Introduction

The hydrocarbon sector faces renewed challenges in 2020. The new decade began with fears about the impact of the coronavirus, the China-US trade deal and tensions in the Middle East. New regulations reducing ship emissions, described as ‘the biggest change in oil market history’, came into force.

Despite this, the outlook is positive. In 2019, the market powered ahead, with oil and gas discoveries at a four-year high. This translated to a bumper year for independent and in-house oil traders, both of which made billions of dollars in profits.

At the same time, governments and investors are tightening the screw on the hydrocarbon sector. Traditional oil and gas businesses are rebranding as ‘energy suppliers’, while looking to broaden their portfolios to include renewables. Trade finance is coming under pressure and new market entrants and new business models are emerging.

Amphora has been running a series of interviews with global leaders in the hydrocarbon industry to hear their views on the current state of the market and what needs to be done to secure ongoing revenues. This eBook aims to combine these findings with Amphora’s insight into the sector to offer a guide to maintaining revenues in the global hydrocarbons sector.