World
Experts Task BRICS Countries to Float Credit Rating Agency
By Kester Kenn Klomegah
Experts on regional strategic policy have urged BRICS member countries to step up efforts towards setting up its own credit rating agency as an effective mechanism to consolidate the bloc’s new multifaceted spheres of cooperation.
BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) is currently working on a set of new proposals including the establishment of women business club and a rating agency, among others, for the 10th edition of BRICS Summit scheduled to take place from 25-27 July, 2018, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
As far back in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India called upon members of BRICS to take begin the BRICS credit rating agency. India has long held the view that a new rating agency would provide an immense contribution to the existing knowledge of rating systems. Since then, there have been discussions at several conferences and forums, the latest was during the special panel session on the future prospects of BRICS at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum late May.
“As a first step towards creating such an agency, we propose the countries offer their national agencies to form a network. Our partnership with one of the Chinese rating agencies, Golden Credit, could be used as a prototype of this network,” Ekaterina Trofimova, Chief Executive Officer of the Analytical Credit Rating Agency, said.
There are also similar views. “Many foreign countries most often consider or rate BRICS countries, enterprises and financial institutions get a biased evaluation. We would like to see more neutral ones that we can further relate to,” according to Sergey Katyrin, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation. It’s necessary to have unbiased ratings of institutions of BRICS countries as there are is open to the world and consistently expanding ties with concerned countries and seek integration into business associations, he explained.
Jayshree Sengupta, a Research Fellow from the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, India, thinks that BRICS want to have their own rating agency and are set to have it soon because the three international rating agencies Moody’s, Fitch and Standard & Poor that dominate the world sovereign rating market have been rather unfair to BRICS members and other developing countries. They frequently downgrade them on unjust grounds and criteria that serve western political interests. They downgraded Brazil and Russia in 2017 and keep changing their grading about India, creating much uncertainty.
Sengupta indicated in an email interview that “their ‘issuer paid’ model of rating is biased and BRICS members are perhaps contemplating having their own rating agency on ‘investor pays’ model which may be more appropriate for their Emerging Market economies.”
While expressing the fact that the idea is highly laudable, Francis Kornegay, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Global Dialogue, University of South Africa, explained recently to me that “it has something to do with the global economic balance of power as to whether there is sufficient leverage among BRICS countries and other emerging powers to provide such an alternative.”
Kornegay specializes on global geopolitical and strategic trends and he is also a long-term analyst of global South and emerging power dynamics and US foreign policy. As such, he recently produced, as lead co-editor, Laying the BRICS of a New Global Order: From Yekaterinburg 2009 to eThekwini 2013 (Africa Institute of South Africa).
The BRICS economic growth rate is increasing. “Starting last year, all BRICS countries have demonstrated positive trend in economic growth. Moreover, we expect that the growth rate will be increasing through 2018 and 2019, especially in India,” according to Yaroslav Lisovolik, Chief Economist and Managing Director for Research at the Eurasian Development Bank.
Thus, a BRICS own rating agency has the benefit of reducing the dependency of sovereign and corporate ratings of the developing world on the verdicts of the “big three” referring to Moody’s, Standard & Poor and Fitch. “The fact that all five BRICS economies are to participate in launching the ratings agency serves as a wide enough base to create sufficient demand and use of its ratings compared to the relatively narrow potential of national rating agencies,” he explained.
In other words, an alliance among the largest developing countries is crucial in launching such an enterprise – on top of the possibilities of operating in the BRICS countries themselves and there may also be the possibility to expand the operations of such an agency to the regional partners of BRICS countries, Lisovolik suggested.
On his part, Brazilian Ambassador to Russia, Jose Vallim Antonio Guerreiro questioned how the procedures of existing rating agencies could be applicable to all economies. “The question is whether this procedure includes all the relevant factors. You may need to look for alternative indicators and broad approaches to assess the health of economies,” he argued. “I do not believe that the new agency will be something to resist the existing institutions. They do their job, and certainly, there is a demand for their services. But it is possible that the BRICS countries will elaborate a different approach.”
Some experts still cast doubts about the feasibility of the project. “As far as I know, this endeavour was considered too expensive and not feasible at the moment,” Professor Georgy Toloraya, Executive Director at the National Committee on BRICS Research in Russia, wrote me simply without detailed discussion on the topic.
But, an Associate Researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), who requested for anonymity, strongly suggested that the BRICS credit rating agency as a business project could be well-managed if given to India, or at best, to China that previously offered a larger part of seed capital for the establishment of the New Development Bank.
The Financial Times reported that BRICS countries have long deliberated on plans to establish their own rating agency along with the formation of the New Development Bank. The BRICS member countries (namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) collectively represent about 26% of the world’s geographic area and are home to 2.88 billion people, about 42% of the world’s population.
Kester Kenn Klomegah frequently writes about issues connecting Russia, Africa and BRICS.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The United Arab Emirates-based multi-billion-dollar tech powerhouse, Phoenix Group, has announced a major strategic expansion into the African market with the acquisition of an 80-megawatt (MW) power purchase agreement (PPA) in Ethiopia to boost its Bitcoin mining capacity.
The deal forged in partnership with Abu Dhabi-based cybersecurity firm, Data7, marks a significant step in Phoenix Group’s global diversification strategy and secures a reliable and sustainable energy source to fuel its long-term growth and underscores a commitment to responsible digital asset infrastructure development.
The new Ethiopian site, slated for energization in Q2 2025, will dramatically enhance Phoenix Group’s operational capacity, significantly increasing the exahash rate of its rapidly expanding mining portfolio.
“This move solidifies Phoenix Group’s position as one of the world’s largest Bitcoin miners and reinforces its commitment to scaling operations and delivering cutting-edge, globally distributed digital asset infrastructure. Phoenix Group is poised to build on this momentum, with further announcements of new sites and increased capacity in 2025, including continued expansion in Ethiopia and a strategic entry into the South American market,” the statement shared with Business Post said.
Speaking on the development, Mr Munaf Ali, CEO of Phoenix Group said- “This 80MW expansion in Ethiopia, on the heels of our North Dakota site announcement, is a powerful testament to Phoenix Group’s accelerating global momentum.
“We are aggressively building out our mining capabilities, and this added capacity further solidifies our position as one of the world’s largest Bitcoin miners, fueling our growth trajectory as we prepare for our listing on Nasdaq. We’re not just expanding our operations; we’re strategically positioning ourselves at the forefront of a financial revolution where cryptocurrencies will play a central role in creating a more inclusive and dynamic global economy.”
Mr Reza Nejatian, CEO of Global Mining Operations at Phoenix Group, added: “This project in Ethiopia, significantly increasing our exahash rate, is a clear signal of our ambition to not just participate in, but to lead, the global Bitcoin mining landscape. Ethiopia’s emergence as a key crypto-mining hub provides the perfect platform for our continued expansion, and this is just the first phase of our growth in the country.
“Our strategic partnership with Data7, enabling the deployment of the latest S21 Hydros, underscores our commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to maximize efficiency and solidify our competitive advantage”, adding that, “Our ambitions extend beyond Africa; we’re actively preparing to launch operations in South America in 2025, further diversifying our global footprint. This is how we execute on a global scale, and this is how we build the future of decentralized finance.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support sustainable food production at a range of scales towards climate adaptation while protecting and preserving soil health, biodiversity, and water resources has been sealed between Olam Agri and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
The deal provides a framework that will facilitate collaboration between the two organisations across staple agriculture supply chains that include rice, cotton, and rubber in developing markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
The aim is to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, provide them with access to key services and inclusive opportunities; and establish sustainability and traceability across agriculture supply chains, aligning with Olam Agri’s purpose to transform food and agriculture for a more sustainable and food-secure future.
For joint projects, GIZ and Olam Agri have identified six priority intervention areas: nutrition-sensitive regenerative agriculture; harvest and post-harvest loss reduction; access to finance for smallholders; economic inclusion and rights; management of crop residues and reuse; and ecosystem services, including protection and restoration of ecosystems and carbon initiatives.
Both partners will continue to identify topics relevant across value chains and regions to drive innovation and scaling, with possible cross-sectoral issues including climate and carbon credits, landscape-scale approaches, and digitisation.
“We’ve shared a strong and fruitful relationship with GIZ over the years during which we’ve made significant inroads in transforming smallholder farming in several supply chains across many geographies to be more productive, profitable, and sustainable.
“I am thrilled to be signing this MoU with such a valuable partner that is GIZ and commit to collaborate even further to scale up our sustainability programmes in developing and emerging agriculture economies,” the co-founder of Olam Agri, Mr Sunny Verghese, said.
Also commenting, the Managing Director of GIZ, Anna Sophie Herken, said, “The signing of this MoU with Olam Agri marks a pivotal step forward in our collaborative efforts towards sustainable food production.
“I am very happy and grateful that we can deepen and broaden our cooperation efforts simultaneously. We look forward to enhancing the scope and impact of our successful projects in climate-smart farming.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
Bitcoin (BTC), the world’s best-known digital currency, reached a fresh record high of $108,943 on Monday morning as Mr Donald Trump prepared to return to the White House.
The support from Mr Trump has boosted the crypto industry and after mentioning the asset’s record performance in a Sunday speech alongside gains in the broader US stock market, the prices have been heading north.
“Since the election, the stock market has surged and small business optimism has soared a record 41 points to a 39-year high. Bitcoin has shattered one record high after another,” Mr Trump said.
Business Post reports that some other tokens making gains include Ethereum (ETH), the second most valued coin which has gained 5.9 per cent to $3,349.93, Ripple (XPR) added 6.2 per cent to sell at $3.31, and Cardano (ADA) added 3.3 per cent to $1.07.
Mr Trump, who over the weekend launched a coin, has been vocal about his support for cryptocurrencies during his campaign and promised to make the US the crypto capital of the planet and create a strategic national bitcoin reserve, moves that have fueled investor optimism.
There are hopes that new policies and regulators will send the price of BTC and by extension, other coins much further this year as the US economy continues to show strength in the long term.
BTC reversed losses from earlier in the day when it fell to nearly $100,000 from a high over $102,000 on Sunday as incoming first lady Melania Trump issued a memecoin, drawing liquidity away from major assets.
Mrs Trump followed her husband’s lead by launching a multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency meme coin – briefly tanking the price of $TRUMP coin in the process.
A meme coin is a type of cryptocurrency inspired by trends such as internet memes with no inherent utility, and are often susceptible to price swings and crashes. Meme coins have been described by traders as a pure form of gambling and akin to buying a lottery ticket.
However, some crypto enthusiasts hailed the Trump meme coin’s release, saying it was symbolic of the incoming president’s support for an industry that felt unfairly targeted by the Biden administration.
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