should ramp up its competitiveness by "stepping up production" on the continent and "by expanding our network of reliable partners", pointing to the importance of signing trade agreements.

After recent deals with South American bloc Mercosur and India, she said more were on their way -- with Australia, Thailand, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates.

One of the biggest -- and most debated -- proposals for boosting the EU's economy is to favor European firms over foreign rivals in "strategic" fields, which von der Leyen supports.

"In strategic sectors, European preference is a necessary instrument... that will contribute to strengthen Europe's own production base," she said -- while cautioning against a "one-size-fits-all" approach.

France has been spearheading the push, but some EU nations like Sweden are wary of veering into protectionism and warn Brussels against going too far.

The EU executive will also next month propose the 28th regime, also known as "EU Inc", a voluntary set of rules for businesses that would apply across the European Union and would not be linked to any particular country.

Brussels argues this would make it easier for companies to work across the EU, since the fragmented market is often blamed for why the economy is not better.

The commission is also engaged in a massive effort to cut red tape for firms, which complain EU rules make it harder to do business -- drawing accusations from critics that Brussels is watering down key legislation on climate in particular.