Opinion
Why commodity finance is ripe for stablecoin
Digital currency brings cost efficiencies to financing, but its real benefit to commodity firms lies in making huge pools of new capital available, write Jean-Marc Bonnefous and Ronan Julien
Commodities surge presents UMR test for Asia’s sell side
Increased interest in commodity exotics comes amid scrutiny of margin calculation models
Power surge: the value of investing in renewables
Energy market expert investigates ways to forecast future power prices and capture rates in order to value renewables PPAs
Power surge: the evolution of PPAs
In the first of a series analysing the financial risks of renewable energy, Cyriel de Jong looks at key developments in the power purchase agreements market
Negative oil prices put spotlight on investors
What part did Bank of China and other investors play in last month’s oil rout, asks derivatives veteran
Growing sanctions raise compliance risk for energy firms
Ever-increasing sanctions are ramping up risk for energy firms as regulators step up enforcement, writes maritime data expert
Better risk reporting doesn’t need an IT upgrade
Working across a patchwork of legacy IT systems is a constant frustration for many energy risk managers, but there are ways to improve risk estimates and reporting that don’t require a major IT overhaul, writes Kevin Kindall
Burden of implementing US sanctions now firmly on energy firms
Energy firms must now proactively screen the operations of every vessel they deal with to avoid violating sanctions on Iran, writes maritime data expert
The aftershocks of Einar Aas
The €114m default of Nasdaq power trader Einar Aas will have consequences across markets - but energy could be particularly badly affected
Blockchain won’t help the UK to go P2P
Legal and practical problems mean blockchain is unlikely to change the UK’s grid, writes energy expert
Lessons from two commodity defaults
Regulators and exchanges need to learn from the Greenhat/PJM default in the US as well as the Norwegian Nasdaq blowout
The foreshocks of Brexit
As Brexit chaos continues, energy firms and traders are upping sticks and leaving the UK
EU power balancing faces major changes
Three upcoming pieces of legislation will have significant effects on balancing trades for the UK, says energy expert
US policy can't save coal, but it can still have an impact
The new US power plan won't save a struggling industry, but that doesn't mean it won't make a difference for the worse
Lessons for the next round of energy market regulation
More buy-in and more recognition of the commodity market's special features will make future regulation faster and smoother, argues energy expert
Short term, LNG view
Excitement over fast-growing LNG markets shouldn't blind us to the potential risks
Rapid changes to UK power as gates open for smart consumers
Elexon’s proposed modifications to the UK’s Balancing and Settlement Code will have a huge impact on forecasting and risk management processes for UK and international suppliers
No escape from climate change tail risks
Harsh decisions need to be made on the future of energy financing now, before we run out of time
Compliance must keep pace in AI arms race
In markets increasingly dominated by automated and algorithmic trading, banks must ensure their compliance departments have the computational firepower to match the trading desks
Energy transition: adapting to the unknown
Uncertainty surrounds the oil industry at every step in the transition to a more diversified energy market, energy experts write
Keeping the lights on
Power companies need to focus on resilient networks