NewzIntel.com

Category: Trade

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Real change boosts farmer confidence, but Paris commitments still cause concern

    Source: ACT Party

    ACT Agriculture spokesperson Mark Cameron is welcoming Federated Farmers’ latest Farm Confidence Survey, which shows farmer confidence has jumped to a 10-year high, but says there is more work to be done – including resolving challenges posed by our climate commitments.

    “Finally, we’ve got a Government committed to letting farmers farm, and it’s clear the real change ACT is resonating with rural New Zealand.

    “We’ve reined in waste and refocused the Reserve Bank on tackling inflation to bring interest rates down. We’ve kept agriculture out of the Emissions Trading Scheme and axed Labour’s anti-farmer policies including the ute tax and new resource management regime,” says Mr Cameron.

    “The progress is good, but farmers still deserve better. More work is underway to cut rural red tape, such as the repeal and replacement of the RMA that puts property rights first, so farmers can farm without having to worry about vacuous concepts like the mana and mauri of the water. The work I’m leading on the rural banking inquiry will ascertain exactly why farmers are getting a raw deal and how much woke banking practices have to do with it.

    “The Farm Confidence Survey shows climate policy has farmers increasingly on edge. This reflects what farmers are telling me. The Paris Agreement requires us to sign up to increasing costly targets, prime rural land gets covered in pine trees, farmers get lumped with new bills and red tape.

    “People need to eat, they need their baby formula, and if we shut down efficient Kiwi farms, that production will just be shifted offshore to countries that are less efficient. How’s that good for the environment? It’s a nonsense.

    “Rural New Zealand deserves an honest conversation about what these targets mean, how much they’ll cost, and the implications if we were to consider withdrawing. Resolving these questions would do a great deal to lift confidence higher.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI China: HKSAR gov’t to co-host briefing on new agreement under CEPA

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    HONG KONG, Feb. 18 — A briefing regarding the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) will be held on Wednesday to outline the new measures and arrangements for the business sector, said John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), on Tuesday.

    Signed on Oct. 9, 2024, between the HKSAR government and the Ministry of Commerce, the Second Agreement Concerning Amendment to the CEPA Agreement on Trade in Services took effect upon inking and will be officially implemented as of March 1, 2025.

    The agreement is designed to lower barriers for Hong Kong enterprises and professionals seeking access to the Chinese mainland services market, said Lee. It introduces new measures in key service areas where Hong Kong has advantages and removes the requirement that service providers must operate in Hong Kong for three years before entering most service sectors, he added.

    The agreement also includes provisions allowing eligible Hong Kong businesses to select Hong Kong law for contracts and designate Hong Kong as the arbitration venue, Lee noted.

    The Ministry of Commerce and the HKSAR government will jointly organize a briefing in Hong Kong. Representatives from more than 10 ministries, relevant offices and the HKSAR government will introduce the measures and implementation arrangements in detail according to different service industries.

    In addition to business developments, Lee highlighted that March will feature a series of popular cultural, artistic, and sporting events, alongside several major conferences and exhibitions. On the housing front, the average waiting time for public rental housing applicants is set to decrease to 5.3 years by the end of 2024, marking a reduction of 0.2 years and the lowest figure in six years.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Reins in Independent Agencies to Restore a Government that Answers to the American People

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    RESTORING DEMOCRACY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN GOVERNMENT: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order ensuring that all federal agencies are accountable to the American people, as required by the Constitution. Under this Executive Order:
    The Order notes that Article II of the U.S. Constitution vests all executive power in the President, meaning that all executive branch officials and employees are subject to his supervision.
    Therefore, because all executive power is vested in the President, all agencies must: (1) submit draft regulations for White House review—with no carve-out for so-called independent agencies, except for the monetary policy functions of the Federal Reserve; and (2) consult with the White House on their priorities and strategic plans, and the White House will set their performance standards.
    The Office of Management and Budget will adjust so-called independent agencies’ apportionments to ensure tax dollars are spent wisely.
    The President and the Attorney General (subject to the President’s supervision and control) will interpret the law for the executive branch, instead of having separate agencies adopt conflicting interpretations.
    REINING IN INDEPENDENT AGENCIES: So-called independent agencies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have exercised enormous power over the American people without Presidential oversight.
    These agencies issue rules and regulations that cost billions of dollars and implicate some of the most controversial policy matters, and they do so without the review of the democratically elected President.
    They also spend American tax dollars and set priorities without consulting the President, while setting their own performance standards.
    Now they will no longer impose rules on the American people without oversight or accountability.
    ENSURING A GOVERNMENT THAT ANSWERS TO THE PEOPLE: This order fulfills President Trump’s promise to restore constitutional governance and accountability to the entire executive branch.
    Executive power without responsibility has no place in our Republic. The United States was founded on the principle that the government should be accountable to the people. That is why the Founders created a single President who is alone vested with “the executive Power” and responsibility to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”
    Voters and the President can now hold all Federal agencies—not just Cabinet departments—responsible for their decisions, as the Constitution demands.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Currency Exchange International, Corp. Announces Strategic Decision to Discontinue Operations of its Subsidiary, Exchange Bank of Canada, Pursue Referral Agreements with Appropriate Parties, and Seek Discontinuance from the Bank Act

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Exchange Bank of Canada is to cease operations and refer the majority of its banknote and payments customers and selected employees to interested parties;
    • Currency Exchange International reiterates long-term positive outlook, with strategic focus on high potential U.S. business growth by leveraging its proprietary FX and payment software.

    TORONTO, Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Currency Exchange International, Corp. (“CXI” or the “Company”) (TSX: CXI) (OTC: CURN), today announced its decision to cease the operations of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Exchange Bank of Canada (“EBC”), a federally chartered, non-deposit-taking, non-lending Canadian Schedule I bank. Following the cessation of operations, EBC intends to apply to the Minister of Finance (Canada) to discontinue from the Bank Act. The voluntary discontinuance is expected to be completed in the 4th quarter of 2025, subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals.

    On January 7, 2025, CXI announced that a Special Committee of independent directors was actively considering a range of strategic options for EBC with the aim of identifying opportunities to maximize long-term value for shareholders. After the assessment of strategic options, assisted by an independent financial advisor, INFOR Financial Inc., CXI’s Board has decided to discontinue operations of its subsidiary, EBC. As part of this process, the Special Committee actively explored different options and supported a plan to cease EBC’s operations, pursue referral agreements for both the majority of its customers and select employees to well-established Canadian financial businesses, and seek discontinuance from the Bank Act.

    “The decision to seek discontinuance from the Bank Act for EBC was taken very seriously and not made lightly and reflects a difficult business environment in Canada. We are optimistic that the contemplated referral agreements are the best outcome for EBC stakeholders as well as CXI shareholders,” said Randolph Pinna, CEO of CXI. “Importantly, the CXI group continues to perform very well. This strategic move allows CXI to focus resources on its U.S. operations, where we see significant growth potential with both existing and new client relationships.”

    CXI’s long-term outlook remains positive due to the Company’s focus on its growing fintech businesses in the U.S. and anticipated additional new product growth in the U.S. market. The Company will provide further updates as the Canadian business operations are being discontinued. In connection with the cessation of operations and discontinuance, certain one time costs will be incurred, primarily over the next six months, largely driven by restructuring, vendor termination fees, severance obligations, professional fees and other related charges. CXI expects to remain profitable during this period. During this process, EBC is committed to ensuring minimal disruption to all its stakeholders.

    CXI is grateful to all EBC’s team members for their contributions over the years and is committed to providing support and guidance to all employees during this transition to ensure a smooth and respectful process.

    The Company plans to host a conference call on Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 8:30 AM (EST). To participate in or listen to the call, please dial the appropriate number:

    Toll Free: 1 (800) 717-1738

    Conference ID number: 00133

    About Currency Exchange International, Corp.

    Currency Exchange International is in the business of providing comprehensive foreign exchange technology and processing services for banks, credit unions, businesses, and consumers in the United States and select clients globally. Primary products and services include the exchange of foreign currencies, wire transfer payments, Global EFTs, and foreign cheque clearing. Wholesale customers are served through its proprietary FX software applications delivered on its web-based interface, www.cxifx.com (“CXIFX”), its related APIs with core banking platforms, and through personal relationship managers. Consumers are served through Group-owned retail branches, agent retail branches, and its e-commerce platform, order.ceifx.com (“OnlineFX”).

    The Group’s wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary, Exchange Bank of Canada, based in Toronto, Canada, provides foreign exchange and international payment services in Canada and select international foreign jurisdictions. Customers are served through the use of its proprietary software, www.ebcfx.com (“EBCFX”), related APIs to core banking platforms, and personal relationship managers.

    Contact Information

    For further information please contact:
    Bill Mitoulas
    Investor Relations
    (416) 479-9547
    Email: bill.mitoulas@cxifx.com
    Website: www.cxifx.com

    CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

    This press release includes forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. This forward-looking information includes, or may be based upon, estimates, forecasts, and statements as to management’s expectations with respect to, among other things, the voluntary cessation of operations and discontinuance of Exchange Bank of Canada (EBC), the conclusion of referral agreements for customers and selected employees, regulatory approvals required for the discontinuance process, establishing direct correspondent banking relationships to support its U.S. payments business, the management of employee and customer transitions, the Company’s liquidity position during the cessation and discontinuance period, financial performance in fiscal 2025 and 2026, and the associated costs and outcomes of the cessation and discontinuance period in general. Forward-looking statements are identified by the use of terms and phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “preliminary,” “project,” “will,” “would,” and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions.

    Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date such information is provided and on information available to management at such time. Forward-looking information involves significant risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that could cause the Company’s actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in such forward-looking information. Actual results may differ materially from results indicated in forward-looking information due to a number of factors including, without limitation, the inability of the Company to complete the cessation of EBC and discontinuance in accordance with applicable regulatory and legal requirements on a basis which is cost effective and protects the goodwill of the Company, an inability to establish direct correspondent banking relationships to support its U.S. payments business on terms which are economic or at all, the impact of delays or challenges in obtaining regulatory approvals, a failure to obtain the necessary approvals for referral agreements for customers and selected employees or an inability to conclude such arrangements on a basis which is beneficial to the Company and its selected employees, an inability to manage one-time wind-down costs and severance obligations on cost-effective basis, potential disruptions to operations during the transition period. the risk of reduced liquidity during the transition periods and, generally, the potential for unforeseen liabilities arising during or after the cessation of operations and discontinuance of EBC.

    Additional risks include the ability of the Company to comply with regulatory requirements in general, the competitive nature of the foreign exchange industry, the impact of geo political changes, and trade wars on factors relevant to the Company’s business, currency exchange risks, the need for the Company to manage its planned growth, the effects of product development and the need for continued technological change, protection of the Company’s proprietary rights, the effect of government regulation and compliance on the Company and the industry in which it operates, network security risks, the ability of the Company to maintain properly working systems, theft and risk of physical harm to personnel, reliance on key management personnel, unexpected losses or challenges associated with customer attrition during the discontinuance, global economic deterioration negatively impacting tourism, volatile securities markets impacting security pricing in a manner unrelated to operating performance and impeding access to capital or increasing the cost of capital, as well as the factors identified throughout this press release and in the section entitled “Financial Risk Factors” of the Company’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis for the twelve months ended October 31, 2024.

    The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents management’s expectations as of the date hereof (or as of the date such information is otherwise stated to be presented) and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities laws.

    The Toronto Stock Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. No stock exchange, securities commission, or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained in this press release.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: In Day-Long Security Council Debate, Speakers Offer Divergent Views on ‘New’ Global Order, Stress Need to Update Global Governance

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    During a day-long Security Council debate on practicing multilateralism and reforming global governance today, speakers stressed the urgent need to update the United Nations — founded 80 years ago — including reforms to the Council itself and to the global economic order to better address twenty-first-century challenges.

    “One can draw a direct line between the creation of the United Nations and the prevention of a third world war,” said António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, recalling that the UN was “born out of the ashes” of the second.  The UN remains the “essential, one-of-a-kind meeting ground to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights”, he said.  However, “eight decades is a long time”, he said, emphasizing that while the “hardware” for international cooperation exists, “the software needs an update”.

    As global challenges demand multilateral solutions, he pointed out that the Pact for the Future puts forward concrete solutions to strengthen the machinery of peace, advance coordination with regional organizations and includes the first multilateral agreement on nuclear disarmament in more than a decade.  It also includes efforts to prevent an arms race in outer space, advance discussions on lethal autonomous weapons and recognizes the UN’s role in preventive diplomacy.

    “But the Pact does even more for peace,” he said, as it recognizes that the international community must address the root causes of conflict and tension and that the Council “must reflect the world of today”. Guided by the Pact, he said that multilateralism — “the beating heart of the United Nations” — can became an even more powerful instrument of peace.  “But multilateralism is only as strong as each and every country’s commitment to it,” he added, urging all Member States to continue updating global problem-solving mechanisms to “make them fit for purpose, fit for people and fit for peace”.

    Shift of Power to Global South

    Wang Yi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of China — Council President for February — then spoke in his national capacity to recall that representatives of his country were the first to sign the Charter of the United Nations, “writing with the Chinese calligraphy brush an important chapter in world history”.  Now, though, comprehensive peace and shared prosperity remain elusive.  Noting the rise of the Global South on the world stage, he insisted that “international affairs should no longer be monopolized by a small number of countries” and the fruits of global development should not be enjoyed by only a few countries.  China, as the world’s largest developing country, has become the major trading partner of more than 150 countries and regions and is promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation to contribute to global prosperity and development.

    “The continuing inequalities of the global financial system have further aggravated today’s crises,” said Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, adding that “the very fabric of the world order established under the UN Charter is in danger of being torn apart”.  Urging reform of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, he pointed out that the current system favours the rich, while developing nations are trapped in a cycle of poverty and debt.

    Also underlining the need to reform the global economic order, Selma Bakhta Mansouri, Secretary of State to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Algeria, said that current financial arrangements are largely led by developed States.  It is necessary to ensure a “flexible and sustainable financing mechanism for African States and to work towards improving or easing their debt burden,” she stressed.  She also noted that Africa represents more than a quarter of UN Member States, but continues to be deprived of permanent representation on the Council.

    Similarly, Francess Piagie Alghali, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone, said that Africa remains the most glaring victim of inequitable Council composition.  Without structural reform, the organ’s performance and legitimacy will continue to be questioned, she said, also highlighting Africa’s exclusion from multilateral development banks.  Highlighting the African Union’s theme of the year — Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations — she stressed the need to urgently rectify the historical injustices perpetuated against the continent.

    Push for Two Permanent Security Council Seats for Africa

    Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Somalia, also reiterated the need for a “deep-rooted reform” of the Council, stressing that African States should be granted two permanent seats that include the right to veto.  Stating that the UN Charter must be the “linchpin” and “our lodestar” as the international community embarks on reforming the multilateral system, he also noted that Council resolutions are being trampled upon, calling for effective mechanisms to bolster the UN’s capacity to guarantee international peace and security.

    “It is illogical that Africa does not feature among permanent members,” observed France’s representative, underscoring:  “That must change.”  Two African States must hold permanent seats on the Council, and he added that Africa’s demand for veto power is “legitimate”.  The representative of Denmark, in that vein, stated that the world needs a more-representative Council — “one which redresses the historical injustice done to the African continent”.  She added:  “We cannot seriously tackle the issues facing multilateralism when the Security Council continues to operate in a reality of yesteryear.”

    “The Security Council is arguably the least representative and most undemocratic of global institutions,” added Guyana’s representative, pointing out that the Council faces the risk of becoming irrelevant.  “We have seen repeatedly how the current structure and decision-making format — particularly the use of the veto — have thwarted the will” of the wider membership, she said.  Greece’s representative, for his part, expressed support for “any model of reform that is fair, strengthens the UN as a whole and transforms the Security Council into a more democratic, efficient, representative and accountable body”.

    Russian Federation, China Accused of Being Drivers of Instability

    Meanwhile, the representative of the United States said that “two of the greatest drivers of instability in the world today hold veto power”, spotlighting the Russian Federation’s bloody war in Ukraine and China’s exploitation of its developing-nation status.  “We need to take a close look at where this institution is falling short,” she added.  Therefore, the United States is currently reviewing its support to the UN, and she said that “we will consider whether actions of the Organization are serving American interests, and whether it can be reformed”.

    As to why the UN is falling short of its ambitions, the representative of the United Kingdom observed that “there is more to this than the often-mentioned liquidity crisis”.  While the Organization’s membership has increased, it is not fully representative of today’s “multipolar world”, she said.  Further, the Council is often characterized as “ineffective geopolitical theatre”, and she added that — while reform is needed — “this body has the tools to implement its peace and security mandate”.

    “It is time to rescue multilateralism from ruinous mistrust,” stressed Panama’s representative, urging States to ensure that, rather that floundering, the system flourishes and prospers.  Observing that his country has been reaping the rewards of multilateralism since its independence, he said that diplomatic efforts lead to the end of the colonial enclave and to the recovery of “our Canal”.

    BRICS Surpasses G7 in Gross Domestic Product

    The representative of the Russian Federation noted that developed countries have siphoned off $62 trillion in resources from the Global South since 1960, highlighting Moscow’s efforts to advance anti-colonial agendas at the UN.  And “there have been tectonic shifts in the global economy”, with BRICS (Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China, South Africa) accounting for 37 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP), surpassing 29 per cent represented by the Group of 7 (G7) countries, he added, stressing the need for a more equitable global financial architecture.  Rejecting the West’s domination at the Security Council as “a relic of the past”, he said that his country advocates for indivisible security in Eurasia without infringing on others’ interests.

    “It is extraordinary that 193 Member States — with each of us at different stages of political and economic development, like-minded or even antagonistic — gather every day in this very building to discuss and solve current and future issues,” observed the representative of the Republic of Korea.  “This should not be taken for granted,” he stressed, stating that the UN’s convening role is the “driving engine of multilateralism”.  Slovenia’s representative, similarly, noted that the UN “enabled the power of rules to replace the rule of power”.  Citing former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, he said:  “It is not big Powers who need the UN for their protection.  It is all the others.”

    Unilateralism Versus Multilateralism

    As the floor opened to the wider membership, Celinda Sosa Lunda, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bolivia, pointed to the need for radical change within the UN structure in view of the myriad threats to the planet’s very existence.  “We are fighting for the transition towards a multipolar world,” she stressed.  “Today the world is in a state of flux,” said Jeje Odongo Abubakhar, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uganda, pointing to the “palpable loss of trust” in age-old institutions and mechanisms.  Observing that many world leaders now favour unilateralism, he stressed:  “The future of multilateralism depends on the willingness of State and non-State actors to re-imagine and revitalize the system.”

    On that, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, said that it has become crucial to defend multilateralism given “the withdrawal of the world’s greatest Power from international bodies”.  He also opposed “trends towards the privatization of the Organization, turning it into a tool that represents the interests of major Powers and large transnational capital”.  Meanwhile, Péter Szijjártó, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, said that, during the “global dictatorship of the international liberal mainstream”, the UN has failed to be a platform for peace.  He therefore stressed that the UN must adjust itself to the new global political reality or “lose its significance”.

    Waleed Abdul Karim El-Khereiji, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, also said that the increasing crisis of confidence in the UN demands reform.  Further, “current bloody incidents” call for firm responses from the multilateral system.  “No people should feel abandoned by the international community,” stressed Fedor Rosocha, Director General of the Directorate for International Organizations and Human Rights in the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia, stressing that the Council must not be passive in the fact of conflict, crisis and atrocity.

    The fact that “no new world war has happened” is not a consolation to Ukrainians whose towns have been destroyed, observed Mariana Betsa, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.  Multilateral institutions are being undermined from within, she said, urging that permanent Council members be limited in their use of the veto when they have a conflict of interest in the matter under consideration.  She added:  “If the UN begins to resemble a boxing ring — with fighters, their supporters and passive spectators — the prospects for global security will be bleak.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI: Hansen Launches AI-Powered Virtual Agent to Enhance Customer Experience

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hansen Technologies (ASX:HSN), a leading global provider of software and services to the energy, utilities, communications, and media industries, is unveiling an advanced AI solution to enhance the customer support experience. Hansen’s AI Virtual Agent is a Conversational (ConvAI) and Generative AI (GenAI) solution that is designed to integrate with Customer Information Systems (CIS) and is optimised for Hansen CIS, supporting diverse customer care needs. These can include setting up new accounts, updating personal information, processing bill payments, arranging payment plans, and transferring services.

    As utility and communications companies around the globe work to enhance customer satisfaction while alleviating pressure on overburdened call centre staff, those leading the charge are achieving success by delivering intelligent, seamless customer experiences—without compromising on cost efficiency. However, early AI-based customer support solutions fell short, struggling with limited natural language processing capabilities and a lack of industry-specific expertise. As a result, they were unable to handle the complexity and high volume of customer interactions spanning multiple communication channels.

    Hansen’s AI Virtual Agent is built to streamline key processes in call centres, making interactions more efficient and customer focused. By managing complex queries across voice, email, SMS and messaging platforms simultaneously, it shortens response times, improves customer satisfaction, and drives operational excellence. This Hansen solution is built on large language models and has been specifically fine-tuned to address sector-specific needs and is offered in a SaaS deployment model on AWS cloud infrastructure. It already supports queries in multiple languages and the company plans to further build on these.

    David Castree, President of Energy & Utilities at Hansen, explains: “With engineering innovation, and a clear focus initially on the utility sector we are proud to bring Hansen’s AI Virtual Agent to market and deliver a seamlessly integrated Conversational and Generative AI solution working alongside existing call centre agents to elevate the customer service experience. Importantly for companies, the cost per engagement has the potential to decrease by up to two-thirds, while the capacity to handle call volume is no longer constrained by the number of service centre lines or available agents.”

    Hansen has made a significant strategic investment for a minority interest in Dial AI, an innovative software engineering company, to bring this industry-leading AI solution to market.

    For further information about Hansen’s AI Virtual Agent or Hansen CIS, part of the Hansen Suite for Energy & Utilities, please visit www.hansencx.com.

    About Hansen
    Hansen Technologies (ASX: HSN) is a leading global provider of software and services to the energy & utilities and communications & media industries. With its award-winning software portfolio, Hansen serves customers in over 80 countries, helping them to create, sell, and deliver new products and services, manage and analyse customer data, and control critical revenue management and customer support processes.
    For more information, visit www.hansencx.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: CVR Energy Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2024 Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Reported full-year 2024 net income attributable to CVR Energy stockholders of $7 million and EBITDA of $394 million.
    • Paid cumulative cash dividends attributable to 2024 of $1.00 per share.
    • Enhanced liquidity by $408 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 through a Term Loan and the sale of our 50 percent interest in Midway Pipeline.

    SUGAR LAND, Tx, Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CVR Energy, Inc. (“CVR Energy” or the “Company”) (NYSE: CVI) today announced fourth quarter 2024 net income attributable to CVR Energy stockholders of $28 million, or 28 cents per diluted share, compared to fourth quarter 2023 net income attributable to CVR Energy stockholders of $91 million, or 91 cents per diluted share. Adjusted loss for the fourth quarter of 2024 was 13 cents per diluted share compared to adjusted earnings of 65 cents per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2023. Net income for the fourth quarter of 2024 was $40 million, compared to net income of $97 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. Fourth quarter 2024 EBITDA was $122 million, compared to fourth quarter 2023 EBITDA of $204 million. Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2024 was $67 million, compared to adjusted EBITDA of $170 million in the fourth quarter of 2023.

    For full-year 2024, the Company reported net income attributable to CVR Energy stockholders of $7 million, or 6 cents per diluted share, compared to net income attributable to CVR Energy stockholders for full-year 2023 of $769 million, or $7.65 per diluted share. Adjusted loss for full-year 2024 was 51 cents per diluted share compared to adjusted earnings of $5.64 per diluted share for full-year 2023. Net income for full-year 2024 was $45 million, compared to net income of $878 million for full-year 2023. Full-year 2024 EBITDA was $394 million, compared to full-year 2023 EBITDA of $1.4 billion. Adjusted EBITDA for full-year 2024 was $317 million, compared to adjusted EBITDA of $1.2 billion for full-year 2023.

    “CVR Energy’s 2024 full-year and fourth quarter results for its refining business were lower than the previous year due to reduced crack spreads and, to a lesser degree, decreased throughputs,” said Dave Lamp, CVR Energy’s Chief Executive Officer. “We commenced our planned Coffeyville turnaround early, which should position us well for the improvement in cracks we expect as summer driving season begins and capacity rationalization occurs.

    “CVR Partners operated well during 2024, with consolidated ammonia plant utilization of 96 percent,” Lamp said. “The Partnership is pleased to have declared a fourth quarter 2024 cash distribution of $1.75 per common unit, with cumulative cash distributions of $6.76 per common unit for 2024.”

    Petroleum Segment

    Fourth Quarter 2024 Compared to Fourth Quarter 2023

    The Petroleum Segment reported fourth quarter 2024 net income of $35 million and EBITDA of $72 million, compared to net income of $158 million and EBITDA of $196 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. Adjusted EBITDA for the Petroleum Segment was $9 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $152 million for the fourth quarter of 2023.

    Combined total throughput for the fourth quarter of 2024 was approximately 214,000 barrels per day (“bpd”), compared to approximately 223,000 bpd of combined total throughput for the fourth quarter of 2023.

    Refining margin for the fourth quarter of 2024 was $165 million, or $8.37 per total throughput barrel, compared to $307 million, or $15.01 per total throughput barrel, during the same period in 2023. Included in our fourth quarter 2024 refining margin were favorable mark-to-market impacts on our outstanding Renewable Fuel Standard (“RFS”) obligation of $57 million, unfavorable derivative impacts of $6 million from open crack spread swap positions and unfavorable inventory valuation impacts of $12 million. Excluding these items, adjusted refining margin for the fourth quarter of 2024 was $6.45 per barrel, compared to an adjusted refining margin per barrel of $12.91 for the fourth quarter of 2023. The decrease in adjusted refining margin per barrel was primarily due to a decrease in the Group 3 2-1-1 crack spread.

    Full-Year 2024 Compared to Full-Year 2023

    The Petroleum Segment reported full-year 2024 net income of $70 million and EBITDA of $223 million, compared to net income of $1.1 billion and EBITDA of $1.2 billion for full-year 2023. Adjusted EBITDA for the Petroleum Segment was $138 million for full-year 2024, compared to $903 million for full-year 2023.

    Combined total throughput for full-year 2024 was approximately 196,000 bpd, compared to approximately 208,000 bpd for full-year 2023.

    Refining margin was $684 million, or $9.53 per total throughput barrel, for full-year 2024 compared to $1.7 billion, or $21.82 per total throughput barrel, for full-year 2023. Included in our full-year 2024 refining margin were favorable mark-to-market impacts on our outstanding RFS obligation of $89 million, unfavorable derivative impacts of $22 million from open crack spread swap positions, and unfavorable inventory valuation impacts of $6 million. Excluding these items, adjusted refining margin for full-year 2024 was $8.67 per barrel, compared to an adjusted refining margin per barrel of $18.11 for full-year 2023. The decrease in adjusted refining margin per barrel was primarily due to a decrease in the Group 3 2-1-1 crack spread.

    Renewables Segment

    Effective for the year ended December 31, 2024, and due to the prominence of the renewables business relative to the Company’s overall 2024 performance, we have revised our reportable segments to reflect a new reportable segment – Renewables. The Renewables Segment includes the operations of the renewable diesel unit and renewable feedstock pretreater at the refinery in Wynnewood, Oklahoma.

    Fourth Quarter 2024 Compared to Fourth Quarter 2023

    The Renewables Segment reported fourth quarter 2024 net loss of $3 million and EBITDA of $3 million, compared to net loss of $30 million and EBITDA loss of $26 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. Adjusted EBITDA for the Renewables Segment was $9 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to Adjusted EBITDA loss of $17 million for the fourth quarter of 2023.

    Total vegetable oil throughput for the fourth quarter of 2024 was approximately 187,000 gallons per day (“gpd”), compared to approximately 200,000 gpd for the fourth quarter of 2023.

    Renewables margin was $14 million, or 79 cents per vegetable oil throughput gallon, for the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to a loss of $17 million, or 90 cents per vegetable oil throughput gallon, for the fourth quarter of 2023. Factors contributing to our fourth quarter 2024 renewables margin were lower cost of sales of $46 million due to a decrease in vegetable oil feed prices and an increase in the Heating Oil – Bean Oil (“HOBO”) spread of 7 cents per gallon driven by a decrease in soybean oil prices of 9 cents per pound due to increased U.S. soybean oil inventories resulting from higher production levels.

    Full-Year 2024 Compared to Full-Year 2023

    The Renewables Segment reported full-year 2024 net loss of $21 million and EBITDA of $3 million, compared to net loss of $36 million and EBITDA loss of $17 million for full-year 2023. Adjusted EBITDA for the Renewables Segment was $10 million for full-year 2024, compared to Adjusted EBITDA loss of $5 million for full-year 2023.

    Total vegetable oil throughput for full-year 2024 was approximately 151,000 gpd, compared to approximately 226,000 gpd for full-year 2023.

    Renewables margin was $44 million, or 80 cents per vegetable oil throughput gallon, for full-year 2024 compared to $22 million, or 27 cents per vegetable oil throughput gallon, for full-year 2023. Factors contributing to our full-year 2024 renewables margin were favorable cost of sales of $284 million due to lower vegetable oil feed prices, an increase in the HOBO spread of 59 cents per gallon driven by a decrease in soybean oil prices of 14 cents per pound due to increased U.S. soybean oil inventories resulting from higher production levels and an increase in renewable diesel yield due to improved catalyst performance in the current year.

    Nitrogen Fertilizer Segment

    Fourth Quarter 2024 Compared to Fourth Quarter 2023

    The Nitrogen Fertilizer Segment reported net income of $18 million and EBITDA of $50 million on net sales of $140 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to net income of $10 million and EBITDA of $38 million on net sales of $142 million for the fourth quarter of 2023.

    CVR Partners’ fertilizer facilities produced a combined 210,000 tons of ammonia during the fourth quarter of 2024, of which 80,000 net tons were available for sale, while the rest was upgraded to other fertilizer products, including 310,000 tons of urea ammonia nitrate (“UAN”). During the fourth quarter of 2023, the fertilizer facilities produced 205,000 tons of ammonia, of which 75,000 net tons were available for sale, while the remainder was upgraded to other fertilizer products, including 306,000 tons of UAN.

    For the fourth quarter of 2024, average realized gate prices for UAN declined by 5 percent to $229 per ton and ammonia improved by 3 percent to $475 per ton when compared to the fourth quarter of 2023. Average realized gate prices for UAN and ammonia were $241 per ton and $461 per ton, respectively, for the fourth quarter of 2023.

    Full-Year 2024 Compared to Full-Year 2023

    The Nitrogen Fertilizer Segment reported net income of $61 million and EBITDA of $179 million on net sales of $525 million for full-year 2024, compared to net income of $172 million and EBITDA of $281 million on net sales of $681 million for full-year 2023.

    For full-year 2024, our fertilizer facilities produced a combined 836,000 tons of ammonia, of which 270,000 net tons were available for sale, while the rest was upgraded to other fertilizer products, including 1,273,000 tons of UAN. For full-year 2023, the fertilizer facilities produced 864,000 tons of ammonia, of which 270,000 net tons were available for sale, while the remainder was upgraded to other fertilizer products, including 1,369,000 tons of UAN.

    For full-year 2024, average realized gate prices for UAN declined by 20 percent to $248 per ton and ammonia declined by 16 percent to $479 per ton when compared to the full-year 2023. Average realized gate prices for UAN and ammonia were $309 per ton and $573 per ton, respectively, for full-year 2023.

    Corporate and Other

    The Company reported income tax benefit of $26 million, or (137.2) percent of income before income taxes, for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to an income tax expense of $207 million, or 19.1 percent of income before income taxes, for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in income tax expense was due primarily to a decrease in overall pretax earnings for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. In addition, the change in the effective tax rate was due primarily to changes in pretax earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests and the impact of federal and state tax credits and incentives generated in relation to overall pretax earnings for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023.

    Cash, Debt and Dividend

    During the fourth quarter of 2024, we completed two liquidity enhancing transactions generating net proceeds of $318 million from the senior secured term loan facility (the “Term Loan”) issuance and approximately $90 million of gross proceeds from the sale of our subsidiary’s 50% interest in the Midway Pipeline.

    Consolidated cash and cash equivalents was $987 million at December 31, 2024. Consolidated total debt and finance lease obligations was $1.9 billion at December 31, 2024, including $569 million held by the Nitrogen Fertilizer Segment.

    CVR Partners announced that the Board of Directors of its general partner declared a fourth quarter 2024 cash distribution of $1.75 per common unit, which will be paid on March 10, 2025, to common unitholders of record as of March 3, 2025.

    Fourth Quarter 2024 Earnings Conference Call

    CVR Energy previously announced that it will host its fourth quarter and full-year 2024 Earnings Conference Call on Wednesday, February 19, at 1 p.m. Eastern. This Earnings Conference Call may also include discussion of Company developments, forward-looking information and other material information about business and financial matters.

    The fourth quarter and full-year 2024 Earnings Conference Call will be webcast live and can be accessed on the Investor Relations section of CVR Energy’s website at www.CVREnergy.com. For investors or analysts who want to participate during the call, the dial-in number is (877) 407-8291. The webcast will be archived and available for 14 days at https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/4a2maqba. A repeat of the call can be accessed for 14 days by dialing (877) 660-6853, conference ID 13751234.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements concerning current estimates, expectations and projections about future results, performance, prospects, opportunities, plans, actions and events and other statements, concerns, or matters that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements,” as that term is defined under the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future: continued safe and reliable operations; drivers of our results; EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA; asset utilization, capture, production volume, throughput product yield and crude oil gathering rates; cash flow generation; operating income and net sales; throughput; refining margin; crack spreads, including the improvement thereof; capacity rationalization; impact of costs to comply with the RFS and revaluation of our RFS liability; crude oil and refined product pricing impacts on inventory valuation; derivative gains and losses and the drivers thereof; crack spreads, including the drivers thereof; demand trends; RIN generation levels; ethanol and biodiesel blending activities; inventory levels; benefits of our corporate transformation to segregate our renewables business; access to capital and new partnerships; RIN pricing, including its impact on performance and the Company’s ability to offset the impact thereof; carbon capture and decarbonization initiatives; ammonia and UAN pricing; global fertilizer industry conditions; grain prices; crop inventory levels; crop and planting levels; demand for refined products; economic downturns and demand destruction; production levels and utilization at our nitrogen fertilizer facilities; nitrogen fertilizer sales volumes; ability to and levels to which we upgrade ammonia to other fertilizer products, including UAN; income tax expense, including the drivers thereof; changes to pretax earnings and our effective tax rate; the availability of tax credits and incentives; production rates and operations capabilities of our renewable diesel unit, including the ability to return to hydrocarbon service; renewable feedstock throughput; use of proceeds under our debt instruments; debt levels; cash and cash equivalent levels; dividends and distributions, including the timing, payment and amount (if any) thereof; direct operating expenses, capital expenditures, depreciation and amortization and turnaround expense; cash reserves; timing of turnarounds; impacts of any pandemic; labor supply shortages, difficulties, disputes or strikes, including the impact thereof; and other matters. You can generally identify forward-looking statements by our use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “explore,” “evaluate,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “seek,” “should,” or “will,” or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Investors are cautioned that various factors may affect these forward-looking statements, including (among others) the health and economic effects of any pandemic, demand for fossil fuels and price volatility of crude oil, other feedstocks and refined products; the ability of Company to pay cash dividends and of CVR Partners to make cash distributions; potential operating hazards; costs of compliance with existing or new laws and regulations and potential liabilities arising therefrom; impacts of the planting season on CVR Partners; our controlling shareholder’s intention regarding ownership of our common stock or CVR Partners’ common units; general economic and business conditions; political disturbances, geopolitical instability and tensions; existing and future laws, rulings, policies and regulations, including the reinterpretation or amplification thereof by regulators, and including but not limited to those relating to the environment, climate change, and/or the production, transportation, or storage of hazardous chemicals, materials, or substances, like ammonia; political uncertainty and impacts to the oil and gas industry and the United States economy generally as a result of actions taken by a new administration, including the imposition of tariffs or changes in climate or other energy laws, rules, regulations, or policies; impacts of plant outages; potential operating hazards from accidents, fires, severe weather, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, or other natural disasters; and other risks. For additional discussion of risk factors which may affect our results, please see the risk factors and other disclosures included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our other Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filings. These and other risks may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made only as of the date hereof. CVR Energy disclaims any intention or obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law.

    About CVR Energy, Inc.
    Headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, CVR Energy is a diversified holding company primarily engaged in the renewable fuels and petroleum refining and marketing businesses, as well as in the nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing business through its interest in CVR Partners, LP. CVR Energy subsidiaries serve as the general partner and own 37 percent of the common units of CVR Partners.

    Investors and others should note that CVR Energy may announce material information using SEC filings, press releases, public conference calls, webcasts and the Investor Relations page of its website. CVR Energy may use these channels to distribute material information about the Company and to communicate important information about the Company, corporate initiatives and other matters. Information that CVR Energy posts on its website could be deemed material; therefore, CVR Energy encourages investors, the media, its customers, business partners and others interested in the Company to review the information posted on its website.

    Contact Information:

    Investor Relations
    Richard Roberts
    (281) 207-3205
    InvestorRelations@CVREnergy.com

    Media Relations
    Brandee Stephens
    (281) 207-3516
    MediaRelations@CVREnergy.com

    Non-GAAP Measures

    Our management uses certain non-GAAP performance measures, and reconciliations to those measures, to evaluate current and past performance and prospects for the future to supplement our financial information presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). These non-GAAP financial measures are important factors in assessing our operating results and profitability and include the performance and liquidity measures defined below.

    As a result of continuing volatile market conditions and the impacts certain non-cash items may have on the evaluation of our operations and results, the Company began disclosing the Adjusted Refining Margin non-GAAP measure, as defined below, in the second quarter of 2024. We believe the presentation of this non-GAAP measure is meaningful to compare our operating results between periods and better aligns with our peer companies. All prior periods presented have been conformed to the definition below.

    The following are non-GAAP measures we present for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:

    EBITDA – Consolidated net income (loss) before (i) interest expense, net, (ii) income tax expense (benefit) and (iii) depreciation and amortization expense.

    Petroleum EBITDA, Renewables EBITDA, and Nitrogen Fertilizer EBITDA – Segment net income (loss) before segment (i) interest expense, net, (ii) income tax expense (benefit), and (iii) depreciation and amortization.

    Refining Margin – The difference between our Petroleum Segment net sales and cost of materials and other.

    Adjusted Refining Margin – Refining Margin adjusted for certain significant noncash items and items that management believes are not attributable to or indicative of our underlying operational results of the period or that may obscure results and trends we deem useful.

    Refining Margin and Adjusted Refining Margin, per Throughput Barrel – Refining Margin and Adjusted Refining Margin divided by the total throughput barrels during the period, which is calculated as total throughput barrels per day times the number of days in the period.

    Direct Operating Expenses per Throughput Barrel – Direct operating expenses for our Petroleum Segment divided by total throughput barrels for the period, which is calculated as total throughput barrels per day times the number of days in the period.

    Renewables Margin – The difference between our Renewables Segment net sales and cost of materials and other.

    Adjusted Renewables Margin – Renewables Margin adjusted for certain significant noncash items and items that management believes are not attributable to or indicative of our underlying operational results of the period or that may obscure results and trends we deem useful.

    Renewables Margin and Adjusted Renewables Margin, per Vegetable Oil Throughput Gallon – Renewables Margin and Adjusted Renewables Margin divided by the total vegetable oil throughput gallons for the period, which is calculated as total vegetable oil throughput gallons per day times the number of days in the period.

    Direct Operating Expenses per Vegetable Oil Throughput Gallon – Direct operating expenses for our Renewables Segment divided by total vegetable oil throughput gallons for the period, which is calculated as total vegetable oil throughput gallons per day times the number of days in the period.

    Adjusted EBITDA, Petroleum Adjusted EBITDA, Renewables Adjusted EBITDA, and Nitrogen Fertilizer Adjusted EBITDA – EBITDA, Petroleum EBITDA, Renewables EBITDA, and Nitrogen Fertilizer EBITDA adjusted for certain significant non-cash items and items that management believes are not attributable to or indicative of our underlying operational results of the period or that may obscure results and trends we deem useful.

    Adjusted Earnings (Loss) per Share – Earnings (loss) per share adjusted for certain significant non-cash items and items that management believes are not attributable to or indicative of our on-going operations or that may obscure our underlying results and trends.

    Free Cash Flow – Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities less capital expenditures and capitalized turnaround expenditures.

    We present these measures because we believe they may help investors, analysts, lenders and ratings agencies analyze our results of operations and liquidity in conjunction with our U.S. GAAP results, including but not limited to our operating performance as compared to other publicly traded companies in the refining and fertilizer industries, without regard to historical cost basis or financing methods and our ability to incur and service debt and fund capital expenditures. Non-GAAP measures have important limitations as analytical tools, because they exclude some, but not all, items that affect net earnings and operating income. These measures should not be considered substitutes for their most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measures. See “Non-GAAP Reconciliations” included herein for reconciliation of these amounts. Due to rounding, numbers presented within this section may not add or equal to numbers or totals presented elsewhere within this document.

    Factors Affecting Comparability of Our Financial Results

    Petroleum Segment

    Major Scheduled Turnaround Activities – Our results of operations for the periods presented may not be comparable with prior periods or to our results of operations in the future due to capitalized expenditures as part of planned turnarounds. Total capitalized expenditures were $58 million and $60 million during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The next planned turnaround commenced in January 2025 at the Coffeyville Refinery.

    Midway JV Disposition – On December 23, 2024, a subsidiary of the Company sold the 50% limited liability company interests it owned in the Midway Pipeline, LLC to Plains Pipeline, L.P. in exchange for cash consideration of approximately $90 million. The sale resulted in a gain of $24 million within Other income (expense), net in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations.

    CVR Energy, Inc.
    (unaudited)

    Consolidated Statement of Operations Data

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
    (in millions, except per share data)  2024     2023     2024     2023 
    Net sales $ 1,947     $ 2,202     $ 7,610     $ 9,247  
    Operating costs and expenses:              
    Cost of materials and other   1,653       1,802       6,448       7,013  
    Direct operating expenses (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)   165       166       667       670  
    Depreciation and amortization   72       75       290       291  
    Cost of sales   1,890       2,043       7,405       7,974  
    Selling, general and administrative expenses (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)   35       34       139       141  
    Depreciation and amortization   2       1       8       7  
    (Gain) loss on asset disposal   (1 )     —       —       2  
    Operating income   21       124       58       1,123  
    Other income (expense):              
    Interest expense, net   (20 )     (9 )     (77 )     (52 )
    Other income, net   27       4       38       14  
    Income before income tax expense   28       119       19       1,085  
    Income tax expense (benefit)   (12 )     22       (26 )     207  
    Net income   40       97       45       878  
    Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest   12       6       38       109  
    Net income attributable to CVR Energy stockholders $ 28     $ 91     $ 7     $ 769  
                   
    Basic and diluted earnings per share $ 0.28     $ 0.91     $ 0.06     $ 7.65  
    Dividends declared per share $ —     $ 2.00     $ 1.50     $ 4.50  
                   
    Adjusted (loss) earnings per share $ (0.13 )   $ 0.65     $ (0.51 )   $ 5.64  
    EBITDA* $ 122     $ 204     $ 394     $ 1,435  
    Adjusted EBITDA* $ 67     $ 170     $ 317     $ 1,164  
                   
    Weighted-average common shares outstanding – basic and diluted   100.5       100.5       100.5       100.5  

    ____________________

    * See “Non-GAAP Reconciliations” section below.

    Selected Consolidated Balance Sheet Data

    (in millions) December 31, 2024   December 31, 2023
    Cash and cash equivalents $ 987   $ 581
    Working capital   726     497
    Total assets   4,263     4,707
    Total debt and finance lease obligations, including current portion   1,919     2,185
    Total liabilities   3,375     3,669
    Total CVR stockholders’ equity   703     847

    Selected Consolidated Cash Flow Data

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
    (in millions)  2024    2023     2024     2023 
    Net cash flows provided by (used in):              
    Operating activities $ 98   $ (36 )   $ 404     $ 948  
    Investing activities   43     (58 )     (121 )     (239 )
    Financing activities   312     384       (482 )     (40 )
    Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 453   $ 290     $ (199 )   $ 669  
                   
    Free cash flow * $ 40   $ (94 )   $ 181     $ 708  

    _____________________

    * See “Non-GAAP Reconciliations” section below.

    Selected Segment Data

      Three Months Ended December 31, 2024   Three Months Ended December 31, 2023
    (in millions) Petroleum   Renewables   Nitrogen Fertilizer   Consolidated   Petroleum   Renewables   Nitrogen Fertilizer   Consolidated
    Net sales $ 1,755   $ 93     $ 140   $ 1,947   $ 1,997   $ 110     $ 142   $ 2,202
    Operating income (loss)   4     (3 )     26     21     144     (31 )     17     124
    Net income (loss)   35     (3 )     18     40     158     (30 )     10     97
    EBITDA *   72     3       50     122     196     (26 )     38     204
                                   
    Capital Expenditures: (1)                              
    Maintenance $ 24   $ 1     $ 15   $ 40   $ 24   $ 1     $ 11   $ 36
    Growth   7     —       3     11     5     8       —     13
    Total capital expenditures $ 31   $ 1     $ 18   $ 51   $ 29   $ 9     $ 11   $ 49
      Year Ended December 31, 2024   Year Ended December 31, 2023
    (in millions) Petroleum   Renewables   Nitrogen
    Fertilizer    		   Consolidated   Petroleum   Renewables   Nitrogen
    Fertilizer    		   Consolidated
    Net sales $ 6,920   $ 289     $ 525   $ 7,610   $ 8,287   $ 559     $ 681   $ 9,247
    Operating income (loss)   12     (22 )     90     58     982     (37 )     201     1,123
    Net income (loss)   70     (21 )     61     45     1,071     (36 )     172     878
    EBITDA *   223     3       179     394     1,185     (17 )     281     1,435
                                   
    Capital Expenditures: (1)                              
    Maintenance $ 90   $ 3     $ 30   $ 127   $ 94   $ 2     $ 28   $ 128
    Growth   38     8       7     54     14     54       1     69
    Total capital expenditures $ 128   $ 11     $ 37   $ 181   $ 108   $ 56     $ 29   $ 197

    ______________________

    * See “Non-GAAP Reconciliations” section below.

    (1)   Capital expenditures are shown exclusive of capitalized turnaround expenditures and business combinations.

      

      December 31, 2024   December 31, 2023
    (in millions) Petroleum   Renewables   Nitrogen
    Fertilizer    		   Consolidated   Petroleum   Renewables   Nitrogen
    Fertilizer    		   Consolidated
    Cash and cash equivalents (1) $ 735   $ 13   $ 91   $ 987   $ 375   $ 16   $ 45   $ 581
    Total assets   3,288     420     1,019     4,263     2,978     344     975     4,707
    Total debt and finance lease obligations, including current portion (2)   354     —     569     1,919     44     5     547     2,185

    ___________________________

    (1)   Corporate cash and cash equivalents consisted of $148 million and $145 million at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
    (2)   Corporate total debt and finance lease obligations, including current portion consisted of $996 million and $1,594 million at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.

    Petroleum Segment

    Key Operating Metrics per Total Throughput Barrel

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
       2024    2023    2024    2023
    Refining margin * $ 8.37   $ 15.01   $ 9.53   $ 21.82
    Adjusted refining margin *   6.45     12.91     8.67     18.11
    Direct operating expenses *   5.13     4.69     5.86     5.34

    ___________________

    * See “Non-GAAP Reconciliations” section below.

    Throughput Data by Refinery

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
    (in bpd) 2024   2023   2024   2023
    Coffeyville              
    Gathered crude 69,560   61,733   71,382   62,263
    Other domestic 47,732   57,161   39,360   49,930
    Canadian 3,969   6,109   7,304   3,265
    Condensate —   7,115   3,177   7,566
    Other crude oil 5,709   —   2,546   —
    Other feedstocks and blendstocks 14,997   16,321   12,511   13,490
    Wynnewood              
    Gathered crude 55,507   49,061   46,185   50,900
    Other domestic —   2,974   980   2,112
    Condensate 10,747   17,192   9,165   15,228
    Other feedstocks and blendstocks 5,482   4,888   3,668   3,465
    Total throughput 213,703   222,554   196,278   208,219

    Production Data by Refinery

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
    (in bpd) 2024   2023   2024   2023
    Coffeyville              
    Gasoline         72,868             76,921             69,771             69,847  
    Distillate         61,016             62,570             56,690             57,888  
    Other liquid products         3,775             4,168             5,125             4,388  
    Solids         4,349             4,798             4,762             4,123  
    Wynnewood              
    Gasoline         40,139             42,363             33,106             38,843  
    Distillate         24,473             25,432             20,917             24,978  
    Other liquid products         4,405             5,480             4,551             6,882  
    Solids         12             9             9             10  
    Total production         211,037             221,741             194,931             206,959  
                   
    Light product yield (as % of total crude throughput) (1) 102.7 %   103.0 %   100.2 %   100.2 %
    Liquid volume yield (as % of total throughput) (2) 96.7 %   97.5 %   96.9 %   97.4 %
    Distillate yield (as % of total crude throughput) (3) 44.2 %   43.7 %   43.1 %   43.3 %

    ______________________

    (1)   Total Gasoline and Distillate divided by total Gathered crude, Other domestic, Canadian, and Condensate throughput (collectively, “Total Crude Throughput”).
    (2)   Total Gasoline, Distillate, and Other liquid products divided by total throughput.
    (3)   Total Distillate divided by Total Crude Throughput.

    Key Market Indicators

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
    (dollars per barrel)  2024     2023     2024     2023 
    West Texas Intermediate (WTI) NYMEX $ 70.32     $ 78.53     $ 75.77     $ 77.57  
    Crude Oil Differentials to WTI:              
    Brent   3.69       4.32       4.09       4.60  
    WCS (heavy sour)   (12.25 )     (22.91 )     (13.86 )     (17.97 )
    Condensate   (0.24 )     (0.30 )     (0.48 )     (0.21 )
    Midland Cushing   0.87       1.09       1.10       1.26  
    NYMEX Crack Spreads:              
    Gasoline   13.84       13.69       20.91       27.88  
    Heating Oil   23.40       41.34       26.67       40.60  
    NYMEX 2-1-1 Crack Spread   18.62       27.52       23.79       34.24  
    PADD II Group 3 Product Basis:              
    Gasoline   (4.03 )     (4.75 )     (6.52 )     (2.92 )
    Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD)           (4.57 )             (2.96 )             (4.96 )             (1.02 )
    PADD II Group 3 Product Crack Spread:              
    Gasoline   9.81       8.94       14.40       24.96  
    ULSD   18.83       38.38       21.71       39.57  
    PADD II Group 3 2-1-1   14.32       23.66       18.05       32.27  

    Renewables Segment

    Key Operating Metrics per Vegetable Oil Throughput Gallon

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
       2024    2023     2024    2023
    Renewables margin * $ 0.79   $ (0.90 )   $ 0.80   $ 0.27
    Adjusted renewables margin *   1.16     (0.43 )     0.93     0.41
    Direct operating expenses *   0.48     0.37       0.57     0.35

    __________________________

    * See “Non-GAAP Reconciliations” section below.

    Renewables Throughput Data

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
    (in gallons per day) 2024   2023   2024   2023
    Corn Oil 81,497   90,932   52,807   53,661
    Soybean Oil 105,351   109,242   98,439   172,297
    Other feedstocks and blendstocks 91,709   46,210   58,730   51,039
    Total throughput 278,557   246,384   209,976   276,997

    Renewables Production Data

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
    (in gallons per day) 2024    2023    2024    2023 
    Renewable diesel 163,110     176,200     134,399     200,015  
    Renewable naphtha 19,731     32,886     17,101     34,099  
    Renewable light ends 88,938     94,952     62,424     92,802  
    Other 67,293     42,106     41,064     45,552  
    Total production 339,072     346,144     254,988     372,468  
                   
    Renewable diesel yield (as % of corn and soybean oil throughput) 87.8 %   88.0 %   89.2 %   88.5 %

    Key Market Indicators

      Three Months Ended December 31,   Year Ended
    December 31,
       2024    2023    2024    2023
    Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) soybean oil (dollars per pound) $ 0.43   $ 0.52   $ 0.44   $ 0.58
    Midwest crude corn oil (dollars per pound)   0.46     0.62     0.50     0.61
    CARB ULSD (dollars per gallon)   2.28     2.90     2.47     2.89
    NYMEX ULSD (dollars per gallon)   2.23     2.85     2.44     2.81
    California LCFS (dollars per metric ton)   72.05     68.71     60.07     72.52
    Biodiesel RINs (dollars per RIN)   0.66     0.84     0.59     1.35

    Nitrogen Fertilizer Segment

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
    (percent of capacity utilization) 2024   2023   2024   2023
    Ammonia utilization rate (1) 96 %   94 %   96 %   100 %

    _____________________

    (1)   Reflects our ammonia utilization rates on a consolidated basis. Utilization is an important measure used by management to assess operational output at each of the Nitrogen Fertilizer Segment’s facilities. Utilization is calculated as actual tons produced divided by capacity. We present our utilization for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and take into account the impact of our current turnaround cycles on any specific period. Additionally, we present utilization solely on ammonia production rather than each nitrogen product as it provides a comparative baseline against industry peers and eliminates the disparity of plant configurations for upgrade of ammonia into other nitrogen products. With our efforts being primarily focused on ammonia upgrade capabilities, this measure provides a meaningful view of how well we operate.

    Sales and Production Data

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
       2024    2023    2024    2023
    Consolidated sales (thousands of tons):              
    Ammonia   97     98     271     281
    UAN   310     320     1,260     1,395
                   
    Consolidated product pricing at gate (dollars per ton): (1)              
    Ammonia $ 475   $ 461   $ 479   $ 573
    UAN   229     241     248     309
                   
    Consolidated production volume (thousands of tons):              
    Ammonia (gross produced) (2)   210     205     836     864
    Ammonia (net available for sale) (2)   80     75     270     270
    UAN   310     306     1,273     1,369
                   
    Feedstock:              
    Petroleum coke used in production (thousands tons)   123     131     517     518
    Petroleum coke used in production (dollars per ton) $ 55.71   $ 77.09   $ 59.69   $ 78.14
    Natural gas used in production (thousands of MMBtus) (3)   2,224     2,033     8,667     8,462
    Natural gas used in production (dollars per MMBtu) (3) $ 3.00   $ 2.95   $ 2.56   $ 3.42
    Natural gas in cost of materials and other (thousands of MMBtus) (3)   2,352     2,317     7,755     8,671
    Natural gas in cost of materials and other (dollars per MMBtu) (3) $ 2.50   $ 2.83   $ 2.50   $ 3.84

    ______________________

    (1)   Product pricing at gate represents sales less freight revenue divided by product sales volume in tons and is shown in order to provide a pricing measure that is comparable across the fertilizer industry.
    (2)   Gross tons produced for ammonia represent total ammonia produced, including ammonia produced that was upgraded into other fertilizer products. Net tons available for sale represent ammonia available for sale that was not upgraded into other fertilizer products.
    (3)   The feedstock natural gas shown above does not include natural gas used for fuel. The cost of fuel natural gas is included in direct operating expense.

    Key Market Indicators

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
      2024    2023    2024    2023
    Ammonia — Southern plains (dollars per ton) $ 526   $ 648   $ 526   $ 564
    Ammonia — Corn belt (dollars per ton)   595     704     573     644
    UAN — Corn belt (dollars per ton)   274     301     277     311
                   
    Natural gas NYMEX (dollars per MMBtu) $ 2.98   $ 2.92   $ 2.41   $ 2.67

    Q1 2025 Outlook

    The table below summarizes our outlook for certain refining statistics and financial information for the first quarter of 2025. See “Forward-Looking Statements” above.

      Q1 2025
      Low   High
    Petroleum      
    Total throughput (bpd)   120,000       135,000  
    Direct operating expenses (in millions) (1) $ 95     $ 105  
    Turnaround (2)   150       165  
           
    Renewables      
    Total throughput (in millions of gallons)   13       16  
    Direct Operating expenses (in millions) (1) $ 8     $ 10  
           
    Nitrogen Fertilizer      
    Ammonia utilization rate   95 %     100 %
    Direct operating expenses (in millions) (1) $ 55     $ 65  
           
    Capital Expenditures (in millions) (2)      
    Petroleum $ 30     $ 40  
    Renewables   2       5  
    Nitrogen Fertilizer   12       16  
    Other   —       2  
    Total capital expenditures $ 44     $ 63  

    ____________________

    (1)   Direct operating expenses are shown exclusive of depreciation and amortization and, for the Nitrogen Fertilizer Segment, turnaround expenses and inventory valuation impacts.
    (2)   Turnaround and capital expenditures are disclosed on an accrual basis.

    Non-GAAP Reconciliations

    Reconciliation of Consolidated Net Income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
    (in millions)  2024     2023     2024     2023 
    Net income $ 40     $ 97     $ 45     $ 878  
    Interest expense, net   20       9       77       52  
    Income tax (benefit) expense   (12 )     22       (26 )     207  
    Depreciation and amortization   74       76       298       298  
    EBITDA   122       204       394       1,435  
    Adjustments:              
    Revaluation of RFS liability, favorable   (57 )     (57 )     (89 )     (284 )
    Unrealized loss (gain) on derivatives   6       (67 )     22       (32 )
    Inventory valuation impacts, unfavorable   20       90       14       45  
    Gain on sale of equity method investment   (24 )     —       (24 )     —  
    Adjusted EBITDA $ 67     $ 170     $ 317     $ 1,164  

    Reconciliation of Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share to Adjusted Earnings per Share

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
       2024     2023     2024     2023 
    Basic and diluted earnings per share $ 0.28     $ 0.91     $ 0.06     $ 7.65  
    Adjustments: (1)              
    Revaluation of RFS liability, favorable   (0.43 )     (0.42 )     (0.67 )     (2.12 )
    Unrealized loss (gain) on derivatives   0.04       (0.50 )     0.16       (0.23 )
    Inventory valuation impacts, unfavorable   0.16       0.66       0.12       0.34  
    Gain on sale of equity method investment   (0.18 )     —       (0.18 )     —  
    Adjusted (loss) earnings per share $ (0.13 )   $ 0.65     $ (0.51 )   $ 5.64  

    ___________________

    (1)   Amounts are shown after-tax, using the Company’s marginal tax rate, and are presented on a per share basis using the weighted average shares outstanding for each period.

    Reconciliation of Net Cash Provided By (Used In) Operating Activities to Free Cash Flow

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
    (in millions)  2024     2023     2024     2023 
    Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities $ 98     $ (36 )   $ 404     $ 948  
    Less:              
    Capital expenditures   (55 )     (55 )     (179 )     (205 )
    Capitalized turnaround expenditures   (7 )     (4 )     (53 )     (57 )
    Return on equity method investment   4       1       9       22  
    Free cash flow $ 40     $ (94 )   $ 181     $ 708  

    Reconciliation of Petroleum Segment Net Income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
    (in millions)  2024     2023     2024     2023 
    Petroleum net income $ 35     $ 158     $ 70     $ 1,071  
    Interest income, net   (4 )     (10 )     (21 )     (75 )
    Depreciation and amortization   41       48       174       189  
    Petroleum EBITDA   72       196       223       1,185  
    Adjustments:              
    Revaluation of RFS liability, favorable   (57 )     (57 )     (89 )     (284 )
    Unrealized loss (gain) on derivatives, net   6       (67 )     22       (30 )
    Inventory valuation impact, unfavorable (1)   12       80       6       32  
    Gain on sale of equity method investment   (24 )     —       (24 )     —  
    Petroleum Adjusted EBITDA   9       152       138       903  

    Reconciliation of Petroleum Segment Gross Profit to Refining Margin and Adjusted Refining Margin

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
    (in millions, except throughput data)   2024     2023     2024     2023 
    Net sales $ 1,755     $ 1,997     $ 6,920     $ 8,287  
    Less:              
    Cost of materials and other   (1,590 )     (1,690 )     (6,236 )     (6,629 )
    Direct operating expenses (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)   (101 )     (96 )     (421 )     (406 )
    Depreciation and amortization   (41 )     (47 )     (174 )     (185 )
    Gross profit   23       164       89       1,067  
    Add:              
    Direct operating expenses (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)   101       96       421       406  
    Depreciation and amortization   41       47       174       185  
    Refining margin   165       307       684       1,658  
    Adjustments:              
    Revaluation of RFS liability, favorable   (57 )     (57 )     (89 )     (284 )
    Unrealized loss (gain) on derivatives, net   6       (67 )     22       (30 )
    Inventory valuation impact, unfavorable (1)   12       80       6       32  
    Adjusted refining margin $ 126     $ 263     $ 623     $ 1,376  
                   
    Total throughput barrels per day   213,703       222,554       196,278       208,219  
    Days in the period   92       92       366       365  
    Total throughput barrels   19,660,650       20,474,980       71,837,644       75,999,905  
                   
    Refining margin per total throughput barrel $ 8.37     $ 15.01     $ 9.53     $ 21.82  
    Adjusted refining margin per total throughput barrel   6.45       12.91       8.67       18.11  
    Direct operating expenses per total throughput barrel   5.13       4.69       5.86       5.34  

    _____________________

    (1)   The Petroleum Segment’s basis for determining inventory value under GAAP is First-In, First-Out (“FIFO”). Changes in crude oil prices can cause fluctuations in the inventory valuation of crude oil, work in process and finished goods, thereby resulting in a favorable inventory valuation impact when crude oil prices increase and an unfavorable inventory valuation impact when crude oil prices decrease. The inventory valuation impact is calculated based upon inventory values at the beginning of the accounting period and at the end of the accounting period.

    Reconciliation of Renewables Segment Net Loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
    (in millions)  2024     2023     2024     2023 
    Renewables net loss $ (3 )   $ (30 )   $ (21 )   $ (36 )
    Interest expense, net   —       (1 )     (1 )     (1 )
    Depreciation and amortization   6       5       25       20  
    Renewables EBITDA   3       (26 )     3       (17 )
    Adjustments:              
    Unrealized (gain) loss on derivatives, net   —       —       —       (2 )
    Inventory valuation, (favorable) unfavorable (1)   6       9       7       14  
    Renewables Adjusted EBITDA $ 9     $ (17 )   $ 10     $ (5 )

    Reconciliation of Renewables Segment Gross Loss to Renewables Margin and Adjusted Renewables Margin

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
    (in millions, except throughput data)   2024     2023     2024     2023 
    Net sales $ 93     $ 110     $ 289     $ 559  
    Less:              
    Cost of materials and other   (79 )     (127 )     (245 )     (537 )
    Direct operating expenses (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)   (8 )     (7 )     (31 )     (28 )
    Depreciation and amortization   (6 )     (5 )     (25 )     (20 )
    Gross loss   —       (29 )     (12 )     (26 )
    Add:              
    Direct operating expenses (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)   8       7       31       28  
    Depreciation and amortization   6       5       25       20  
    Renewables margin   14       (17 )     44       22  
    Unrealized (gain) loss on derivatives, net   —       —       —       (2 )
    Inventory valuation, (favorable) unfavorable (1)   6       9       7       14  
    Adjusted renewables margin $ 20     $ (8 )   $ 51     $ 34  
                   
    Total vegetable oil throughput gallons per day   186,970       200,174       151,278       225,957  
    Days in the period   92       92       366       365  
    Total vegetable oil throughput gallons   17,201,274       18,416,045       55,367,620       82,474,473  
                   
    Renewables margin per vegetable oil throughput gallon $ 0.79     $ (0.90 )   $ 0.80     $ 0.27  
    Adjusted renewables margin per vegetable oil throughput gallon   1.16       (0.43 )     0.93       0.41  
    Direct operating expenses per vegetable oil throughput gallon   0.48       0.37       0.57       0.35  

    ____________________

    (1)   The Renewables Segment’s basis for determining inventory value under GAAP is FIFO. Changes in renewable diesel prices can cause fluctuations in the inventory valuation of renewable diesel, work in process and finished goods, thereby resulting in a favorable inventory valuation impact when renewable diesel prices increase and an unfavorable inventory valuation impact when renewable diesel prices decrease. The inventory valuation impact is calculated based upon inventory values at the beginning of the accounting period and at the end of the accounting period.

    Reconciliation of Nitrogen Fertilizer Segment Net Income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Year Ended
    December 31,
    (in millions)  2024    2023    2024    2023
    Nitrogen Fertilizer net income $ 18   $ 10   $ 61   $ 172
    Add:              
    Interest expense, net   7     7     30     29
    Depreciation and amortization   25     21     88     80
    Nitrogen Fertilizer EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA $ 50   $ 38   $ 179   $ 281

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Occidental Announces Further Progress on Debt Reduction

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Achieved near-term debt repayment target of $4.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024
    • Announced proceeds from $1.2 billion of divestitures signed in the first quarter of 2025 will go toward current year debt maturities

    HOUSTON, Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Occidental (NYSE: OXY) today announced it achieved its near-term debt repayment target of $4.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024 and signed two agreements in the first quarter of 2025 to divest upstream assets to undisclosed buyers for a combined total of $1.2 billion.

    The divestiture transactions, which are expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, include Rockies non-operated assets and Permian Basin assets not included in Occidental’s near-term development plan. The resulting proceeds will be applied to the company’s remaining 2025 debt maturities.

    “We were pleased to reach the near-term deleveraging milestone in the fourth quarter of 2024, within five months of closing the CrownRock acquisition, and seven months ahead of our goal,” said President and CEO Vicki Hollub. “The transactions announced today continue to high grade our portfolio and accelerate the progress toward achieving both our medium-term balance sheet deleveraging target and shareholder return pathway.”

    Occidental will continue to advance deleveraging via free cash flow and divestitures.

    About Occidental
    Occidental is an international energy company with assets primarily in the United States, the Middle East and North Africa. We are one of the largest oil and gas producers in the U.S., including a leading producer in the Permian and DJ basins, and offshore Gulf of America. Our midstream and marketing segment provides flow assurance and maximizes the value of our oil and gas, and includes our Oxy Low Carbon Ventures subsidiary, which is advancing leading-edge technologies and business solutions that economically grow our business while reducing emissions. Our chemical subsidiary OxyChem manufactures the building blocks for life-enhancing products. We are dedicated to using our global leadership in carbon management to advance a lower-carbon world. Visit oxy.com for more information.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements about Occidental’s expectations, beliefs, plans or forecasts. All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward-looking statements” for purposes of federal and state securities laws, including, but not limited to: any projections of earnings, revenue or other financial items or future financial position or sources of financing; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations or business strategy; any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance; any statements of belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Words such as “estimate,” “project,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “intend,” “expect,” “goal,” “target,” “advance,” or similar expressions that convey the prospective nature of events or outcomes are generally indicative of forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release unless an earlier date is specified. Unless legally required, Occidental does not undertake any obligation to update, modify or withdraw any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    Forward-looking statements involve estimates, expectations, projections, goals, forecasts, assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Actual outcomes or results may differ from anticipated results, sometimes materially. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions, including slowdowns and recessions, domestically or internationally; Occidental’s indebtedness and other payment obligations, including the need to generate sufficient cash flows to fund operations; Occidental’s ability to successfully monetize select assets and repay or refinance debt and the impact of changes in Occidental’s credit ratings or future increases in interest rates; assumptions about energy markets; global and local commodity and commodity-futures pricing fluctuations and volatility; supply and demand considerations for, and the prices of, Occidental’s products and services; actions by Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC oil producing countries; results from operations and competitive conditions; future impairments of Occidental’s proved and unproved oil and gas properties or equity investments, or write-downs of productive assets, causing charges to earnings; unexpected changes in costs; inflation, its impact on markets and economic activity and related monetary policy actions by governments in response to inflation; availability of capital resources, levels of capital expenditures and contractual obligations; the regulatory approval environment, including Occidental’s ability to timely obtain or maintain permits or other government approvals, including those necessary for drilling and/or development projects; Occidental’s ability to successfully complete, or any material delay of, field developments, expansion projects, capital expenditures, efficiency projects, acquisitions or divestitures; risks associated with acquisitions, mergers and joint ventures, such as difficulties integrating businesses, uncertainty associated with financial projections or projected synergies, restructuring, increased costs and adverse tax consequences; uncertainties and liabilities associated with acquired and divested properties and businesses; uncertainties about the estimated quantities of oil, NGL and natural gas reserves; lower-than-expected production from development projects or acquisitions; Occidental’s ability to realize the anticipated benefits from prior or future streamlining actions to reduce fixed costs, simplify or improve processes and improve Occidental’s competitiveness; exploration, drilling and other operational risks; disruptions to, capacity constraints in, or other limitations on the pipeline systems that deliver Occidental’s oil and natural gas and other processing and transportation considerations; volatility in the securities, capital or credit markets, including capital market disruptions and instability of financial institutions; government actions (including geopolitical, trade, tariff and regulatory uncertainties), war (including the Russia-Ukraine war and conflicts in the Middle East) and political conditions and events; health, safety and environmental (HSE) risks, costs and liability under existing or future federal, regional, state, provincial, tribal, local and international HSE laws, regulations and litigation (including related to climate change or remedial actions or assessments); legislative or regulatory changes, including changes relating to hydraulic fracturing or other oil and natural gas operations, retroactive royalty or production tax regimes and deep-water and onshore drilling and permitting regulations; Occidental’s ability to recognize intended benefits from its business strategies and initiatives, such as Occidental’s low-carbon ventures businesses or announced GHG emissions reduction targets or net-zero goals; potential liability resulting from pending or future litigation, government investigations and other proceedings; disruption or interruption of production or manufacturing or facility damage due to accidents, chemical releases, labor unrest, weather, power outages, natural disasters, cyber-attacks, terrorist acts or insurgent activity; the scope and duration of global or regional health pandemics or epidemics, and actions taken by government authorities and other third parties in connection therewith; the creditworthiness and performance of Occidental’s counterparties, including financial institutions, operating partners and other parties; failure of risk management; Occidental’s ability to retain and hire key personnel; supply, transportation and labor constraints; reorganization or restructuring of Occidental’s operations; changes in state, federal or international tax rates; and actions by third parties that are beyond Occidental’s control.

    Additional information concerning these and other factors that may cause Occidental’s results of operations and financial position to differ from expectations can be found in Occidental’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including Occidental’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K.

    Contacts

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: IPAA, Energy Industry Groups Support Sen. Cruz Congressional Review Act (CRA) Resolution Disapproving of DOE Rule on Gas-Fired Water Heaters

    Source: Independent Petroleum Association of America

    Headline: IPAA, Energy Industry Groups Support Sen. Cruz Congressional Review Act (CRA) Resolution Disapproving of DOE Rule on Gas-Fired Water Heaters

    Feb 13, 2025 IPAA, Energy Industry Groups Support Sen. Cruz Congressional Review Act (CRA) Resolution Disapproving of DOE Rule on Gas-Fired Water Heaters

    Posted at 15:31h in Letters and Comments by

    Dear Senator Cruz,

    We are writing to express our strong support for your proposed resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) regarding the Department of Energy’s (DOE) rule on gas-fired instantaneous water heaters.

    Our respective Trade Associations represent 80% of the new oil and gas resources brought online each year. Over the past four years we have fought the prior Administration’s every move to restrict the production and consumption of fossil energy. This rule is a perfect example of the direct result of the Biden Administration’s illegal whole-of-government assault on oil and natural gas use and consumption.

    It effectively mandates the use of condensing technology, which increases the upfront cost and restricts options for American families. The clear intent of this regulation is to increase the upfront cost of natural gas-fired equipment to force consumers to fuel switch and use electric water heaters. This constitutes an unlawful overreach, and Congressional intervention is urgently required to rectify this flawed rule. …

    Continue Reading

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI: Nokia Corporation: Repurchase of own shares on 18.02.2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Nokia Corporation
    Stock Exchange Release
    18 February 2025 at 22:30 EET

    Nokia Corporation: Repurchase of own shares on 18.02.2025

    Espoo, Finland – On 18 February 2025 Nokia Corporation (LEI: 549300A0JPRWG1KI7U06) has acquired its own shares (ISIN FI0009000681) as follows:

    Trading venue (MIC Code) Number of shares Weighted average price / share, EUR*
    XHEL 1,336,347 4.79
    CEUX – –
    BATE – –
    AQEU – –
    TQEX – –
    Total 1,336,347 4.79

    * Rounded to two decimals

    On 22 November 2024, Nokia announced that its Board of Directors is initiating a share buyback program to offset the dilutive effect of new Nokia shares issued to the shareholders of Infinera Corporation and certain Infinera Corporation share-based incentives. The repurchases in compliance with the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (MAR), the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 and under the authorization granted by Nokia’s Annual General Meeting on 3 April 2024 started on 25 November 2024 and end by 31 December 2025 and target to repurchase 150 million shares for a maximum aggregate purchase price of EUR 900 million.

    Total cost of transactions executed on 18 February 2025 was EUR 6,405,512. After the disclosed transactions, Nokia Corporation holds 251,793,006 treasury shares.

    Details of transactions are included as an appendix to this announcement.

    On behalf of Nokia Corporation

    BofA Securities Europe SA

    About Nokia
    At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

    As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs which is celebrating 100 years of innovation.

    With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

    Inquiries:

    Nokia Communications
    Phone: +358 10 448 4900
    Email: press.services@nokia.com
    Maria Vaismaa, Global Head of External Communications

    Nokia Investor Relations
    Phone: +358 931 580 507
    Email: investor.relations@nokia.com

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: REMINDER: Planned overnight maintenance closures for State Highway 2, Remutaka Hill next week

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    The first planned night closures of State Highway 2 Remutaka Hill for 2025 begin this coming Sunday.

    The route will be closed for planned maintenance for five nights, 9 pm to 4 am, from Sunday, 23 February to Friday morning 28 February. (Sunday to Thursday nights).

    Road crews will be carrying out resurfacing, sign replacement, clearing drainage, maintaining barriers, and doing line marking.

    Drivers must be ready for the closures and ensure they book and escorted crossing if they need to travel the route at night. The only alternative detours are via the Pahiatua Track or Saddle Road to the north – a much longer trip.

    Escorted crossings for drivers of light vehicles are available during closure nights but must be booked in advance and can be made here:
    Remutaka Hill Closure Escort Booking Form(external link)

    Because major resurfacing works are planned, there will only be one escorted crossing per direction each night. It means bookings are essential.

    Full closures mean maintenance works can be finished faster, and they are safer for road crews. Traffic volumes are also lighter at night, compared to during the day, so fewer drivers are affected.

    Important information for Remutaka Hill closures

    • Escorted crossings for light vehicles are available during closure nights but must be booked in advance. We always communicate well before planned closures and provide contact details so bookings can be made.
    • Bookings can be made online on the NZTA website – Remutaka Hill Closure Escort Booking Form(external link)
    • Bookings are essential – drivers who turn up without one risk being turned away. If you have a genuine emergency on the night, the hill manager will decide how best to help you.
    • The escorted crossings are for light vehicles only. To keep our contractors safe, heavy vehicles cannot be accommodated.
    • Full access is always available for emergency services.

    More information about planned maintenance closures for Remutaka Hill can be found here:

    State Highway 2, Remutaka Hill, planned night closures. February – June 2025:

    Nights Closed

    Start 9 pm

    Finish 4 am

    5

    23 February

    28 February

    1

    9 March

    10 March

    5

    6 April

    11 April

    1

    18 May

    19 May

    1

    15 June

    16 June

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India – Qatar Joint Statement

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 18 FEB 2025 8:17PM by PIB Delhi

    At the invitation of Prime Minister of India His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani paid a State Visit to India on 17-18 February 2025. HH the Amir was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Ministers, officials and business leaders. This was the second State Visit of HH the Amir to India.

    HH the Amir was received by Hon’ble President of India Smt Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at the Forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan on 18 February and was accorded a ceremonial welcome. Hon’ble President also hosted a banquet reception in honour of HH the Amir and accompanying delegation.

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with HH the Amir at Hyderabad House on 18 February. Both leaders recalled the historic trade linkages, deep-rooted people-to-people ties and robust bilateral relations between both countries. They expressed the desire for further expanding and deepening of the multifaceted relationship between both countries. In this context, they expressed happiness on the signing of the ‘Agreement on the Establishment of Bilateral Strategic Partnership’ between the two sides.

    In light of the newly established Strategic Partnership, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the bilateral relations through regular and structured cooperation in all areas, including political, trade, investment, security, energy, culture, education, technology, innovation, sustainability and people-to-people ties. In this regard, the two sides expressed happiness at the signing of the revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and also agreed to expedite negotiations on the India-Qatar Bilateral Investment Treaty.

    The two sides noted with satisfaction that regular interactions at various levels have helped provide momentum to the multifaceted bilateral cooperation. They recalled the successful visit of HH the Amir to India in March 2015 and the visits of Prime Minister to Qatar in June 2016 and February 2024. The two sides agreed to continue the high-level exchanges through regular bilateral mechanisms at Ministerial and senior-official levels.

    The two sides noted that trade and commerce has been a strong pillar of bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries and emphasized on the potential for further growth and diversification in bilateral trade. The two sides welcomed the elevation of the existing Joint Working Group on Trade and Commerce into a Joint Commission on Trade and Commerce. The Joint Commission will be an institutional mechanism to review and monitor the entire spectrum of economic ties between the two countries and will be headed by the Ministers of Commerce and Industry on both sides.

    The two sides laid emphasis on strengthening collaborations between their business and industry bodies. In this context, they welcomed the holding of the first meeting of the Joint Business Council on 13 February 2025.

    The two sides agreed on the need to explore strategies for enhanced and diversified trade between the two countries and address on priority market access issues related to trade in goods and services. In this regard, the two sides agreed to explore the possibility of entering into a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Both sides set the target to double bilateral trade by 2030.

    Qatar and India have a strong strategic relationship and given that the Indian economy is one of the fastest growing economies, the Indian side welcomed the decision of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) to open an office in India. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the Joint Task Force on Investments during its first meeting in June 2024, where various avenues for investments in India were discussed.

    The Qatar side commended the steps taken by India in making a conducive environment for Foreign Direct Investment and Foreign Institutional Investment and expressed interest to explore investment opportunities in different sectors, including infrastructure, technology, manufacturing, food security, logistics, hospitality, and other areas of mutual interest. In this regard, the Qatar side announced a commitment to invest USD 10 billion in India. The Indian side also appreciated Qatar’s efforts in enhancing its investment environment and its initiatives to attract Foreign Direct Investment. India also recognized Qatar’s growing role as a regional hub for goods and services, leveraging its strategic location, world-class infrastructure, and business-friendly policies. Both sides emphasized the importance of deepening cooperation between investment authorities, financial institutions, and businesses to explore new opportunities for investment and trade expansion.

    The parties shall expand and deepen mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation between the two countries in accordance with their respective legislations and the provisions of international conventions to which they are parties. They shall cooperate in order to achieve stable growth and diversification of trade, increase the volume of exchanged products, and provide mutual services on a systematic and long-term basis. Additionally, they shall implement measures to attract and encourage the establishment of joint projects between the private sectors of both countries. In this regard, both sides welcomed convening of the Joint Business Forum inaugurated by the Ministers of Commerce and Industry of both countries on 18 February 2025.

    Recognizing the pivotal role of businesses in driving economic growth, both sides emphasized the importance of trade exhibitions as a strategic platform for promoting commercial partnerships, increasing and diversifying bilateral trade, and facilitating investments. In pursuit of these objectives, both sides will strengthen collaboration between their export promotion agencies to support enterprises in identifying opportunities, addressing market challenges, and increasing participation in international trade exhibitions. This initiative will enable businesses from both nations to showcase their products, explore joint ventures, and establish sustainable commercial ties.

    The two sides welcomed the operationalization of India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) in QNB’s Points of Sales in Qatar and looked forward to implement nation-wide roll-out of UPI acceptance in Qatar. They agreed to explore settlement of bilateral trade in respective currencies. QNB’s expansion is also welcomed in India through setting up of an office in GIFT City.

    The two sides shall work to further enhance bilateral energy cooperation, including through promotion of trade and mutual investments in energy infrastructure and regular meetings of the relevant stakeholders from both sides, including the Joint Task Force on Energy.

    The two leaders unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism and agreed to cooperate in combating this menace through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms. They agreed to enhance cooperation in information and intelligence sharing, developing and exchanging experiences, best practices and technologies, capacity building and to strengthen cooperation in law enforcement, anti-money laundering, drug-trafficking, Cybercrime and other transnational crimes. The two leaders also discussed ways and means to promote cooperation in cybersecurity, including prevention of use of cyberspace for terrorism, radicalisation and for disturbing social harmony. They emphasized the importance of holding regular meetings of the Joint Committee on Security and Law Enforcement.

    The two sides acknowledged health cooperation as one of the important pillars of bilateral ties and expressed their commitment to further strengthen collaboration in this important sector. The two sides appreciated the bilateral cooperation during the Covid-19 pandemic including through the Joint Working Group on Health. The Indian side expressed interest in enhancing exports of Indian pharmaceutical products and medical devices to Qatar. Both sides also expressed their desire to facilitate the registration of national companies and pharmaceutical products.

    The two sides expressed interest in pursuing deeper collaboration in technology and innovation, including emerging technologies, startups, and Artificial Intelligence. They discussed avenues for furthering e-Governance and sharing best practices in the digital sector. Both sides welcomed the participation of Indian startups in Web Summits in Doha, Qatar in 2024-25.

    The importance of food security and protection of supply chains was emphasized by the two sides and they agreed to further strengthen cooperation in this field.

    The two sides stressed the importance of enhancing cultural cooperation through exchanging participation in cultural events and supporting effective partnerships between cultural institutions in both countries. They also decided to further strengthen cooperation in the area of sports including mutual exchange and visits of sportsmen, organising workshops, seminars and conferences, exchange of sports publications between both nations. In this regard, the two sides welcomed the decision to celebrate India-Qatar Year of Culture, Friendship and Sports in the near future.

    The two sides highlighted that education is an important area of cooperation including strengthening institutional linkages and exchanges between higher educational institutions of both countries. They also emphasized on enhanced interactions among educational institutions, including through academic exchanges, joint research, students and scholar exchanges, and University-to-University cooperation of both countries.

    The two sides acknowledged that the centuries old people-to-people ties represent a fundamental pillar of the historic India-Qatar relationship. The Qatari leadership expressed deep appreciation for the role and contribution made by the Indian community in Qatar for the progress and development of their host country, noting that Indian citizens in Qatar are highly respected for their peaceful and hard-working nature. The Indian side conveyed deep appreciation to the leadership of Qatar for ensuring the welfare and well-being of this large and vibrant Indian community in Qatar. The Qatar side welcomed extension of e-visa facility by India to Qatari nationals.

    The two sides stressed upon the depth and importance of long standing and historical cooperation in the field of manpower mobility and human resources. The two sides agreed to hold regular meetings of the Joint Working Group on Labour and Employment to address issues related to expatriates, manpower mobility, dignity, safety and welfare of workers and matters of mutual interest.

    The two sides exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, including the security situation in the Middle East. They emphasized the importance of dialogue and diplomacy for peaceful resolution of international disputes. The two sides also appreciated the excellent coordination between the two sides in the UN and other multilateral fora.

    The Indian side thanked the Qatari side for its support to the growing India-GCC cooperation and for facilitating the inaugural India-GCC Joint Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue at the level of Foreign Ministers held in Riyadh on 9 September 2024 under Qatar’s Chairmanship. The two sides welcomed the outcomes of the inaugural India-GCC Joint Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue. Qatar side assured full support for deepening of the India-GCC cooperation under the recently adopted Joint Action Plan.

    In the context of UN reforms, both leaders emphasized the importance of a reformed and effective multilateral system, centered on a UN reflective of contemporary realities, as a key factor in tackling global challenges. The two sides stressed the need for UN reforms, including of the Security Council. Both sides stressed the importance of addressing shared global challenges through coordinated efforts within the framework of the United Nations, its specialized agencies, and programs, as well as through technical cooperation to advance the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Both sides agreed to engage in close cooperation and support each other at the United Nations including supporting each other’s candidatures to multilateral forums.

    The following documents were signed/exchanged during the visit, which will further deepen the multifaceted bilateral relationship as well as open avenues for newer areas of cooperation:

    · Agreement on the Establishment of Bilateral Strategic Partnership

    · Revised Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income and its Protocol

    · MoU between Ministry of Finance, India and Ministry of Finance, Qatar on Financial and Economic Collaboration

    · MoU on Cooperation in Field of Youth and Sports

    · MOU for Cooperation in the field of Documents and Archives

    · MoU between Invest India and Invest Qatar

    · MoU between Confederation of Indian Industry and Qatari Businessmen Association

    HH the Amir thanked Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for the warm hospitality accorded to him and his delegation. The visit reaffirmed the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between India and Qatar. The leaders expressed optimism that this renewed partnership would continue to grow, benefiting the people of both countries and contributing to regional and global stability.

     

    ***

    MJPS/SR

    (Release ID: 2104490) Visitor Counter : 138

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India – Qatar Joint Statement (February 18, 2025)

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 18 FEB 2025 8:17PM by PIB Delhi

    At the invitation of Prime Minister of India His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani paid a State Visit to India on 17-18 February 2025. HH the Amir was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Ministers, officials and business leaders. This was the second State Visit of HH the Amir to India.

    HH the Amir was received by Hon’ble President of India Smt Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at the Forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan on 18 February and was accorded a ceremonial welcome. Hon’ble President also hosted a banquet reception in honour of HH the Amir and accompanying delegation.

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with HH the Amir at Hyderabad House on 18 February. Both leaders recalled the historic trade linkages, deep-rooted people-to-people ties and robust bilateral relations between both countries. They expressed the desire for further expanding and deepening of the multifaceted relationship between both countries. In this context, they expressed happiness on the signing of the ‘Agreement on the Establishment of Bilateral Strategic Partnership’ between the two sides.

    In light of the newly established Strategic Partnership, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the bilateral relations through regular and structured cooperation in all areas, including political, trade, investment, security, energy, culture, education, technology, innovation, sustainability and people-to-people ties. In this regard, the two sides expressed happiness at the signing of the revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and also agreed to expedite negotiations on the India-Qatar Bilateral Investment Treaty.

    The two sides noted with satisfaction that regular interactions at various levels have helped provide momentum to the multifaceted bilateral cooperation. They recalled the successful visit of HH the Amir to India in March 2015 and the visits of Prime Minister to Qatar in June 2016 and February 2024. The two sides agreed to continue the high-level exchanges through regular bilateral mechanisms at Ministerial and senior-official levels.

    The two sides noted that trade and commerce has been a strong pillar of bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries and emphasized on the potential for further growth and diversification in bilateral trade. The two sides welcomed the elevation of the existing Joint Working Group on Trade and Commerce into a Joint Commission on Trade and Commerce. The Joint Commission will be an institutional mechanism to review and monitor the entire spectrum of economic ties between the two countries and will be headed by the Ministers of Commerce and Industry on both sides.

    The two sides laid emphasis on strengthening collaborations between their business and industry bodies. In this context, they welcomed the holding of the first meeting of the Joint Business Council on 13 February 2025.

    The two sides agreed on the need to explore strategies for enhanced and diversified trade between the two countries and address on priority market access issues related to trade in goods and services. In this regard, the two sides agreed to explore the possibility of entering into a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Both sides set the target to double bilateral trade by 2030.

    Qatar and India have a strong strategic relationship and given that the Indian economy is one of the fastest growing economies, the Indian side welcomed the decision of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) to open an office in India. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the Joint Task Force on Investments during its first meeting in June 2024, where various avenues for investments in India were discussed.

    The Qatar side commended the steps taken by India in making a conducive environment for Foreign Direct Investment and Foreign Institutional Investment and expressed interest to explore investment opportunities in different sectors, including infrastructure, technology, manufacturing, food security, logistics, hospitality, and other areas of mutual interest. In this regard, the Qatar side announced a commitment to invest USD 10 billion in India. The Indian side also appreciated Qatar’s efforts in enhancing its investment environment and its initiatives to attract Foreign Direct Investment. India also recognized Qatar’s growing role as a regional hub for goods and services, leveraging its strategic location, world-class infrastructure, and business-friendly policies. Both sides emphasized the importance of deepening cooperation between investment authorities, financial institutions, and businesses to explore new opportunities for investment and trade expansion.

    The parties shall expand and deepen mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation between the two countries in accordance with their respective legislations and the provisions of international conventions to which they are parties. They shall cooperate in order to achieve stable growth and diversification of trade, increase the volume of exchanged products, and provide mutual services on a systematic and long-term basis. Additionally, they shall implement measures to attract and encourage the establishment of joint projects between the private sectors of both countries. In this regard, both sides welcomed convening of the Joint Business Forum inaugurated by the Ministers of Commerce and Industry of both countries on 18 February 2025.

    Recognizing the pivotal role of businesses in driving economic growth, both sides emphasized the importance of trade exhibitions as a strategic platform for promoting commercial partnerships, increasing and diversifying bilateral trade, and facilitating investments. In pursuit of these objectives, both sides will strengthen collaboration between their export promotion agencies to support enterprises in identifying opportunities, addressing market challenges, and increasing participation in international trade exhibitions. This initiative will enable businesses from both nations to showcase their products, explore joint ventures, and establish sustainable commercial ties.

    The two sides welcomed the operationalization of India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) in QNB’s Points of Sales in Qatar and looked forward to implement nation-wide roll-out of UPI acceptance in Qatar. They agreed to explore settlement of bilateral trade in respective currencies. QNB’s expansion is also welcomed in India through setting up of an office in GIFT City.

    The two sides shall work to further enhance bilateral energy cooperation, including through promotion of trade and mutual investments in energy infrastructure and regular meetings of the relevant stakeholders from both sides, including the Joint Task Force on Energy.

    The two leaders unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism and agreed to cooperate in combating this menace through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms. They agreed to enhance cooperation in information and intelligence sharing, developing and exchanging experiences, best practices and technologies, capacity building and to strengthen cooperation in law enforcement, anti-money laundering, drug-trafficking, Cybercrime and other transnational crimes. The two leaders also discussed ways and means to promote cooperation in cybersecurity, including prevention of use of cyberspace for terrorism, radicalisation and for disturbing social harmony. They emphasized the importance of holding regular meetings of the Joint Committee on Security and Law Enforcement.

    The two sides acknowledged health cooperation as one of the important pillars of bilateral ties and expressed their commitment to further strengthen collaboration in this important sector. The two sides appreciated the bilateral cooperation during the Covid-19 pandemic including through the Joint Working Group on Health. The Indian side expressed interest in enhancing exports of Indian pharmaceutical products and medical devices to Qatar. Both sides also expressed their desire to facilitate the registration of national companies and pharmaceutical products.

    The two sides expressed interest in pursuing deeper collaboration in technology and innovation, including emerging technologies, startups, and Artificial Intelligence. They discussed avenues for furthering e-Governance and sharing best practices in the digital sector. Both sides welcomed the participation of Indian startups in Web Summits in Doha, Qatar in 2024-25.

    The importance of food security and protection of supply chains was emphasized by the two sides and they agreed to further strengthen cooperation in this field.

    The two sides stressed the importance of enhancing cultural cooperation through exchanging participation in cultural events and supporting effective partnerships between cultural institutions in both countries. They also decided to further strengthen cooperation in the area of sports including mutual exchange and visits of sportsmen, organising workshops, seminars and conferences, exchange of sports publications between both nations. In this regard, the two sides welcomed the decision to celebrate India-Qatar Year of Culture, Friendship and Sports in the near future.

    The two sides highlighted that education is an important area of cooperation including strengthening institutional linkages and exchanges between higher educational institutions of both countries. They also emphasized on enhanced interactions among educational institutions, including through academic exchanges, joint research, students and scholar exchanges, and University-to-University cooperation of both countries.

    The two sides acknowledged that the centuries old people-to-people ties represent a fundamental pillar of the historic India-Qatar relationship. The Qatari leadership expressed deep appreciation for the role and contribution made by the Indian community in Qatar for the progress and development of their host country, noting that Indian citizens in Qatar are highly respected for their peaceful and hard-working nature. The Indian side conveyed deep appreciation to the leadership of Qatar for ensuring the welfare and well-being of this large and vibrant Indian community in Qatar. The Qatar side welcomed extension of e-visa facility by India to Qatari nationals.

    The two sides stressed upon the depth and importance of long standing and historical cooperation in the field of manpower mobility and human resources. The two sides agreed to hold regular meetings of the Joint Working Group on Labour and Employment to address issues related to expatriates, manpower mobility, dignity, safety and welfare of workers and matters of mutual interest.

    The two sides exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, including the security situation in the Middle East. They emphasized the importance of dialogue and diplomacy for peaceful resolution of international disputes. The two sides also appreciated the excellent coordination between the two sides in the UN and other multilateral fora.

    The Indian side thanked the Qatari side for its support to the growing India-GCC cooperation and for facilitating the inaugural India-GCC Joint Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue at the level of Foreign Ministers held in Riyadh on 9 September 2024 under Qatar’s Chairmanship. The two sides welcomed the outcomes of the inaugural India-GCC Joint Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue. Qatar side assured full support for deepening of the India-GCC cooperation under the recently adopted Joint Action Plan.

    In the context of UN reforms, both leaders emphasized the importance of a reformed and effective multilateral system, centered on a UN reflective of contemporary realities, as a key factor in tackling global challenges. The two sides stressed the need for UN reforms, including of the Security Council. Both sides stressed the importance of addressing shared global challenges through coordinated efforts within the framework of the United Nations, its specialized agencies, and programs, as well as through technical cooperation to advance the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Both sides agreed to engage in close cooperation and support each other at the United Nations including supporting each other’s candidatures to multilateral forums.

    The following documents were signed/exchanged during the visit, which will further deepen the multifaceted bilateral relationship as well as open avenues for newer areas of cooperation:

    · Agreement on the Establishment of Bilateral Strategic Partnership

    · Revised Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income and its Protocol

    · MoU between Ministry of Finance, India and Ministry of Finance, Qatar on Financial and Economic Collaboration

    · MoU on Cooperation in Field of Youth and Sports

    · MOU for Cooperation in the field of Documents and Archives

    · MoU between Invest India and Invest Qatar

    · MoU between Confederation of Indian Industry and Qatari Businessmen Association

    HH the Amir thanked Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for the warm hospitality accorded to him and his delegation. The visit reaffirmed the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between India and Qatar. The leaders expressed optimism that this renewed partnership would continue to grow, benefiting the people of both countries and contributing to regional and global stability.

     

    ***

    MJPS/SR

    (Release ID: 2104490) Visitor Counter : 22

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement completes 3 years of signing

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 18 FEB 2025 7:06PM by PIB Delhi

    The India-United Arab Emirates (UAE) Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is completing three years of its signing on 18th February 2025. CEPA is a full and deep Agreement which was signed on 18th February 2022, during a virtual summit between the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi and His Excellency the President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. It entered into force from 01st May 2022.

    Since the signing of CEPA, bilateral merchandise trade has nearly doubled from USD 43.3 billion in FY 2020-21 to USD 83.7 billion in 2023-24. During the current FY (April-December, 2024), it reached USD 71.8 billion. CEPA has been successful in realising its potential of diversification of trade basket as non-oil trade touched USD 57.8 billion in FY 2023-24 accounting for more than half of the total trade. This is attuned to the target of taking bilateral non-oil trade to USD 100 billion level by 2030. In terms of utilization of CEPA preferential duties are concerned, since coming into force, nearly 2,40,000 Certificates of Origin have been issued against which total export of USD 19.87 billion have been made to the UAE.

    In terms of India’s exports, non-oil exports reached USD 27.4 billion in FY 2023-24 recording an average growth of 25.6% since entering into force of CEPA. At the sectoral level, besides refined crude oil products and gems & jewellery products, electrical machinery and equipment, light & medium high technology goods like boilers, generators and reactors and organic & in-organic chemicals have been major achievers. Besides, at the product level, smartphones have emerged as a major item of export with shipments valued USD 2.57 billion bound for the UAE during FY 2023-24.

    Since signing of the Agreement, both the governments have strived to address challenges faced by each others’ exporters through regular high-level meetings and technical discussions between the officials. The Joint Committee, established as an institutional mechanism to take stock of the implementation of CEPA, has already met twice at the level of Joint/Additional Secretary -the last one being in October, 2024. The Trade in Goods Committee has also met several times to address issues related to bilateral trade. In the spirit of mutual cooperation and trust, both sides have taken concrete steps to operationalize various other Sub-Committees as well to deliberate on issues related to trade in services, rules of origin, customs procedure and trade facilitation. The inauguration of Bharat Mart initiative by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in Dubai will act as a One Stop Shop for Indian manufacturers to offer their products to the global markets and will foster our exports.

    The India-UAE CEPA has resulted into new era of economic partnership and diplomacy for both the nations by empowering MSMEs, generating employment and creating new business opportunities. India and UAE are committed to enhance their economic partnership to foster robust trade and opportunities and reach new heights leveraging CEPA.                                               

    ***

    Abhishek Dayal/Abhijith Narayanan

    (Release ID: 2104450) Visitor Counter : 96

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Trade instructed to suspend importing and selling of Ireland Dooriel Creek raw oysters from production area code MO-AN-DC in Ireland

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Trade instructed to suspend importing and selling of Ireland Dooriel Creek raw oysters from production area code MO-AN-DC in Ireland
    Trade instructed to suspend importing and selling of Ireland Dooriel Creek raw oysters from production area code MO-AN-DC in Ireland
    ******************************************************************************************

         ​The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (February 18) instructed the trade to suspend the import of Ireland Dooriel Creek raw oysters from production area code MO-AN-DC. The trade should also stop using or selling the product concerned immediately should they possess it.     A spokesman for the CFS said, “The CFS was notified by the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health of few food poisoning cases which involved consumption of raw oysters at a restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui. The CFS conducted investigations at the restaurant concerned and found that the restaurant had sold Ireland Dooriel Creek raw oysters from production area code MO-AN-DC. For the sake of prudence, the CFS has immediately instructed the trade to suspend the import into and sale within Hong Kong of all Ireland Dooriel Creek raw oysters from production area code MO-AN-DC.”     The CFS has also instructed the supplier and restaurants concerned to stop supplying and selling the affected raw oysters immediately, and is tracing the distribution of the affected product. The trade should also stop using or selling the product concerned immediately should they possess it.     The spokesman pointed out that as oysters feed by filtering a large volume of seawater, pathogens can accumulate in them if they are grown in or harvested from contaminated water. Raw or partially cooked oysters are high-risk foods. Susceptible groups, such as pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems or liver diseases, should avoid eating raw oysters.     The CFS will inform the Irish authorities and will also notify the local trade. It will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health. An investigation is ongoing.

     
    Ends/Tuesday, February 18, 2025Issued at HKT 21:06

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India formulating strategies to ensure that interests of exporters are protected: Minister Jitin Prasada

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 18 FEB 2025 6:05PM by PIB Delhi

    The government is thinking ahead as to what bumps and speed breakers and the challenges that might arise and India is formulating strategies accordingly to ensure that interests of our exporters and especially the Indian citizens are protected, said Mr Jitin Prasada, Union Minister of State of Commerce & Industry, Government of India  in New Delhi today, referring to possible challenges arising from protectionist trade policy of countries.

    In his address at EEPC India’s 54th National Awards and 4th Quality awards ceremony, the Minister noted, “India is growing. We have a 1.4 billion market. We are navigating FTAs on an equal footing. We not only have the numbers which people used to talk about. We have an aspirational spending power population. So, we will get the best in the interest of India and in the interest of our exporters. We will not buckle under any pressure anymore. We will not settle for anything less.”

    EEPC India joint ceremony of 54th National Awards and 4th Quality awards today saw 106 National award winners across 33 product groups and 14 Quality Award holders across 4 categories today including Maharatna- BHEL, steel giants like ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel,  JSW, POSCO Maharashtra, EPC project leader –  Larsen & Toubro, renowned  defence equipment maker – BEML, automobile industry stars – Isuzu Motors, Toyota Kirloskar, integrated energy solution provider – Toshiba Transmission.

     “This year we are rewarding a team of 106 winners for 106  awards for  their engineering export brilliance for the financial year 2021-2022. The fiscal year 2021-22 marked a significant milestone for India, with engineering exports surpassing USD 100 billion for the first time, reaching an impressive USD 112 billion. This achievement reflects the resilience, adaptability, and innovation of the exporting community. Looking ahead, the government has set an ambitious target of USD 118 billion in engineering exports for the fiscal year 2024-25, aiming for yet another record-breaking performance. The exporting community will rise to the occasion and make this target a reality, further solidifying India’s position as a global leader in engineering exports,” commented  Mr Pankaj Chadha, Chairman, EEPC India.

    Mr Chadha also highlighted some of the challenges being faced by the exporting community. He called for measures to reduce the cost of export credit for MSMEs and protect them from high steel prices which could result from impending safeguard duty in the range of 20-25% on steel.

    Pradeep K Aggarwal, Chairman (Northern Region), EEPC India stated that engineering export sector is the largest foreign exchange earner with around 27% share in India’s merchandise exports.

    Mr Adhip Mitra, ED and Secretary, EEPC India thanked Government of India for announcements made in the Union Budget such as Export Promotion Mission, The Bharat Trade Net initiative, a digital public infrastructure for trade, Expansion of credit guarantee cover, including Rs. 20 crore term loan limits for exporting MSMEs, Customs duty rationalization and import tariff reforms which will help lower input costs for engineering exporters.

    ***

    Abhishek Dayal/Abhijith Narayanan

    (Release ID: 2104415) Visitor Counter : 7

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan to inaugurate 77th Session of Executive Committee of the African-Asian Rural Development Organization in New Delhi tomorrow

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 18 FEB 2025 5:59PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be inaugurated the 77th Session of the Executive Committee (EC-77) of African-Asian Rural Development Organization in New Delhi tomorrow. The 77th Session of the Executive Committee is being organised by its headquarters in New Delhi from 19-20 February 2025 with the support of Government of India. It will be attended by the Secretary/Permanent Secretary/senior officers of AARDO member countries from Asia and Africa nominated by their governments. From India, the Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development is the member of the Executive Committee.

    The EC-77, among others, will propose the names of the President and two Vice Presidents, one each from Asia and Africa to the 21stGeneral Session of AARDO Conference for the triennium 2025-2027 for consideration. It will also recommend the Work Programme and Budget Estimates for consideration of the 21stAARDO Conference. The EC-77 will approve the enrolment of new members in AARDO and 25 new MOUs that AARDO has signed with other organizations. The EC-77 will review the Human Resource Development Programme, Development Pilot Projects and activities of AARDO’s six (6) Regional Offices for the period May 2023 – October 2024. It will also adopt reports of AARDO’s Liaison Committee: 80th– 83rdSession and follow up actions taken thereof. The EC-77 will review membership contribution and consider proposing enhancement in the membership contribution to the 21stAARDO Conference for the triennium 2025-2027.

    The EC-77 will be a pre-AARDO Conference meeting at the same venue, where 21stGeneral Session of AARDO Conference will be held in New Delhi, India. Immediately after conclusion of the AARDO Conference, 78thSession of Executive Committee will be held on 25thFebruary 2025.

    The Executive Committee, consisting of President and two Vice Presidents, one each from Asia and Africa and ten members, five each from Asia and Africa, meets once a year and deals with all matters entrusted to it by the AARDO Conference.

    African-Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO), one of the the earliest examples of South-South and Triangular cooperation in the fields of agriculture and rural development in the African-Asian region, established in 1962, is an autonomous inter-governmental/multilateral organisation, comprising 32 country governments of Africa and Asia as full members and 3 associate members. The organization has been given the status of international organisation by the Government of India, at par with other UN organisations in India.

    AARDO implements its activities at organisational and technical level. Under the organizational level, AARDO secretariat organises governing body meetings, conducts Member Relations and supervises its six Regional Offices located, 3 each in Africa and Asia. The technical activities encompass human resource development (HRD) programmes, development pilot project, technology-based transformation, collaboration with international and regional organisations and information dissemination.

    The annual financial contribution by the members is the main source to run the activities of the Organization.  Besides, the member countries contribute in organising technical activities in their own countries. Important among these countries are Bangladesh, Republic of China (Taiwan), Egypt, India, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Morocco, Zambia etc.

    So far, seventy-six (76) Sessions of Executive Committee have been hosted by the member countries/AARDO Secretariat. The last Session was hosted by the Government of Republic of Zambia in June 2023.

    The Government of India has been supporting AARDO from the very beginning with numerous initiatives from time to time. India is host to the AARDO Secretariat by way of providing a permanent building in New Delhi for which recently, substantial financial assistance has been extended for major renovation of the building.

     

    ******

    MG/RN

    (Release ID: 2104407) Visitor Counter : 42

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Import of poultry meat and products from Cheshire West and Chester District of Cheshire County in UK suspended

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Import of poultry meat and products from Cheshire West and Chester District of Cheshire County in UK suspended
    Import of poultry meat and products from Cheshire West and Chester District of Cheshire County in UK suspended
    ******************************************************************************************

         The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (February 18) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in the Cheshire West and Chester District of Cheshire County in the United Kingdom (UK), the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the area with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.     A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 910 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat, and about 1.34 million poultry eggs from the UK last year.     “The CFS has contacted the British authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesman said.

     
    Ends/Tuesday, February 18, 2025Issued at HKT 19:34

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: WTO chairpersons for 2025

    Source: World Trade Organization

    General Council

    H.E. Mr. Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

    Dispute Settlement Body

    H.E. Ms. Clare Kelly (New Zealand)

    Trade Policy Review Body

    H.E. Mr. Asset Irgaliyev (Kazakhstan)

    Council for Trade in Goods

    H.E. Mr. Gustavo Nerio Lunazzi (Argentina)

    Council for Trade in Services

    H.E. Mr. Ram Prasad Subedi (Nepal)

    Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)

    Mme. Emmanuelle Ivanov-Durand (France)

    Committee on Trade and Development

    H.E. Dr. Mzukisi Qobo (South Africa)

    Committee on Balance-of-Payments Restrictions

    H.E. Dr. José R. Sánchez-Fung             (Dominican Republic)

    Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration

    H.E. Mrs. Carmen Heidecke (Germany)

    Committee on Trade and Environment

    H.E. Mr. Erwin Bollinger (Switzerland)

    Committee on Regional Trade Agreements

    H.E. Mr. José Valencia (Ecuador)

    Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance

    H.E. Mr. Suon Prasith (Cambodia)

    Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology

    H.E. Mr. Salomon Eheth (Cameroon)

    Council for Trade in Services in Special Session

    H.E. Dr. Adamu Mohammed Abdulhamid (Nigeria)

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Chinese Taipei formally accepts Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, bringing tally to 90

    Source: World Trade Organization

    DG Okonjo-Iweala said: “I warmly welcome Chinese Taipei’s formal acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. It underscores the collective determination of WTO members to address harmful subsidies that deplete fish stocks, and to ensure healthier oceans for the benefit of livelihoods and ecosystems worldwide. I encourage the remaining WTO members to swiftly follow suit – we need only 21 more.”

    Dr Lo, Chinese Taipei’s Permanent Representative to the WTO, said: “The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu is pleased to formally deposit our instrument of acceptance for the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. Throughout the negotiations, we have engaged constructively and believe we have made a meaningful contribution to the outcome. Our strong commitment to the disciplines embedded in the Agreement is reflected in this deposit. With our submission, alongside those of other members, we hope to see the Agreement enter into force ahead of the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), thereby providing momentum for the ongoing Phase II negotiations. We also thank Director-General Dr Ngozi for her leadership in helping fisheries subsidies negotiations move forward.”

    Chinese Taipei’s instrument of acceptance brings to 90 the total number of WTO members that have formally accepted the Agreement. Twenty-one more formal acceptances are needed for the Agreement to come into effect. The Agreement will enter into force upon acceptance by two-thirds of the membership.

    Adopted by consensus at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), held in Geneva on 12-17 June 2022, the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies sets new, binding, multilateral rules to curb harmful subsidies, which are a key factor in the widespread depletion of the world’s fish stocks. In addition, the Agreement recognizes the needs of developing economies and least-developed countries and establishes a fund to provide technical assistance and capacity building to help them implement the obligations.

    The Agreement prohibits subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, for fishing overfished stocks, and for fishing on the unregulated high seas.

    Members also agreed at MC12 to continue negotiations on outstanding issues, with a view to adopting additional provisions that would further enhance the disciplines of the Agreement.

    The full text of the Agreement can be accessed here. The list of members that have deposited their instruments of acceptance is available here. Information for members on how to accept the Protocol of Amendment is available here.

    Share

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Members review legal and regulatory frameworks for e-commerce

    Source: World Trade Organization

    Members identified significant challenges faced by small economies in digital trade, noting that legal progress in the digital domain has not always translated into substantial digital growth.

    Members emphasized the need for increased capacity-building initiatives focused on developing legal and regulatory frameworks, particularly for developing economies. These initiatives are essential for empowering these countries to participate more effectively in the global digital economy, they said. Members underscored the importance of strengthening cooperation with other international organizations to undertake targeted capacity building and technical assistance programmes regarding e-commerce regulatory frameworks

    To guide members in improving their e-commerce regulatory frameworks, some members proposed developing a compendium of best practices and policy recommendations. This compendium would draw on the experiences and legislation of members, particularly in areas such as consumer protection, privacy, data protection and cybersecurity.

    Members highlighted the need to explore emerging issues, such as the implications of AI technology on members’ regulatory frameworks and the role of the WTO.

    The next dedicated discussion, on 18 March, will address the digital divide, with a focus on technology transfer and digital industrialization.

    Share

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI: Arogo Capital Acquisition Corp. Executes Business Combination Agreement with Bangkok Tellink Co., Ltd.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ~ The proposed transaction represents an equity value on a pro-forma basis of a total equity value of the combined company of USD350 million ~

    ~ Bangkok Tellink Co., Ltd. is an emerging leader in advanced telecommunications, mobile network technology, and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions ~

    ~ Leveraging its successful track record, Bangkok Tellink Co., Ltd. seeks enhanced access to U.S. capital markets to accelerate the rollout of its next-gen telecommunication technologies, foster broader geographic expansion, and provide increased financial flexibility to advance research and development efforts ~

    Miami, FL and Bangkok, Thailand, Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Arogo Capital Acquisition Corp. (OTC: AOGO), a Delaware special purpose acquisition company (“Arogo”), and Bangkok Tellink Company Limited, a Thai registered company (“Bangkok Tellink”), today announced their execution of a definitive business combination agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) for a proposed business combination in a transaction valued at $350 million on February 14, 2025.

    The transaction contemplated in the Business Combination Agreement is expected to result in a newly combined company to be listed on The Nasdaq Global Market. Upon the closing of the transaction, Bangkok Tellink will continue to be led by its CEO, Mr. Nusttanakit Sasianon. The boards of directors of Bangkok Tellink and Arogo Capital Acquisition Corp. have unanimously approved the transaction

    Bangkok Tellink is a licensed Mobile Virtual Network Service Operator (“MVNO”) as well as a licensed Mobile Virtual Network Aggregator (“MVNA”) and offers mobile phone packages across multiple frequencies (e.g., 700MHz, 850MHz, 2100MHz, 2300MHz, and 26GHz) and, under its “INFINITE” brand, provides a range of services including Smart Solutions, IoT Sim Cards, eSIMs, SMPP (i.e., virtual SMS), SIP trunk (voice virtual number), and software development.  

    The eSIM market in Thailand is growing as it offers convenience for consumers and flexibility for businesses. eSIM technology allows users to switch mobile operators without changing physical SIM cards and is spearheading a transformative shift in connectivity, promoting Thailand’s progression towards a sophisticated digital economy. The exploding demand for eSims reflects Thailand’s commitment to expanding its telecommunications infrastructure and has positioned it as a leader in Southeast Asia.1

    Bangkok Tellink is uniquely positioned to facilitate the growth of Thailand’s digital economy that is driven by the need for enhanced economic competitiveness, improved public services, and sustainable growth. eSIM technology supports this transformation by simplifying connectivity for businesses and consumers alike, facilitating more efficient operations, and enhancing the accessibility of digital services across the country

    Nusttanakit Sasianon, CEO of Bangkok Tellink commented, “This is an exciting moment for Bangkok Tellink to expand our business, enhance our product and service offerings, and accelerate our growth. We are excited to continue to foster this business combination with the Arogo team to generate attractive value for our shareholders.”

    Suradech Taweesaengsakulthai, CEO of Arogo added, “We’re thrilled to partner with the Bangkok Tellink team to capitalize on their proven track record and support the expansion of their operations to meet the demand for its services including Smart Solutions, IoT Sim Cards, eSIMs, SMPP (i.e., virtual SMS), SIP trunk (voice virtual number), and software development. We have strong confidence in Bangkok Tellink’s management team and business model. We look forward to a successful closing of the business combination.” 

    The completion of the business combination is subject to regulatory approvals, the approval of the transaction by the shareholders of Arogo and Bangkok Tellink, and the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions.   Bangkok Tellink believes that its planned listing, in addition to creating a capital platform for its development and gaining the attention of investors in the international capital markets, will further promote Bangkok Tellink’s growth strategy.

    Additional information about the business combination, including a copy of the Business Combination Agreement, will be available in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed by Arogo with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), followed by a Registration Statement on Form F-4 to be filed by Pubco with the SEC.

    Advisors
    Rimon P.C. (Washington D.C.) serves as United States legal counsel to Arogo.

    Araya & Partners Co., Ltd. (Bangkok) serves as legal counsel to Bangkok Tellink Co., Ltd.  

    ARC Group Limited is acting as sole financial advisor to Arogo.

    About Bangkok Tellink Co., Ltd.
    Bangkok Tellink Co., Ltd, established in 2019, is at the forefront of Thailand’s telecommunications industry. By offering mobile network infrastructure, IoT devices, E-sim services, and software development, Bangkok Tellink provides integrated solutions that foster connectivity and productivity. Bangkok Tellink invests in innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainability to position itself as a prominent telecommunications and technology leader.

    About Arogo Capital Acquisition Corp.
    Arogo Capital Acquisition Corp. is a blank check company formed in 2021 for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. On December 29, 2021, Arogo consummated an initial public offering of its units that consisted of one share of Class A common stock and one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. For more information, visit www.arogocapital.com.

    Important Information and Where to Find It.

    For additional information on the proposed transaction, see Arogo’s Current Report on Form 8-K, which will be filed concurrently with this press release. In connection with the proposed transaction, Arogo intends to file relevant materials with the SEC, including a registration statement on Form F-4 by Pubco, which will include a proxy statement/prospectus, and other documents regarding the proposed transaction. Arogo’s shareholders and other interested persons are advised to read, when available, the preliminary proxy statement/ prospectus and the amendments thereto and the definitive proxy statement and documents incorporated by reference therein filed in connection with the proposed business combination, as these materials will contain important information about Bangkok Tellink and Arogo and the proposed business combination.

    Promptly after the Form F-4 is declared effective by the SEC, Arogo will mail the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and a proxy card to each shareholder entitled to vote at the meeting relating to the approval of the business combination and other proposals set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus. Before making any voting or investment decision, investors and shareholders of Arogo are urged to carefully read the entire registration statement and proxy statement/prospectus, when they become available, and any other relevant documents filed with the SEC, as well as any amendments or supplements to these documents, because they will contain important information about the proposed transaction. The documents filed by Arogo with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to Arogo Capital Acquisition Corp., 848 Brickell Avenue, Penthouse 5, Miami, FL 33131.

    Participants in the Solicitation

    Arogo and certain of its directors, executive officers and other members of management and employees may, under SEC rules, be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Arogo’s shareholders in connection with the proposed transaction. A list of the names of those directors and executive officers and a description of their interests in Arogo will be included in the proxy statement/prospectus for the proposed business combination when available at www.sec.gov.

    Information about Arogo’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of Arogo shares of common stock is set forth in Arogo’s final prospectus for its for its initial public offering filed with the SEC on December 28, 2021, as modified or supplemented by any Form 3 or Form 4 filed with the SEC since the date of such filing. Other information regarding the interests of the participants in the proxy solicitation will be included in the proxy statement/prospectus pertaining to the proposed business combination when it becomes available. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the source indicated above.

    Bangkok Tellink and its directors and executive officers may also be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of Arogo in connection with the proposed business combination. A list of the names of such directors and executive officers and information regarding their interests in the proposed business combination will be included in the proxy statement/prospectus for the proposed business combination.

    Additional information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests will be included in the proxy statement/prospectus to be filed with the SEC on Form F-4. Shareholders, potential investors and other interested persons should read the proxy statement/prospectus carefully when it becomes available before making any voting or investment decisions. You may obtain free copies of these documents from the sources indicated above.

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    Certain statements contained in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to (i) trends in the financial advisory industry, including changes in demand and supply related to Bangkok Tellink’s products; (ii) Bangkok Tellink’s growth prospects and Bangkok Tellink’s market size; (iii) Bangkok Tellink’s projected financial and operational performance including relative to its competitors; (iv) new product and service offerings Bangkok Tellink may introduce in the future; (v) the potential transaction, including the implied enterprise value, the expected post-closing ownership structure and the likelihood and ability of the parties to consummate the potential transaction successfully; (vi) the risk the proposed business combination may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the price of Arogo securities; (vii) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the proposed business combination, including the approval of the proposed business combination by the shareholders of Arogo; (viii) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the proposed business combination on Arogo’s or Bangkok Tellink’s business relationships, performance and business generally; (ix) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Arogo or Bangkok Tellink related to the proposed business combination or any agreement related thereto; (x) the ability to maintain the listing of Arogo on OTC; (xi) the price of Arogo’s securities, including volatility resulting from changes in the competitive and regulated industry in which Bangkok Tellink operates, variations in performance across competitors, changes in laws and regulations affecting Bangkok Tellink’s business and changes in the combined capital structure; (xii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations after the completion of the proposed business combination and identify and realize additional opportunities; and (xiii) other statements regarding Arogo’s or Bangkok Tellink’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions and strategies regarding the future.

    In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “outlook,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would,” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject, are subject to risks and uncertainties.

    You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of Arogo’s final prospectus for its for its initial public offering filed with the SEC on December 28, 2021, as modified or supplemented by any Form 3 or Form 4 filed with the SEC since the date of such filing and the proxy statement/prospectus relating to this transaction, which is expected to be filed by Arogo with the SEC, other documents filed by Arogo from time to time with SEC, and any risk factors made available to you in connection with Arogo, Bangkok Tellink, and the transaction. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond the control of Bangkok Tellink and Arogo) and other assumptions, that may cause the actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Arogo and Bangkok Tellink caution that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive.

    No Offer or Solicitation

    This press release relates to a proposed business combination between Arogo and Bangkok Tellink, and does not constitute a proxy statement or solicitation of a proxy and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities of Arogo or Bangkok Tellink, nor shall there be any sale of any such securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction.

    Contacts

    Arogo Capital Acquisition Corp.
    Attn: Ms. Nisachon Rattanamee
    Email: nisachon@arogocapital.com

    Bangkok Tellink Company Limited
    Attn: Daniel Fong
    Email: daniel@s1winconsultant.com

    Sources
    Arogo Capital Acquisition Corp and Bangkok Tellink Company Limited

    1eSIM Technology: Fueling Thailand’s Transition to a Digital Economy | Global YO

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Adult Support and Protection Day 2025

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    Issued by NHS Highland on behalf of the Highland Adult Protection Committee.

    Residents across Highland are being asked to be alert to vulnerable adults in their communities who are susceptible to financial harm.

    Adult Support and Protection Day takes place on Thursday 20 February 2025 and NHS Highland is urging everyone to report any concerns to ensure those in need are able to access support.

    Financial harm can cover theft, fraud and pressure to sign over property or money. It also relates to rogue traders, online scammers and misuse of benefits.

    People can be at increased risk to be harmed financially through factors such as ill health, trauma and physical or mental health conditions.

    It can happen anywhere – in someone’s home, where they work, or in a public place – and is often caused by the people closest to them. It can even happen in places responsible for keeping someone safe, such as a care home, hospital or day centre.

    The Highland Adult Committee is hosting an Adult Protection Day on Thursday, 20th February 2025 in Culloden-Balloch Baptist Church, Wellside Road, Balloch.

    The event will focus on combating financial harm and protecting vulnerable adults in our communities. Tickets for the event are free, and you can book your space by visiting https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/highlandadultprotection . The event will run from 10am-3pm.

    Mark McGinty, Chair of the Adult Support and Protection Community Awareness Group for the Highland area said: “Financial harm has an impact upon us all, whether its being caught out by a scammer, a mistrust by a family member or friend, or an organisation or public body helping prevent financial harm or helping a victim recover.

    “This event provides an opportunity for professionals and the wider public alike, to learn more about what financial harm is, how to spot it, who to speak to and how to prevent it from happening. I’d urge professionals and those associated with adult care, as well as the general public, to come along if possible, it could save you or someone you know from the stress and heartache of losing money to financial harm.”

    Councillor David Fraser, Highland Council Chair of Housing and Social Work Committee said: “Highland Council welcomes this event being organised by the Adult Support and Protection Committee which ultimately aims to protect vulnerable adults in our communities who are susceptible to financial harm. If anyone has concerns about a vulnerable adult in their community who they suspect is being financially harmed they should contact either Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 600, who partner Trading Standards in tackling consumer scams, or Police Scotland on 101 where the financial harm is more family, friend, guardian related.”

    It’s important to speak up about any concerns you have, as the person may not be able to do so themselves. 

    Please see NHS Highland website for more details on raising a concern  Adult support and protection | NHS Highland

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Champions Unite: XBO.com Becomes the Official Global Sponsor of the Argentina National Football Team

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Argentine Football Association Partners with XBO.com, a leading cryptocurrency exchange, to unite two passionate communities. Football fans and XBO.com users will gain access to exclusive promotions, events, and VIP match experiences

    WARSAW, Poland, Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Argentine Football Association (AFA), the governing body of football in Argentina, has partnered with XBO.com, a leading cryptocurrency exchange dedicated to making digital asset trading accessible, secure, and user-friendly. This collaboration aims to strengthen Argentina’s football community while providing fans with seamless and trustworthy access to cryptocurrency.

    A Landmark Partnership Between Crypto & Football

    In a groundbreaking collaboration that bridges the worlds of digital finance and sports, XBO.com is proud to become an official Global Sponsor of the Argentina National Football Team for 2025!

    The Argentine Football Association—one of the most iconic institutions in world football—and XBO.com, a next-generation cryptocurrency exchange, have signed a one-year Sponsorship Agreement for 2025. As part of this agreement, XBO.com will support the Argentine National Football Team throughout the next competitive chapter in 2025, ahead of the final World Cup 2026 qualification matches.

    This partnership marks a major milestone in XBO.com’s mission to make cryptocurrency accessible to all, while also playing a key role in AFA’s global expansion, which makes it highly sought-after by both parties.

    Two Champions, One Goal: Crypto for All

    Football and crypto have more in common than meets the eye: both unite people across borders, thrive on strategy, and reward those who stay ahead of the game. The partnership between AFA and XBO.com brings together two leading organizations from these fields to collaborate in facing new challenges and seizing opportunities.

    The Argentina National Team – A legacy of champions, reigning World Cup winners, and a global fanbase of millions.

    XBO.com – An innovative crypto exchange built to empower traders with security, ease of use, and financial freedom.

    With its global influence, AFA has no shortage of sponsorship opportunities among global brand leaders. Given this, the Association’s decision to partner with XBO.com is a strong testament to its forward-looking vision and the increasing role of crypto in the global economy.

    Claudio Fabian Tapia, President of AFA, stated:

    “We are delighted to welcome XBO.com as the new official sponsor of the Argentine Football Association. This agreement represents an important milestone in our global expansion strategy, opening new opportunities with such a prominent and innovative crypto brand. We look forward to a successful partnership and shared achievements in 2025.”

    What This Partnership Brings:

    • Exclusive Rewards & Giveaways – Win signed jerseys, VIP match tickets, stadium tours, and unforgettable fan experiences.
    • Exciting Interactive Campaigns – Participate in challenges, competitions, and promotions that blend the thrill of football with the excitement of crypto.
    • Unforgettable Events & Engagements – Be part of the action with co-branded activations, meet & greets, and unique experiences.

    According to Leandro Petersen, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer of AFA, this partnership will amplify both brands’ presence through innovative marketing initiatives:

    “AFA and XBO.com will be creating unique marketing campaigns, increasing the synergy and power of our brands in the global market. With great enthusiasm, we trust this agreement with XBO.com will be a great success.”

    More Than a Sponsorship—A Movement

    “This is more than just a sponsorship—it’s a statement,” says Lior Aizik, XBO.com’s COO & Co-founder.

    “By teaming up with AFA, we’re proving that crypto isn’t just the future of finance—it’s a global movement that belongs to everyone. Football has always been about passion, teamwork, and breaking barriers—values that align perfectly with XBO.com’s vision for financial accessibility. This collaboration is about bringing people together and creating a truly global, borderless experience.”

    As part of the partnership, XBO.com will be launching special promotions, rewards, and joint campaigns featuring the Argentine National Team as brand ambassadors. Fans and crypto enthusiasts alike will gain unprecedented access to the team’s biggest moments, players, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

    Join the Future of Crypto & Football

    The XBO.com x AFA partnership is just the beginning. Expect major announcements, massive rewards, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences ahead!

    Trade like a champion. Sign up with XBO.com today & stay tuned for upcoming giveaways and exclusive perks!

    About XBO.com

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  • MIL-OSI USA: February 18th, 2025 Heinrich, Luján Raise Alarm Over Trump Admin Pushing Illegal Funding Cuts to NIH & Derailing Lifesaving Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    New Mexico receives $125 million in NIH funding that supports over 1,400 jobs and generates nearly $290 million in economic activity

    Heinrich and Luján: “The administration’s new policy means that research will come to a halt, sick kids may not get the treatment they need, and clinical trials may shut down abruptly”

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), alongside 45 Senate Democrats, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. expressing serious concern over the Trump administration’s recent decisions that threaten to create a serious funding shortfall for research institutions in New Mexico, undermine progress on lifesaving scientific advancements, jeopardize the U.S. economy, and endanger the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers. 

    “As the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) plays a critical role in sustaining the research infrastructure necessary for scientific breakthroughs in cancer treatment, infectious disease prevention, and medical technology innovation, among many others. President Trump has wreaked havoc on the nation’s biomedical research system in recent weeks. In his first several days in office, President Trump imposed a hiring freeze, communications freeze, ban on travel, and cancellation of grant review and advisory panels that are necessary to advance research. While some of these efforts have been reversed, they continue to cause confusion and miscommunication among researchers and recipients of NIH funds,” the senators wrote.

    This month, the NIH announced it would set the maximum reimbursement rate for indirect costs to 15% — creating a serious funding shortfall for research institutions of all types across the country. This move would dismantle the biomedical research system, stifle the development of new cures for diseases, and affect ongoing research important to New Mexicans such as clinical trial research at the University of New Mexico.

    Importantly, this change is not a cost savings. It a cost transfer to organizations that cannot afford to pay the difference. This action by the Trump administration is unlawful — Congress’ bipartisan Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill prohibits modifications to NIH’s indirect costs.

    “This change to NIH’s indirect cost rate represents an indiscriminate funding cut that will be nothing short of catastrophic for the lifesaving research that patients and families are counting on. The administration’s new policy means that research will come to a halt, sick kids may not get the treatment they need, and clinical trials may shut down abruptly,” the senators wrote.

    The senators point out that, in addition to the stifling impact on discovering new cures and ripping away treatment from those who need it, changes to NIH policy and communications threaten jobs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. NIH research supported more than 1,400 jobs and spurred nearly $290 million in new economic activity in New Mexico during Fiscal Year 2023.

    “The Trump Administration has left researchers, universities, and health systems with great uncertainty about whether they can continue to support entire research programs and patient clinical trials across the country. Institutions and grantees nationwide are dealing with an unprecedented external communications ‘pause’ enacted by new leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the lack of transparency regarding the Administration’s illegal funding freeze, and the uncertainty of how new Executive Orders would be applied to their critical work. These actions resulted in NIH freezing grant reviews and cancelling advisory meetings, delaying critical funding that scientists need to continue advancing new cures and treatments. These disruptions do not just slow research — they cost lives,” the senators continued.

    “Our standing as a world leader in funding and producing new medical and scientific innovations has been put at risk by these recent actions from the Trump Administration. We urge you to stop playing political games with the lifesaving work of the NIH and to allow NIH research to continue uninterrupted,” the senators concluded.

    Last week, a federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the NIH rate cut and set a hearing for February 21st.

    The letter was led by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Alongside Heinrich and Luján, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    The text of the letter is here and below:

    Dear Secretary Kennedy,

    We write to express our serious concern with the Trump Administration’s recent decisions that threaten to undermine the nation’s biomedical research infrastructure and set us back generations. The steps the Trump Administration has taken will create a serious funding shortfall for research institutions nationwide, threaten to undermine progress on lifesaving scientific advancements, could cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars, and threaten the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers. 

    As the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, NIH plays a critical role in sustaining the research infrastructure necessary for scientific breakthroughs in cancer treatment, infectious disease prevention, and medical technology innovation, among many others. President Trump has wreaked havoc on the nation’s biomedical research system in recent weeks. In his first several days in office, President Trump imposed a hiring freeze, communications freeze, ban on travel, and cancellation of grant review and advisory panels that are necessary to advance research. While some of these efforts have been reversed, they continue to cause confusion and miscommunication among researchers and recipients of NIH funds.

    Just last week, NIH announced an illegal plan to cap indirect cost rates that research institutions rely on. In capping indirect cost rates at 15 percent for NIH-funded grants, this policy would cut funding essential for conducting research, such as operating and maintaining laboratories, equipment, and research facilities. This change to NIH’s indirect cost rate represents an indiscriminate funding cut that will be nothing short of catastrophic for the lifesaving research that patients and families are counting on. The Administration’s new policy means that research will come to a halt, sick kids may not get the treatment they need, and clinical trials may shut down abruptly.

    These confusing and harmful policy changes threaten patient safety. The strength of the American research enterprise – recognized as the best in the world – is built on Congress’ bipartisan commitment to supporting essential research infrastructure. This funding, which Congress has long appropriated on a bipartisan basis, fuels groundbreaking medical discoveries and cements the United States’ position as the global leader in biomedical research.

    In addition to the stifling impact on discovering new cures and ripping away treatment from those who need it, changes to NIH policy and communications threaten jobs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with everyone from custodians, to research trainees, to scientists facing potential layoffs. NIH research supported more than 412,000 jobs and fueled nearly $93 billion in new economic activity in Fiscal Year 2023. Every dollar the NIH invests in research generates almost $2.50 in economic activity. These reckless policy changes not only threaten biomedical innovation and research, but also the livelihoods of thousands of workers in every state across the nation.

    The Trump Administration has left researchers, universities, and health systems with great uncertainty about whether they can continue to support entire research programs and patient clinical trials across the country. Institutions and grantees nationwide are dealing with an unprecedented external communications “pause” enacted by new leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the lack of transparency regarding the Administration’s illegal funding freeze, and the uncertainty of how new Executive Orders would be applied to their critical work. These actions resulted in NIH freezing grant reviews and cancelling advisory meetings, delaying critical funding that scientists need to continue advancing new cures and treatments. These disruptions do not just slow research – they cost lives.

    The NIH plays a critical role in our nation’s efforts to fund scientific advancements that improve health and save lives. Our standing as a world leader in funding and producing new medical and scientific innovations has been put at risk by these recent actions from the Trump Administration. We urge you to stop playing political games with the lifesaving work of the NIH and to allow NIH research to continue uninterrupted.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Heinrich, Luján Raise Alarm Over Trump Admin Pushing Illegal Funding Cuts to NIH & Derailing Lifesaving Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Senator for New Mexico Ben Ray Luján

    New Mexico receives $125 million in NIH funding that supports over 1,400 jobs and generates nearly $290 million in economic activity

    Heinrich and Luján: “The administration’s new policy means that research will come to a halt, sick kids may not get the treatment they need, and clinical trials may shut down abruptly”

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), alongside 45 Senate Democrats, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. expressing serious concern over the Trump administration’s recent decisions that threaten to create a serious funding shortfall for research institutions in New Mexico, undermine progress on lifesaving scientific advancements, jeopardize the U.S. economy, and endanger the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers. 

    “As the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) plays a critical role in sustaining the research infrastructure necessary for scientific breakthroughs in cancer treatment, infectious disease prevention, and medical technology innovation, among many others. President Trump has wreaked havoc on the nation’s biomedical research system in recent weeks. In his first several days in office, President Trump imposed a hiring freeze, communications freeze, ban on travel, and cancellation of grant review and advisory panels that are necessary to advance research. While some of these efforts have been reversed, they continue to cause confusion and miscommunication among researchers and recipients of NIH funds,” the senators wrote.

    This month, the NIH announced it would set the maximum reimbursement rate for indirect costs to 15% — creating a serious funding shortfall for research institutions of all types across the country. This move would dismantle the biomedical research system, stifle the development of new cures for diseases, and affect ongoing research important to New Mexicans such as clinical trial research at the University of New Mexico.

    Importantly, this change is not a cost savings. It a cost transfer to organizations that cannot afford to pay the difference. This action by the Trump administration is unlawful — Congress’ bipartisan Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill prohibits modifications to NIH’s indirect costs.

    “This change to NIH’s indirect cost rate represents an indiscriminate funding cut that will be nothing short of catastrophic for the lifesaving research that patients and families are counting on. The administration’s new policy means that research will come to a halt, sick kids may not get the treatment they need, and clinical trials may shut down abruptly,” the senators wrote.

    The senators point out that, in addition to the stifling impact on discovering new cures and ripping away treatment from those who need it, changes to NIH policy and communications threaten jobs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. NIH research supported more than 1,400 jobs and spurred nearly $290 million in new economic activity in New Mexico during Fiscal Year 2023.

    “The Trump Administration has left researchers, universities, and health systems with great uncertainty about whether they can continue to support entire research programs and patient clinical trials across the country. Institutions and grantees nationwide are dealing with an unprecedented external communications ‘pause’ enacted by new leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the lack of transparency regarding the Administration’s illegal funding freeze, and the uncertainty of how new Executive Orders would be applied to their critical work. These actions resulted in NIH freezing grant reviews and cancelling advisory meetings, delaying critical funding that scientists need to continue advancing new cures and treatments. These disruptions do not just slow research — they cost lives,” the senators continued.

    “Our standing as a world leader in funding and producing new medical and scientific innovations has been put at risk by these recent actions from the Trump Administration. We urge you to stop playing political games with the lifesaving work of the NIH and to allow NIH research to continue uninterrupted,” the senators concluded.

    Last week, a federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the NIH rate cut and set a hearing for February 21st.

    The letter was led by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Alongside Heinrich and Luján, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    The text of the letter is here and below:

    Dear Secretary Kennedy,

    We write to express our serious concern with the Trump Administration’s recent decisions that threaten to undermine the nation’s biomedical research infrastructure and set us back generations. The steps the Trump Administration has taken will create a serious funding shortfall for research institutions nationwide, threaten to undermine progress on lifesaving scientific advancements, could cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars, and threaten the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers. 

    As the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, NIH plays a critical role in sustaining the research infrastructure necessary for scientific breakthroughs in cancer treatment, infectious disease prevention, and medical technology innovation, among many others. President Trump has wreaked havoc on the nation’s biomedical research system in recent weeks. In his first several days in office, President Trump imposed a hiring freeze, communications freeze, ban on travel, and cancellation of grant review and advisory panels that are necessary to advance research. While some of these efforts have been reversed, they continue to cause confusion and miscommunication among researchers and recipients of NIH funds.

    Just last week, NIH announced an illegal plan to cap indirect cost rates that research institutions rely on. In capping indirect cost rates at 15 percent for NIH-funded grants, this policy would cut funding essential for conducting research, such as operating and maintaining laboratories, equipment, and research facilities. This change to NIH’s indirect cost rate represents an indiscriminate funding cut that will be nothing short of catastrophic for the lifesaving research that patients and families are counting on. The Administration’s new policy means that research will come to a halt, sick kids may not get the treatment they need, and clinical trials may shut down abruptly.

    These confusing and harmful policy changes threaten patient safety. The strength of the American research enterprise – recognized as the best in the world – is built on Congress’ bipartisan commitment to supporting essential research infrastructure. This funding, which Congress has long appropriated on a bipartisan basis, fuels groundbreaking medical discoveries and cements the United States’ position as the global leader in biomedical research.

    In addition to the stifling impact on discovering new cures and ripping away treatment from those who need it, changes to NIH policy and communications threaten jobs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with everyone from custodians, to research trainees, to scientists facing potential layoffs. NIH research supported more than 412,000 jobs and fueled nearly $93 billion in new economic activity in Fiscal Year 2023. Every dollar the NIH invests in research generates almost $2.50 in economic activity. These reckless policy changes not only threaten biomedical innovation and research, but also the livelihoods of thousands of workers in every state across the nation.

    The Trump Administration has left researchers, universities, and health systems with great uncertainty about whether they can continue to support entire research programs and patient clinical trials across the country. Institutions and grantees nationwide are dealing with an unprecedented external communications “pause” enacted by new leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the lack of transparency regarding the Administration’s illegal funding freeze, and the uncertainty of how new Executive Orders would be applied to their critical work. These actions resulted in NIH freezing grant reviews and cancelling advisory meetings, delaying critical funding that scientists need to continue advancing new cures and treatments. These disruptions do not just slow research – they cost lives.

    The NIH plays a critical role in our nation’s efforts to fund scientific advancements that improve health and save lives. Our standing as a world leader in funding and producing new medical and scientific innovations has been put at risk by these recent actions from the Trump Administration. We urge you to stop playing political games with the lifesaving work of the NIH and to allow NIH research to continue uninterrupted.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Barr, Artificial Intelligence: Hypothetical Scenarios for the Future

    Source: US State of New York Federal Reserve

    Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have accelerated rapidly over the past few years.1 It is now commonplace to see autonomous vehicles navigating city streets, and generative AI tools are available on phones and other devices wherever we go. AI innovations make headlines and play a big role in financial markets, and generative AI has the potential to change how we think about productivity, labor markets and the macroeconomy.2 Today, I will address that question by outlining two hypothetical scenarios for AI’s impact and the implications for businesses, regulators, and society. I will focus my comments on Generative AI, or GenAI, a subset of AI that has seen significant growth and integration into economic activity in just a few short years.
    GenAI and Its AdoptionCompared to earlier iterations of AI, GenAI is able to generate content, which allows it to significantly enhance productivity across a range of knowledge-based activities and be used by people without coding skills. GenAI will likely become a “general purpose technology,” with widespread adoption, continuous improvement, and productivity enhancements to a wide range of sectors across the economy. We are already seeing GenAI improve the productivity of its own R&D.3 There is widespread enthusiasm for GenAI, and survey evidence shows much faster rates of consumer adoption of GenAI already than were seen for the personal computer or the internet.4 While actual deployment of GenAI is limited to some business functions, and there have been pitfalls along the way, businesses in almost every sector are experimenting with or considering how to make use of the technology.5
    Firms are also exploring Agentic AI—Gen AI systems that not only produce new content, but are also able to proactively pursue goals by generating innovative solutions and acting upon them at speed and scale.6 Imagining Agentic AI’s ultimate application, some speculate that we could experience a “country of geniuses in a data center”—a collective intelligence that surpasses human capabilities in problem-solving and collaboration.7 Some believe Agentic AI has the potential to connect ideas in disparate domains, potentially transforming research and development and society more broadly.8
    Hypothetical Scenarios Considering How GenAI Could EvolveToday, I will outline two hypothetical scenarios for considering how GenAI could evolve.9 In one, we see only incremental adoption that primarily augments what humans do today, but still leads to widespread productivity gains. In the other, we see transformative change where we extend human capabilities with far-reaching consequences. For each scenario, I consider the potential implications for the economy and financial sector.
    Thinking through hypothetical scenarios can help widen our lens to a range of possible outcomes and provide a framework for assessing the balance between benefits and risks. Scenarios are not predictions of the future, but provide a framework for analyzing the factors that could lead to different outcomes. Reality is complex. GenAI adoption rates will vary across industries, leading to diverse impacts on market structures. Elements of both scenarios will likely come to pass, and play out at different rates, which will influence the effects on the economy and society. In the short term, GenAI may be overhyped, while in the long run, it may be underappreciated. And, of course, things might turn out differently from these hypotheticals.
    Hypothetical 1: Incremental Progress with Widespread Productivity GainsFirst, let me begin with the incremental scenario, where GenAI primarily augments work in existing processes and leads to steady and widespread productivity gains, but does not fundamentally unlock new capabilities or transform the economy.
    In this state of the world, GenAI tools enhance efficiency and enable more personalized solutions across industries, in ways that have incremental—but still meaningful—effects on people’s lives. For instance, in customer service, professional writing—but not this speech—and software engineering, GenAI-powered tools are already supporting workers, improving accuracy and speed, and these effects could spread to other sectors.10 In this world, health care sees significant improvements as GenAI reduces administrative burdens, assists with diagnostics, and personalizes treatment plans based on real-time patient data. Medicines and other treatments are developed at a faster pace.11 Education is similarly affected, as GenAI alleviates administrative tasks for teachers, allows lessons to be tailored to individual students, and permits students to learn by doing.12 In manufacturing, GenAI-optimized supply chains anticipate and adjust more quickly to disruptions, and current manufacturing processes are refined through virtual iteration.13 In materials science, GenAI-driven experimentation accelerates the discovery of new materials, leading to advances in everything from construction to electronics.14 Turning to the financial sector, we could see similar productivity gains. Community banks leverage GenAI-powered chatbots to provide customized financial advice rooted in local knowledge, while institutions of all sizes continue to advance use of GenAI for compliance monitoring, fraud detection, risk management, and document analysis.15
    The impact to society would be incrementally positive in this state of the world. Humans would use GenAI as a tool to deliver goods and services that we currently produce in a more efficient way. Productivity would go up. The economy would grow at a faster pace.16
    What does this mean for the labor force? The impact will depend on the industry and the nature of the job. GenAI experiments suggest the technology holds the promise of levelling up skills and bringing productivity of lower-performing workers into line with higher performing workers.17 In other cases, it could augment the highest performers, leaving them more time for creativity or strategic aspects of their roles. Increasing automation for certain tasks may displace some workers, where certain skills can be replicated by GenAI. Historically, as technology has replaced some jobs, it has augmented existing roles or created new ones.18 However, this is not to downplay the individual cost for workers who need to retrain, find other employment, or change careers in response to major changes in labor demand. Society will need to account for these possible effects of AI.
    What does this mean for the economy? As I noted before, the economy should grow, if the incremental productivity gains are widespread. However, in this scenario, it is possible that the expected value creation from GenAI was overhyped, anticipating transformative breakthroughs rather than incremental productivity gains. This could trigger market corrections for the firms that have heavily invested in this technology if reality doesn’t measure up to expectations. While the U.S. economy experienced a surge of productivity growth during the dot.com boom in the late 1990s, it was followed by a wave of bankruptcies, capital overhang, and a cautious business investment climate.19 The effects of the ensuing recession were widespread.
    What does this mean for financial stability and other financial risks? In this incremental scenario, GenAI may magnify both the vulnerabilities and sources of resilience that already exist in the system. Attractive trades become more crowded, but risk managers gain new insights.20 Malicious actors gain new tools, but cyber defenders become better armed. So long as financial regulators, enterprise risk managers, and others charged with managing downside risks prioritize efforts to keep pace with the evolving financial ecosystem, there’s nothing to suggest a wholesale transformation of the balance of risks. Of course, keeping pace will pose challenges, and it’s important that we all focus on the need to meet these risks.
    Hypothetical Scenario 2: Transformative ChangeNow, let’s consider a more dramatic hypothetical scenario, in which GenAI adoption extends beyond improving on what we currently do, and provides new expertise and capabilities that have transformative effects on the economy and society. In this scenario, humans deploy their imagination and creativity—combined with robust investment in research and development—to deploy intelligent GenAI systems to make rapid breakthroughs in, for example, biotechnology, robotics, and energy, fundamentally reshaping existing industries and creating new ones. In this instance, to focus the mind, we can think of GenAI as no longer only a tool for scientists to analyze data—in a sense, it becomes the scientist, directing the research.21
    For instance, let’s say that GenAI applications in health care do not simply improve how we currently deliver care, but also enable therapies that target genetic mutations and cure diseases previously considered incurable.22 Similarly, manufacturing evolves to create GenAI-driven robotic factories, with goods produced with new materials and atomic precision.23 Materials science is transformed through the discovery of programmable materials and self-healing substances, all of which reshape construction, technology, and consumer goods.24 Meanwhile, GenAI optimizes fusion energy research, expediting the shift to sustainable energy sources.25 And GenAI helps to create the next generation of quantum computing.26 In that way, GenAI improves its own energy sources and computing capabilities, enabling it to become a more powerful creative tool.27
    Finance also looks radically different than it does today. Individuals with access to hyper-personalized financial planning and businesses with innovative products and services seamlessly connect with one another through near-frictionless or novel forms of financial intermediation.28 Trading strategies and risk-management practices are boosted by greater GenAI-based analytic tools that have dynamic real-time access to an enormous knowledge base in both the public and private domains.29
    Although this transformative scenario is more speculative and is accompanied by a far greater degree of uncertainty than the first, it is important to consider given the extraordinary opportunities for human advancement and welfare that could arise, even if just one of its transformative components were to come to fruition. We would need to fundamentally reimagine how the economy is structured.
    What are the impacts on the labor force, in a world where GenAI’s capabilities extend beyond what humans can accomplish today? Humans may have a role to manage multi-agent GenAI frameworks, or fill gaps where GenAI solutions remain expensive or inefficient for some applications. But this is a world where some workers may see their current jobs disappearing. It is also a world in which they may see their own work transformed and have many more choices about the work they do. The nature of labor would radically change, and this will require us to have broader conversations about how to organize the economy. These conversations should wrestle with how to navigate major economic shifts in a way that recognizes the impact on the human condition, and the extent to which people derive their communities, friendships, personal sense of meaning and dignity from their work.
    What about the competitive landscape? There is probably a greater likelihood that rewards for businesses would be distributed more unevenly at first, as significant breakthroughs with far-reaching ramifications may benefit a subset of firms and industries and concentrate economic power in firms that control GenAI breakthroughs. If only a handful of firms have the ability to accomplish the incredible things I’ve mentioned above, they may dominate markets and crowd out competitors. To the extent that GenAI becomes broadly effective, widely available, and cheap, these market advantages could lessen over time if the right regulatory environment supports competitive market dynamics.30 But history suggests caution in this regard; a handful of players may dominate.31
    And finally, for finance, we should anticipate fundamental changes in this scenario. When it’s working well, the financial system helps move money and risk through time and space.32 To the extent there are fundamental changes to how the economy is organized, we could need a new set of institutions, markets, and products to facilitate transactions among households, businesses, and GenAI agents.
    What Should We Do?Among the many ways in which we can help to harness the potential benefits of GenAI and minimize its risks, I will highlight only a couple today.
    Financial institutions, and the Federal Reserve System, should consider investing sufficient resources in understanding GenAI technology, incorporating it into their workflows where appropriate, and training staff on how to use the technology responsibly and effectively.33 Meanwhile, the financial regulatory community should approach the changing landscape with agility and flexibility. And beyond the financial sector, collaboration between governments, private industry, and research institutions will be critical to ensure that GenAI systems are not weaponized in catastrophic ways. We should continue to focus on responsible AI research and development and implement safeguards against misuse, including monitoring systems, standards for secure AI system development, and agreement on red lines for acceptable use cases.34 We should be attuned to the impact of GenAI on our economic and political institutions. There’s a risk that it concentrates economic and political power in the hands of the very few and could lead to the gains being realized only by a small group, while the rest are left behind.
    Another thing I want to emphasize is AI governance. I think most would agree that the goal of the technology is to improve the human condition, and to do that, we need to be intentional in advancing that goal. We should make sure that we think about GenAI as enhancing, not replacing, humans, and set up best practices and cultural norms to that end. Every financial institution should recognize the limitations of the technology, explore where and when GenAI belongs in any process, and identify how humans can be best positioned to be in the loop. We should also focus on data quality, and make sure that uses of GenAI do not perpetuate or amplify biases inherent in the data used to train the system or make incorrect inferences to the extent the data is incomplete or nonrepresentative.35 In the realm of regulation, frameworks for understanding model risk may need to be updated to address the complexity and challenges of explaining AI methods and the difficulty of assessing data quality.
    We need to be attuned to the risk in finance. The very attributes that make GenAI attractive—the speed, automaticity, and ability to optimize financial strategies—also present risk.36 When the technology becomes ubiquitous, use of GenAI could lead to herding behavior and the concentration of risk, potentially amplifying market volatility. As GenAI agents will be directed to maximize profit, they may converge on strategies to maximize returns through coordinated market manipulation, potentially fueling asset bubbles and crashes. Speed, automaticity, and ubiquity could generate new risks at wide scale.37
    We also should monitor how introduction of this technology changes the banking landscape. Nonbanks may be more nimble and risk-forward in incorporating GenAI into their operations, which may push intermediation to less-regulated, less transparent corners of the financial sector. In addition, this competitive pressure may push all institutions, including regulated institutions, to take a more aggressive approach to GenAI adoption, heightening the governance, alignment, and financial risks I mentioned before.
    In conclusion, while AI’s impact will vary across industries and the reality is evolving, the scenarios I have outlined today provide a framework to begin thinking about how we should respond to developments in GenAI. However, as I mentioned above, elements of both scenarios will likely be present in the future, and play out at different rates, which will influence the effects on the economy and society. Rapid advances in this technology, such as Agentic AI and advancements in open-source models, underscore just how new this technology is and the importance of understanding what it means for individuals, businesses, and markets. Thank you.

    1. The views expressed here are my own and are not necessarily those of my colleagues on the Federal Reserve Board. Return to text
    2. See, for instance, Lisa D. Cook, “Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and the Path Ahead for Productivity,” (speech at Technology-Enabled Disruption: Implications of AI, Big Data, and Remote Work Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, October 1, 2024). Return to text
    3. See Gaurav Sett, “How AI Can Automate AI Research and Development,” RAND Commentary, October 24, 2024. Return to text
    4. See Cory Breaux and Emin Dinlersoz, “How Many U.S. Businesses Use Artificial Intelligence?” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, November 28, 2023); Alexander Bick, Adam Blandin, and David J. Deming, “The Rapid Adoption of Generative AI,” NBER Working Paper No. 32966 (Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, September 2024, revised February 2025); and Leland Crane, Michael Green, and Paul Soto, “Measuring AI Uptake in the Workplace,” FEDS Notes (Washington: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, February 5, 2025). Return to text
    5. There’s evidence of firms experimenting with these tools and then abandoning them—due to a multitude of reasons. See Kathryn Bonney, Cory Breaux, Cathy Buffington, Emin Dinlersoz, Lucia S. Foster, Nathan Goldschlag, John C. Haltiwanger, Zachary Kroff, and Keith Savage, “Tracking Firm Use of AI in Real Time: A Snapshot from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey,” NBER Working Paper No. 32319 (Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, April 2024). Return to text
    6. For more on Agentic AI’s uses, advantages, and risks, see Mark Purdy, “What Is Agentic AI, and How Will It Change Work?” Harvard Business Review (December 12, 2024). Return to text
    7. See Dario Amodei, “Machines of Loving Grace,” October 2024, https://darioamodei.com/machines-of-loving-grace. Return to text
    8. For biology and drug discovery, see Jean-Philippe Vert, “Unlocking the Mysteries of Complex Biological Systems with Agentic AI,” MIT Technology Review (November 13, 2024), https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/13/1106750/unlocking-the-mysteries-of-complex-biological-systems-with-agentic-ai; and “Owkin Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase I AI-Optimized Clinical Trial of OKN4395, a First-in-Class EP2/EP4/DP1 Triple Inhibitor for Patients with Solid Tumors,” Business Wire, January 30, 2025, https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250130436779/en/Owkin-Announces-First-Patient-Dosed-in-Phase-I-AI-optimized-Clinical-Trial-of-OKN4395-a-First-in-Class-EP2EP4DP1-Triple-Inhibitor-for-Patients-with-Solid-Tumors. Return to text
    9. Others have used other types of scenarios. See Anton Korinek, “The Economics of Transformative AI,” The Reporter (Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, December 31, 2024); Iñaki Aldasoro, Leonardo Gambacorta, Anton Korinek, Vatsala Shreeti, and Merlin Stein, “Intelligent Financial System: How AI Is Transforming Finance (PDF),” BIS Working Papers No. 1194 (Basel, Switzerland: Bank for International Settlements, June 2024); and Ethan Mollick, Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI (New York: Portfolio/Penguin, 2024). Return to text
    10. For worker productivity gains in customer service, see Erik Brynjolfsson, Danielle Li, and Lindsey R. Raymond, “Generative AI at Work,” NBER Working Paper No. 31161 (Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, April 2023, revised November 2023). For GenAI assisted writing gains, see Shakked Noy and Whitney Zhang, “Experimental Evidence on the Productivity Effects of Generative Artificial Intelligence,” Science, vol. 381, no. 6654 (July 2023): 187–92; Jordan Usdan, Allison Connell Pensky, and Harley Chang, “Generative AI’s Impact on Graduate Student Writing Productivity and Quality,” SSRN (August 29, 2024), https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4941022. For software engineering, see Sida Peng, Eirini Kalliamvakou, Peter Cihon, and Mert Demirer, “The Impact of AI on Developer Productivity: Evidence from GitHub Copilot,” arXiv:2302.06590, February 13, 2023; Leonardo Gambacorta, Han Qiu, Shuo Shan, and Daniel M. Rees, “Generative AI and Labour Productivity: A Field Experiment on Coding (PDF),” BIS Working Papers No. 1208 (Basel, Switzerland: Bank for International Settlements, September 2024); Zheyuan (Kevin) Cui, Mert Demirer, Sonia Jaffe, Leon Musolff, Sida Peng, and Tobias Salz, “The Effects of Generative AI on High-Skilled Work: Evidence from Three Field Experiments with Software Developers,” SSRN (September 5, 2024, revised February 10, 2025), https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4945566. For worker gains in the consulting industry, see Fabrizio Dell’Acqua, Edward McFowland III, Ethan Mollick, Hila Lifshitz-Assaf, Katherine C. Kellogg, Saran Rajendran, Lisa Krayer, François Candelon, and Karim R. Lakhani, “Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier: Field Experimental Evidence of the Effects of AI on Knowledge Worker Productivity and Quality (PDF),” Harvard Business School Working Paper No. 24-013 (September 2023). Return to text
    11. See Ethan Goh, Robert Gallo, Jason Hom, et al., “Large Language Model Influence on Diagnostic Reasoning: A Randomized Clinical Trial,” JAMA Network Open (October 28, 2024), https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2825395; Nikhil Agarwal, Alex Moehring, Pranav Rajpurkar, and Tobias Salz, “Combining Human Expertise with Artificial Intelligence: Experimental Evidence from Radiology,” NBER Working Paper No. 31422 (Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, July 2023, revised March 2024); Ashley Capoot, “Reid Hoffman Enters ‘Wondrous and Terrifying’ World of Health Care with Latest AI Startup,” CNBC, February 2, 2025, https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/02/reid-hoffman-launches-manas-ai-a-new-drug-discovery-startup.html; Kang Zhang, Xin Yang, Yifei Wang, Yunfang Yu, Niu Huang, Gen Li, Xiaokun Li, Joseph C. Wu, and Shengyong Yang, “Artificial Intelligence in Drug Development,” Nature Medicine, vol. 31 (January 2025): 45–59, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03434-4; Qian Liao, Yu Zhang, Ying Chu, Yi Ding, Zhen Liu, Xianyi Zhao, Yizheng Wang, Jie Wan, Yijie Ding, Prayag Tiwari, Quan Zou, and Ke Han, “Application of Artificial Intelligence in Drug-Target Interactions Prediction: A Review,” NPJ Biomedical Innovations, vol. 2, no. 1 (January 2025), https://doi.org/10.1038/s44385-024-00003-9. Return to text
    12. For more on education, see Justin Wolfers, “An Econ Educators Guide to our AI-Powered Future,” Macmillan Learning, EconEd (presentation), September 26, 2024, https://www.macmillanlearning.com/college/us/events/econed; and Anne J. Manning, “Professor Tailored AI Tutor to Physics Course. Engagement Doubled,” Harvard Gazette, September 5, 2024. Return to text
    13. See Maxime C. Cohen and Christopher S. Tang, “The Role of AI in Developing Resilient Supply Chains,” Georgetown Journal of International Affairs (February 5, 2024); and Remko Van Hoek and Mary Lacity, “How Global Companies Use AI to Prevent Supply Chain Disruptions,” Harvard Business Review, November 21, 2023. Return to text
    14. See Sheldon Fernandez, “How Generative AI Can Be Used in Electronics,” Forbes, April 26, 2023, https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2023/04/26/how-generative-ai-can-be-used-in-electronics-manufacturing. Return to text
    15. For U.S. financial institutions, see Elizabeth Judd, “How to Balance Human and Machine While Using Chatbots,” Independent Banker, January 1, 2025; and U.S. Department of the Treasury, “Artificial Intelligence in Financial Services (PDF)” (Washington: U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 2024). For foreign financial institutions, see Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority, “Artificial Intelligence in UK Financial Services—2024” (London: Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority, November 21, 2024); and Bank of Japan, “Use and Risk Management of Generative AI by Japanese Financial Institutions,” Financial System Report Annex (Tokyo: Bank of Japan, October 29, 2024). For global financial institutions, see OECD, “FSB Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Finance (PDF),” Financial Stability Board, September 30, 2024. Return to text
    16. Lida R. Weinstock and Paul Tierno, “The Macroeconomic Effects of Artificial Intelligence (PDF),” Congressional Research Service, January 28, 2025. Return to text
    17. See Shakked Noy and Whitney Zhang, “Experimental Evidence on the Productivity Effects of Generative Artificial Intelligence,” Science, vol. 381, no. 6654 (July 13, 2023): 187–92; Brynjolfsson et al., “Generative AI at Work” (see footnote 9); and “for software engineering” from footnote 9; Korinek (2024) from footnote 7. Return to text
    18. See David H. Autor, “Why Are There Still So Many Jobs? The History and Future of Workplace Automation,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 29, no. 3 (Summer 2015): 3–30.See Simona Abis and Laura Veldkamp. Return to text
    19. See Ben S. Bernanke, “Will Business Investment Bounce Back?” (speech at the Forecasters Club, New York, NY, April 24, 2003). Return to text
    20. See Financial Stability Board, The Financial Stability Implications of Artificial Intelligence (Basel, Switzerland: Financial Stability Board, November 14, 2024); and Jon Danielsson and Andreas Uthemann, “How AI Can Undermine Financial Stability,” VoxEU: CEPR, January 22, 2024. Return to text
    21. For some very early examples, see Davide Castelvecchi, “Researchers Built an ‘AI Scientist’—What Can It Do?” Nature, August 30, 2024, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02842-3; Daniil A. Boiko, Robert MacKnight, Ben Kline, and Gabe Gomes, “Autonomous Chemical Research with Large Language Models,” Nature, December 20, 2023, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06792-0; and Helena Kudiabor, “Virtual Lab Powered by ‘AI Scientists’ Super-Charges Biomedical Research,” Nature, December 4, 2024, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01684-3. Return to text
    22. For more on drug discovery and gene therapy, see Betty Zou, “Team Uses AI and Quantum Computing to Target ‘Undruggable’ Cancer Protein,” Phys Org, January 27, 2025; and Mohammad Ghazi Vakili et al., “Quantum-Computing-Enhanced Algorithm Unveils Potential KRAS Inhibitors,” Nature Biotechnology, January 22, 2025, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-024-02526-3. Return to text
    23. See NASA Technology Transfer Program, “Robonaut 2: Hazardous Environments (MSC-TOPS-44)”. Return to text
    24. For more on material sciences innovation, see Andy Extance, “First GPT-4-Powered AI Lab Assistant Independently Directs Key Organic Reactions,” Chemistry World, January 8, 2024, https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/first-gpt-4-powered-ai-lab-assistant-independently-directs-key-organic-reactions/4018723.article; Chenyang Liu, Xi Zhang, Jiahui Chang, You Lyu, Jianan Zhao, and Song Qiu, “Programmable Mechanical Metamaterials: Basic Concepts, Types, Construction Strategies—A Review,” Frontiers, vol. 11 (March 19, 2024); Aidan Toner-Rodgers, “Artificial Intelligence, Scientific Discovery, and Product Innovation,” MIT, November 27, 2024, https://aidantr.github.io/files/AI_innovation.pdf; and Thomas Hayes et al., “Simulating 500 Million Years of Evolution with a Language Model,” Science, January 16, 2025. Return to text
    25. See Tan Sui, “AI Could Help Overcome the Hurdles to Making Nuclear Fusion a Practical Energy Source,” The Conversation, January 29, 2025, https://theconversation.com/ai-could-help-overcome-the-hurdles-to-making-nuclear-fusion-a-practical-energy-source-247608; Jaemin Seo, SangKyeun Kim, Azarakhsh Jalalvand, Rory Conlin, Andrew Rothstein, Joseph Abbate, Keith Erickson, Josiah Wai, Ricardo Shousha, and Egemen Kolemen, “Avoiding Fusion Plasma Tearing Instability with Deep Reinforcement Learning,” Nature, vol. 626, February 21, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07024-9; and Massimiliano Lupo Pasini, German Samolyuk, Markus Eisenbach, Jong Youl Choi, Junqi Yin, and Ying Yang, “First-Principles Data for Solid Solution Niobium-Tantalum-Vanadium Alloys with Body-Centered-Cubic Structures,” Nature: Scientific Data, vol. 11, no. 907 (August 22, 2024), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03720-3. Return to text
    26. Nakia Melecio, “Exploring the Synergy: Quantum Computing and Generative AI at the Intersection of Innovation,” ScaleUp Lab Program, Enterprise Innovation Institute, Georgia Tech. Return to text
    27. For an example on GenAI and quantum computers, see Rahul Rao, “Quantum Computers Can Now Run Powerful AI That Works like the Brain,” Scientific American, April 22, 2024, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/quantum-computers-can-run-powerful-ai-that-works-like-the-brain. For an example about AI and clean energy, see Office of Policy, “How AI Can Help Clean Energy Meet Growing Electricity Demand” (Washington: U.S. Department of Energy, August 16, 2024). For examples of how GenAI is augmenting creativity, see Tojin T. Eapen, Daniel J. Finkenstadt, Josh Folk, and Lokesh Venkataswamy, “How Generative AI Can Augment Human Creativity,” Harvard Business Review (July–August 2023); and Anil R. Doshi and Oliver P. Hauser, “Generative AI Enhances Individual Creativity but Reduces the Collective Diversity of Novel Content,” Science Advances, vol. 10, no. 28 (July 12, 2024). Return to text
    28. See Iñaki Aldasoro, Leonardo Gambacorta, Anton Korinek, Vatsala Shreeti, and Merlin Stein, “Intelligent Financial System: How AI Is Transforming Finance (PDF),” BIS Working Papers No. 1194 (Basel, Switzerland: Bank for International Settlements, June 2024); and Sarah Hammer, “From Turing to Trading: How AI Is Revolutionizing Finance,” Finance Centers at the Wharton School, July 10, 2024. Return to text
    29. Large language models may even allow for the creation of synthetic data that allows for enhancing macroeconomic nowcasting and forecasting through economic AI agents that can also help with analyzing macroeconomic trends and contribute to more informed financial decisionmaking. See Anne Lundgaard Hansen, John J. Horton, Sophia Kazinnik, Daniela Puzzello, and Ali Zarifhonarvar, “Simulating the Survey of Professional Forecasters,” SSRN (December 1, 2024), https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5066286. Return to text
    30. Kelly Ng, Brandon Drenon, Tom Gerken, and Marc Cieslak, “DeepSeek: The Chinese AI App That Has the World Talking,” BBC News, February 4, 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yv5976z9po. Return to text
    31. For example, see IBM Newsroom, “Data Suggests Growth in Enterprise Adoption of AI Is Due to Widespread Deployment by Early Adopters, But Barriers Keep 40% in the Exploration and Experimentation Phases,” IBM, January 10, 2024, https://newsroom.ibm.com/2024-01-10-Data-Suggests-Growth-in-Enterprise-Adoption-of-AI-is-Due-to-Widespread-Deployment-by-Early-Adopters; and Jefferies Editorial Team, “Can Startups Outsmart Big Tech in the AI Race?” Jefferies, September 17, 2024, https://www.jefferies.com/insights/boardroom-intelligence/can-startups-outsmart-big-tech-in-the-ai-race. Return to text
    32. If AI agents proliferate in financial transactions, we will also need to be careful about the potential for unintended consequences such as collusion among AI agents. See Winston Wei Dou, Itay Goldstein, and Yan Ji, “AI-Powered Trading, Algorithmic Collusion, and Price Efficiency,” Jacobs Levy Equity Management Center for Quantitative Financial Research Paper, The Wharton School Research Paper, May 30, 2024, https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4452704. Return to text
    33. See Request for Information on the Development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan, 90 Fed. Reg. 9,088 (PDF) (February 6, 2025). Return to text
    34. See Heather Domin, “AI Governance Trends: How Regulation, Collaboration, and Skills Demand Are Shaping the Industry,” World Economic Forum, September 5, 2024. Return to text
    35. For more on bias introduced in models, see Moshe Glickman and Tali Sharot, “How Human–AI Feedback Loops Alter Human Perceptual, Emotional, and Social Judgements,” Nature Human Behavior, December 18, 2024, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-02077-2; Saul Asiel Flores, “‘Bias in, Bias out’: Tackling Bias in Medical Artificial Intelligence,” Yale School of Medicine, November 18, 2024; and Adam Zewe, “Researchers Reduce Bias in AI Models While Preserving or Improving Accuracy,” MIT News, December 11, 2024. For governance in central banks, see Claudia Alvarez Toca and Alexandre Tombini, Governance of AI Adoption in Central Banks (PDF) (Basel, Switzerland: Bank for International Settlements, January 2025). Return to text
    36. See, e.g., Michael P. Wellman, “Artificial Intelligence in Financial Services (PDF)” (written testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, September 20, 2023). Return to text
    37. See Jon Danielsson and Andreas Uthemann, “AI Financial Crises,” VoxEU: CEPR, July 26, 2024. For more on algorithm collusion, see Wei Dou et al., “AI-Powered Trading, Algorithmic Collusion, and Price Efficiency” (see footnote 33). Return to text

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: On holding auctions on February 19, 2025 to place OFZ issues No. 26245RMFS and No. 26247RMFS

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    For bidders

    We inform you that, based on the letter of the Bank of Russia and in accordance with Part I. General Part and Part II. Stock Market Section of the Rules for Conducting Trading on the Stock Market, Deposit Market and Credit Market of Moscow Exchange PJSC, the order establishes the form, time, term and procedure for holding auctions for the placement and trading of the following federal loan bonds:

    1.

    Name of the Issuer Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation
    Name of security federal loan bonds with constant coupon income
    State registration number of the issue 26245RMFS from 08.05.2024
    Date of the auction February 19, 2025
    Information about the placement (trading mode, placement form) The placement of Bonds will be carried out in the Trading Mode “Placement: Auction” by holding an Auction to determine the placement price. BoardId: PACT (Settlements: Ruble)
    Trade code CO26245RMFS9
    ISIN code RO000A108EG6
    Calculation code B01
    Additional conditions of placement The share of non-competitive bids in relation to the total volume of bids submitted by the Bidder may not exceed 90%.
    Trading time Trading hours: bid collection period: 14:30 – 15:00; bid execution period: 15:30 – 18:00.

    2.

    Name of the Issuer Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation
    Name of security federal loan bonds with constant coupon income
    State registration number of the issue 26247RMFS from 08.05.2024
    Date of the auction February 19, 2025
    Information about the placement (trading mode, placement form) The placement of Bonds will be carried out in the Trading Mode “Placement: Auction” by holding an Auction to determine the placement price. BoardId: PACT (Settlements: Ruble)
    Trade code CO26247RMFS5
    ISIN code RO000A108EF8
    Calculation code B01
    Additional conditions of placement The share of non-competitive bids in relation to the total volume of bids submitted by the Bidder may not exceed 90%.
    Trading time Trading hours: bid collection period: 12:00 – 12:30; bid execution period: 13:00 – 18:00.

    Contact information for media 7 (495) 363-3232Pr@moex.kom

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //VVV. MEEX.K.M.M.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Microsoft announces latest investment in Europe, $700M for computing capacity in Poland

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Microsoft announces latest investment in Europe, $700M for computing capacity in Poland

    This morning, I stood in Warsaw with Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, and announced Microsoft’s latest cloud and AI infrastructure investment in Europe. Building on our initial billion-dollar investment to launch a Polish cloud region in 2023, I announced that Microsoft will spend another $700 million by the middle of next year to expand our computing capacity in the country. And we will deepen our work with Polish National Defense to strengthen Poland’s cybersecurity, including by working together on the development of AI competencies and emerging digital technologies, including new AI and quantum breakthroughs. 

    This marks the latest critical step for Microsoft’s business, economic, and political relationships in Poland – and in Europe as a whole.  

    During the past 16 months, we have announced more than $20 billion in AI and cloud infrastructure investments that represent an important part of our datacenter expansion across 15 European countries. Today’s investment in Poland builds on the integrated supply chain we are building with manufacturers across the EU. It calls on suppliers that are manufacturing critical components not only in Poland but in Italy, France, Germany, Finland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. It also includes components manufactured and exported from Indiana in the United States. It’s the type of investment that creates jobs and fosters economic growth throughout Europe and across the Atlantic. 

    Promoting Trans-Atlantic Investment, Trade, and Economic Growth 

    The American technology sector is creating world-leading AI technology and is focused on being a trusted “partner of choice” around the world. And European policy leaders are focused on mobilizing more capital and increasing productivity by “closing the innovation gap.” Even in a time of fragmenting geopolitics, today’s announcement illustrates that these two technology ambitions are more aligned than divergent.  

    In multiple ways, our investment in Poland puts both these goals into practice. It demonstrates how vastly the technology sector has changed since I first joined Microsoft as an employee in Paris more than 31 years ago. While we develop and provide world-leading technology products and services globally, we now support these with enormous national investments in infrastructure and large numbers of local employees. More than ever, technology requires coordinated investments that connect countries and span oceans. 

    Sustained Technology Support During a Decade of Crises 

    Equally important, technology has become a lynchpin for national needs in times of crisis. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has aptly put recent history in perspective. As she highlighted, Europe faces a competitiveness challenge that comes as the third crisis of the 2020s, after the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.  

    It’s worth reflecting on the critical role of technology in helping to support the responses needed for each of these crises. 

    Five years ago this month, the first pandemic in a century literally started to shut doors around the world. At Microsoft, our employees and partners used new video and productivity technology like Teams to keep the economy moving forward in every corner of Europe. In just days, businesses, schools, universities, hospitals, and governments sustain their operations by moving online.  

    Two years later, the Russian military invaded Ukraine. At Microsoft, we helped move Ukraine’s critical data and technology services to our datacenters across Europe, ensuring their continued operation outside the range of cruise missile and air attacks. And like several other technology companies, we immediately helped Ukraine’s officials and citizens defend their nation from Russian cyberattacks. As a company, we provided more than $250 million of free technology and financial assistance. And we have sustained this substantial support to this day. 

    As Europe now launches a new “competitiveness compass,” technology will again play an indispensable role. Especially as working-age populations shrink and aging populations expand, economic growth and prosperity will depend more than ever on new technology. Productivity growth will require it. And the competitiveness of Europe’s many great industries and companies, large and small, will depend on their ability to hone their ongoing leadership in critical scientific domains and put their data to work. Across the continent, European institutions will need to harness the power of AI and the cloud. 

    A Strong Foundation for Europe’s AI Transition 

    AI is rapidly becoming what economists call a General Purpose Technology, or GPT. In contrast to single-purpose technologies, GPTs boost innovation and productivity across the entire economy. Throughout history, transformative GPTs like ironworking, electricity, machine tooling, computer chips, and software have not only driven economic growth but sparked new discoveries and inventions, changing the way we live and work.  

    The good news is that the foundation for Europe’s AI transition is already being laid. Industry leaders are investing tens of billions to construct state-of-the-art infrastructure to help Europe access, adopt, and innovate on the world’s most advanced cloud and AI technology. And companies like Microsoft are developing and offering innovative AI tools and vital services that are ready for use by every sector of every European economy.  

    As a company, we are developing and operating our AI infrastructure and platform services with a constant focus on Europe’s needs. This is one reason we announced our AI Access Principles in Barcelona a year ago. These eleven principles govern our operations and are designed to ensure that Microsoft’s AI infrastructure is accessible, open, and available on fair terms to the entire European economy.  

    As we’ve put these principles into practice, we’ve recognized the vital role of open-source software and AI models for European researchers, start-ups, businesses, and governments. We’ve launched the Azure AI Foundry, a platform designed to help developers build, run, and optimize AI-driven applications. The Foundry supports flexible choices and now supports more than 1,800 AI models, from OpenAI’s o3-mini to open-source models like Llama, Mistral, and others, all giving Europe the tools it needs to stay competitive in the fast-moving AI landscape. European developers can then use our Models as a Service offering to distribute their products instantly to our datacenters around the world, so customers can call on them for AI-powered applications. 

    We also recognize that technology innovation requires investments in people. That’s why we’re investing in our AI Skilling Initiative across Europe. We’re partnering with government, education, industry, and civil society to help bring AI skills to users, developers, and organizational leaders. Through our strategic partnerships, we have already helped to skill 2.9 million Europeans and are on track to engage 8 million people by the end of the year. 

    Technology Collaboration Built on Interdependence 

    We readily recognize that European leaders sometimes worry about becoming overly dependent on American technology. We appreciate that such questions are both natural and legitimate. We take them seriously and work hard to address them, including by understanding European values, supporting European needs, and adapting to European rules.  

    Along the way, we often point to a second technology dimension that too easily is overlooked. The reality is that this dependence runs both ways.  

    As a company, we’re pouring tens of billions of dollars of investment into acquiring land, constructing massive buildings, bringing additional electricity to the grid, and installing the world’s most advanced computing, networking, liquid cooling, and other technology.  

    These datacenters are not built on wheels.  

    Once constructed, these billions of dollars in infrastructure are permanent and subject to local laws, regulations, and governments. Time inevitably brings changes. It’s imperative as a company that we constantly remain focused on earning and sustaining our “license to operate” within each country. With datacenters, this starts with each local community and runs up to officials with EU-wide responsibilities. Our economic dependence on Europe runs deep. 

    As Microsoft celebrates its 50th birthday less than two months from now, we look back at more than four decades of European presence and support. As a company, we’ve seen many things change. And we ourselves have changed. We’ve put down deep roots, with employees and families in communities and countries across the continent.  

    But even amid constant change, one thing has been constant. Our support for Europe has been not only steady but steadfast.  

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Microsoft shares its agenda for the 2025 Washington state legislative session

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Microsoft shares its agenda for the 2025 Washington state legislative session

    This year is historic for Washington state as we welcome Governor Bob Ferguson, the first new governor in twelve years. In the few weeks since his inauguration, Bob Ferguson has signaled a pragmatic approach to governance, launching a new era in Washington State. Alongside Washingtonians across the state, Microsoft welcomes the Ferguson administration.  

    Today, in line with our commitment to transparency, we are sharing our annual legislative agenda. 

    This year is also notable as the 2025 session is a biennial budget year where over the course of 105 days, the legislature will negotiate, write, and ultimately pass three distinct yet interdependent operating, capital, and transportation budgets, outlining the critical spending and revenue plans for the next twenty-four months. With a new federal administration, new governments around the world, and our new government here in Washington, this biennial budget process has a certain gravitas. 

    Indeed, this is a critical moment for our state. The complexity of our state’s economic fabric—aerospace, technology, life sciences, agriculture, and space—has resulted in both a growing population and now, more than ever, a moment of unprecedented technological progress, presenting opportunities for Washington State and Washingtonians. Given the pace of progress all around us and the unique role we play in the innovation economy, Governor Ferguson and our legislators must be equally agile with deft and delicate policies over these next weeks of the 2025 legislative session. 

    As in years past, Microsoft’s 2025 legislative agenda aligns closely with the priorities of Washingtonians. As a homegrown global company, we have an eye on these global shifts of change and opportunity. And in these global shifts of change and opportunity, the priority of policymakers in Olympia must be on maintaining and expanding economic vitality, addressing the crisis of affordable housing, supporting high-quality education, and improving public safety and quality of life for all of Washington.  

    People-centered outcomes with policies that genuinely increase housing supply 

    Washington and Oregon have the tightest housing markets in the United States and in Washington we need housing of every kind. There is wide agreement that Washington needs to add one million new housing units over the next 20 years to meet the needs of state residents, thereby making housing more affordable.  

    In 2019, Microsoft announced a historic investment of $750 million to support the creation and  

    preservation of affordable housing. This initiative aimed to help low- and middle-income workers, such as nurses, teachers, and police officers, who are increasingly unable to afford housing near their workplaces. Our investment contributed and preserved 12,000 units of housing for our neighbors in the Puget Sound region. What we learned through our financial investment, however, is that funding is not enough. We must increase the supply of land and do more to incentivize housing development.  

    As we have for the past decade, Microsoft supports policies that make it easier, faster, and less expensive to increase housing production. We need to unlock more land for housing, increase financing, and enable efficient and effective government permitting, including the use of new technology to speed up permit review. This includes reforms and incentives that enable more housing in areas with abundant employment and transportation modes, leveraging public investments in transit to provide affordable living options for people across various income levels, enabling them to build their lives closer to their jobs, schools, parks, and other neighborhood amenities.  

    Among the novel and promising ideas being advanced this session is to promote and unlock residential uses in commercial zones, especially in close proximity to frequent and reliable transit. The rise of online shopping has led to an increase in empty big box stores and underutilized strip malls surrounded by empty parking lots. Policymakers should prioritize rezoning underutilized commercial spaces along existing transit hubs to create vibrant new communities. Freeing up larger tracts of underutilized land will help housing developers overcome the first hurdle to building multi-family apartments, townhomes, and condos.  

    For the 2025 legislative session, the legislature must continue to take big swings at policy so that Washington State has housing for all. 

    Access to all types of education for all Washingtonians 

    In April, Microsoft will celebrate 50 years in business. In the decades after Microsoft was founded, Washington state shifted to a knowledge and innovation economy. Now, we are participating in the shift to an AI economy. And to meet the needs of this moment, we need an interactive jungle gym of skilling and credentialing opportunities for all Washingtonians so we can move both upward and across career paths to follow the job opportunities that hold the most promise now and as job opportunities evolve.  

    Washington businesses are creating great jobs, but many people lack the necessary skills or credentials to attain them. We need our state to prioritize policies that address the skills gap limiting employment options for too many people. As a leader in global technology, Washington is also a leader in future technologies like AI, clean energy, and quantum computing, which will create a new wave of meaningful family-wage jobs. Washingtonians must be prepared with the right skills to participate in the economy now and in the economy of the future. 

    Microsoft also supports policies that enhance K-12 student achievement, foster career awareness in middle school, and encourage more students to pursue post-secondary credentials. Offering all Washington kids these opportunities has long been a priority for Microsoft. This year, lawmakers are advancing policies that create seamless pathways into higher education through guaranteed enrollment and generous eligibility for the Washington College Grant program. We are excited about the work being done in these areas.  

    We also encourage the state to establish more apprenticeships in high-demand fields and expand higher education programs to produce enough qualified applicants to match available jobs.  

    These are the policies that create a jungle gym of opportunity. 

    Committing to our statewide transportation plan 

    Our transportation system is the lifeblood of our state, and our state legislature has done extraordinary work in recent years. We have many important projects underway across the state. People rely on our roads, highways, rail, and ferries to travel to work, school, obtain healthcare, and find recreation. Employers also depend on reliable transportation to move parts and products around the state and beyond. We applaud the work that has been done to keep Washington moving. 

    This biennium, the priority is to ensure that projects currently underway are completed on time, provide sufficient maintenance funding for existing facilities, and continue to make necessary investments in transformative regional projects, including ultra high-speed rail in the Cascadia corridor. 

    Cascadia at the forefront of the digital economy and looking to the future 

    Washington state serves as one of the world’s leading centers for the development of artificial intelligence technology. Advances in artificial intelligence are enhancing customer service interactions, transaction processing, and workflow efficiency across various sectors. Microsoft sees extraordinary opportunities for our state government to leverage local AI expertise to maximize public resources. We look forward to participating in these crucial conversations, which are more important than ever this year.  

    As we look to the future, we are optimistic. Microsoft’s long-standing partnership with the state of Washington has been part of the success of our state. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we are as committed as we have ever been to collaborating with lawmakers to secure our state’s vibrant future. We look forward to working together to meet the challenges and opportunities of the next 50 years. 

    We see this as a unique opportunity to partner with Governor Ferguson and the legislature to advance Washington State using technology and innovation, increasing individual productivity capacity, and expanding access to government services for Washingtonians. 

    State budgets that are sustainable and prioritized 

    The most important policy bills the legislature will pass, however, will be the budget bills. More than anything, this bill will reflect the state’s priorities now and for the next two years. Budgets are where Washington’s tax dollars are put to work. Over the years, Microsoft has supported targeted tax increases for important programs and services. We have supported and defended nearly every transportation package in recent history. We supported the creation of the Workforce Education Investment Act to expand higher education opportunities for all Washingtonians. We have also provided millions in matching funds to help accelerate affordable housing. And just last year we helped lead the business community in defending the Climate Commitment Act. 

    This year, legislators are facing grim budget news—a budget deficit ranging from $10 to16 billion, depending on who you ask and how you do the math. Importantly, Washington State is not in a recession. This deficit is not due to an economic downturn that caused a decline in revenues. In fact, most revenues are still marginally increasing or flat. Very simply, our policymakers in Olympia have passed budgets that went beyond our means. 

    We believe this challenge affords an opportunity to reexamine recent spending and Washington State’s priorities of government. 

    We join others in Washington in asking straightforward questions about the outcomes Washingtonians are gaining from past and current state investments. Ultimately, the state budget is the state’s most important investment opportunity for improving economic competitiveness and encouraging private sector job growth.  

    We stand ready 

    This year, we stand ready to work with Governor Ferguson and the Legislature to find solutions to all these challenges. 

    The 2025 legislative session is a pivotal moment for our state. With the can-do spirit Washington has always been known for, we are optimistic our legislature and Governor Ferguson will collaborate and find creative solutions to our most pressing challenges. Like so many others across the state, we at Microsoft are eager to be partners.  

    Together, we can create a brighter, more equitable future for Washington State. 

    Tags: affordable housing, Education and Jobs, transportation, Washington state

    MIL OSI Economics –