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Aramco Completes Acquisition of 40% Stake in Gas & Oil Pakistan

At the closing ceremony are GO CEO Khalid Riaz, sitting left, and Aramco Director of International Retail Nader Douhan, sitting right. Standing, from left, are GO board members Bilal Ansari and Shahzad Mubeen, Aramco Executive Vice President of Products & Customers Yasser Mufti, GO Chairman Tariq Kirmani, and Aramco Vice President of Retail Ziyad Juraifani. (Aramco Official Site)
At the closing ceremony are GO CEO Khalid Riaz, sitting left, and Aramco Director of International Retail Nader Douhan, sitting right. Standing, from left, are GO board members Bilal Ansari and Shahzad Mubeen, Aramco Executive Vice President of Products & Customers Yasser Mufti, GO Chairman Tariq Kirmani, and Aramco Vice President of Retail Ziyad Juraifani. (Aramco Official Site)
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Aramco Completes Acquisition of 40% Stake in Gas & Oil Pakistan

At the closing ceremony are GO CEO Khalid Riaz, sitting left, and Aramco Director of International Retail Nader Douhan, sitting right. Standing, from left, are GO board members Bilal Ansari and Shahzad Mubeen, Aramco Executive Vice President of Products & Customers Yasser Mufti, GO Chairman Tariq Kirmani, and Aramco Vice President of Retail Ziyad Juraifani. (Aramco Official Site)
At the closing ceremony are GO CEO Khalid Riaz, sitting left, and Aramco Director of International Retail Nader Douhan, sitting right. Standing, from left, are GO board members Bilal Ansari and Shahzad Mubeen, Aramco Executive Vice President of Products & Customers Yasser Mufti, GO Chairman Tariq Kirmani, and Aramco Vice President of Retail Ziyad Juraifani. (Aramco Official Site)

Saudi oil giant Aramco said it has made further progress in its global retail expansion by completing the acquisition of a 40% equity stake in Gas & Oil Pakistan Ltd. (“GO”).

GO is a diversified downstream fuels, lubricants and retail store operator in Pakistan with a network of more than 1,200 retail fuel stations, Aramco said in a statement on Friday.

It added that the acquisition, first announced in December 2023, represents Aramco’s first Downstream retail investment in Pakistan and signals the Company’s growing retail presence in high-value markets.

"In March, Aramco also acquired a 100% equity stake in Esmax Distribución SpA (“Esmax”), a leading diversified downstream fuels and lubricants retailer in Chile," the statement added.

In this regard, Yasser Mufti, Aramco Executive Vice President of Products & Customers, said: “Our global retail expansion is gaining pace and this acquisition is an important next step on our journey. Through our strategic partnership with GO, we look forward to supplying Aramco’s high-quality products and services to valued customers in Pakistan."

"We are also delighted to welcome another high-caliber addition to Aramco’s growing network of global partners, and look forward to combining our resources and expertise to unlock new opportunities and further grow the Aramco brand overseas.”

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Business

Spain to Spend 5 bn Euros to Ease Middle East War Fallout

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gives a press conference following an extraordinary cabinet meeting about the energy crisis, at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid on Mar. 20, 2026 via AFP
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gives a press conference following an extraordinary cabinet meeting about the energy crisis, at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid on Mar. 20, 2026 via AFP
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Spain to Spend 5 bn Euros to Ease Middle East War Fallout

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gives a press conference following an extraordinary cabinet meeting about the energy crisis, at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid on Mar. 20, 2026 via AFP
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gives a press conference following an extraordinary cabinet meeting about the energy crisis, at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid on Mar. 20, 2026 via AFP

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Friday a sweeping package worth five billion euros ($5.8 billion) aimed at cushioning the economic impact of the Middle East war, including a "drastic reduction" in energy-related taxes.

Speaking after an emergency cabinet meeting, the Socialist leader said the 80-measure package was necessary to shield households and key sectors from surging costs.

"Extraordinary situations require extraordinary responses," Sanchez said, calling it the "largest social and economic shield" being implemented in the European Union.

"Clearly, these measures will not prevent the effects of this illegal war from reaching Spain, but they will at least mitigate their impact and make them somewhat more bearable."

The package, set to take effect Saturday following publication in the official gazette, includes cuts to value-added tax on gas and fuel expected to reduce pump prices by as much as 30 euro cents per litre, or roughly 20 euros per tank for the average car.

Sanchez also said the government would cap the maximum price of butane and propane.

The government will also slash electricity taxes by 60 percent, suspend a production tax and reduce the value-added tax on electricity to 10 percent from 21 percent.

Additional support includes a direct subsidy of 0.20 euros per litre of fuel for transport operators, farmers, ranchers and fishermen, along with equivalent aid for fertilizer purchases.

Sanchez also announced a decree introducing a "temporary freeze" on rents in Spain, which like other European nations is grappling with a housing crisis as rents skyrocket.

This measure still requires approval from parliament, where the government lacks a majority.

It was included under pressure from Sanchez's junior coalition partners, the far-left Sumar party.

"I am extremely angry about the situation the world is in, which certain decisions and governments are pushing us into," Sanchez said, repeating his opposition to the war being waged by the United States and Israel against Iran.

"Spaniards will have to bear a cost of five billion euros -- money that could have been spent on scholarships, healthcare or social services."

Sanchez defiantly refused to let US troops use its bases to attack Iran at the start of the conflict, a move that drew sharp criticism from US President Donald Trump.

He said Spain was the "best prepared" country to face the crisis thanks to its higher reliance on renewable energy.

Renewable power makes up around 55 percent of Spain's energy mix, while the country imports most of its crude oil from the Americas and Africa.

The EU's fourth-largest economy has in recent years registered growth rates far higher than its peers, notably thanks to domestic consumption, tourism and exports.

Business

Russian Central Bank Cuts Key Interest Rate as Growth Slows

People walk in front of the Bank of Russia (Central Bank of the Russian Federation) headquarters in Moscow, Russia, 20 March 2026. EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV
People walk in front of the Bank of Russia (Central Bank of the Russian Federation) headquarters in Moscow, Russia, 20 March 2026. EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV
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Russian Central Bank Cuts Key Interest Rate as Growth Slows

People walk in front of the Bank of Russia (Central Bank of the Russian Federation) headquarters in Moscow, Russia, 20 March 2026. EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV
People walk in front of the Bank of Russia (Central Bank of the Russian Federation) headquarters in Moscow, Russia, 20 March 2026. EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV

Russia's central bank on Friday cut its key interest rate to 15 percent from 15.5 percent as the economy slows under pressure from Moscow's protracted and expensive war in Ukraine and Western sanctions.

Huge spending on its forces in Ukraine had initially spurred growth and helped Moscow buck predictions of economic collapse after it launched its offensive in 2022.

But last year, Russia's economy expanded by just one percent -- a steep drop from growth of around four percent recorded in 2023 and 2024.

"High-frequency data and business surveys indicate slower growth in economic activity in early 2026. Consumer demand cooled after its sharp rise in late 2025," the state lender said in a statement announcing the rate cut.

Inflation was running at 5.9 percent on an annual basis, it added -- above its target of four percent.

Massive military spending had pushed up inflation, triggering the central bank to raise borrowing costs to more than 20 percent at their peak.

That hit businesses, with some smaller firms forced to close and several large companies announcing layoffs, or seeking state aid.

The war has also thinned Russia's government finances, having posted a deficit in every year since it ordered troops into Ukraine.

But Russia's economic fortunes have been buoyed by surging oil prices triggered by the war in the Middle East.

Benchmark Brent crude has been trading above $100 a barrel -- 40 percent higher than before the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran at the end of February.

For Russia, every extra $10 per barrel gives the government a $1.6 billion a month windfall in tax revenues, Sergey Vakulenko from Carnegie Endowment estimated.

Oil and gas revenues provide roughly a fifth of Russia's state income and had been running at a five-year low, dragged down by sanctions, production issues and Ukrainian attacks on energy facilities, before the outbreak of the war in the Middle East.

Business

Oil Up despite Efforts by US, Allies to Boost Supply and Open Strait of Hormuz

FILE PHOTO: Pumpjacks are seen against the setting sun at the Daqing oil field in Heilongjiang province, China December 7, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer
FILE PHOTO: Pumpjacks are seen against the setting sun at the Daqing oil field in Heilongjiang province, China December 7, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer
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Oil Up despite Efforts by US, Allies to Boost Supply and Open Strait of Hormuz

FILE PHOTO: Pumpjacks are seen against the setting sun at the Daqing oil field in Heilongjiang province, China December 7, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer
FILE PHOTO: Pumpjacks are seen against the setting sun at the Daqing oil field in Heilongjiang province, China December 7, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer

Oil prices gained on Friday despite leading European nations, Japan and Canada offering to join efforts to secure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz and the US outlining moves to boost oil supply.

"The potential for a quick reversal in energy prices is unlikely because damage has been done to production," said Ole Hansen, the head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank. "The fact on the ground remains that we have a tight market." Brent futures rose $1.67, or 1.5%, to $110.32 a barrel at 1030 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude added 33 cents, or 0.3%, to $96.47.

For the week, benchmark Brent was on ‌track to rise ‌nearly 7%, while WTI was set to fall about 2% ‌in ⁠its first weekly decline ⁠in five weeks.

Israel and Iran traded fresh attacks on Friday, following a hit on an oil refinery in Kuwait, Reuters said.

In a joint statement on Thursday, after earlier hesitating, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan expressed "our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait", through which 20% of the world's oil and LNG transit.

Looking to curb soaring oil prices, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US may soon remove ⁠sanctions from Iranian oil stranded on tankers, and said a further ‌release of crude from the US Strategic Petroleum ‌Reserve was possible.

Brent jumped higher than $119 a barrel on Thursday, coming close to a March 9 ‌peak, after Iran responded to an Israeli attack on a major gas field ‌by knocking out 17% of Qatar's LNG capacity, causing damage that will take up to five years to repair.

US President Donald Trump said he told Israel not to repeat attacks on Iranian gas infrastructure. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country had acted alone in the attack ‌and Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles.

Earlier in the Friday session, both benchmarks had ⁠shed some of their "war ⁠premiums" as world leaders started to acknowledge a need for restraint and de-escalation, said Priyanka Sachdeva, senior market analyst at Phillip Nova. She added that markets will remain sensitive to the critical Hormuz chokepoint.

"The damage has been inflicted, and even if safe passage for tankers is somehow negotiated through Hormuz, reviving logistics fully fledged can take an awfully long time," Sachdeva said.

In a boost to US supply, North Dakota's crude output is expected to rise this month and in the following months as operators in the third-largest oil-producing state restart inactive wells and winter restrictions are eased, the state's regulator said on Thursday.

The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources said, however, the pace of activity would depend on how long oil prices stay high and that oil majors' budgets have already been set.