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Mercuria blazes route for energy traders considering a metals bonanza

Sitting on a cash windfall from the elevated oil and gas prices of recent years, energy traders Mercuria and Gunvor are diving into metals, with the expectation that structural modifications in global energy systems will prove profitable.

The world's largest energy trader, Vitol, is meanwhile checking out chances offered by the worldwide tidy energy transition that includes electric automobiles and renewable resource such as solar and wind.

Swiss-based Mercuria, Vitol and Gunvor focus mostly on oil and other energy products, where volatility in the after-effects of Russia's intrusion of Ukraine in February 2022 rewarded them with record profits.

You need direct exposure to metals that enter into electric cars and renewables to understand the energy transition, stated a. source with direct knowledge of the problem. There is a weak point. in your strategy without that direct exposure.

Leading the charge is Mercuria where Kostas Bintas,. formerly at rival Trafigura, has actually been on a working with spree across. Asia, Africa, The United States And Canada, Europe and Latin America given that. signing up with as worldwide head of metals and minerals in July, 3. sources with direct knowledge said.

Bintas' group already comprises more than 40 individuals, they. added.

Kostas struck the ground running, the team has actually grown extremely. rapidly, another of the sources said.

Since Sept. 25, Mercuria was advertising 4 metals-related. tasks on LinkedIn; 3 in Geneva and one in Athens.

Leaving Trafigura and joining Mercuria in recent months were. Mehdi Wetterwald in Geneva, Michaela Dempsey in the United. States and Leonard D'Offay in Dubai, according to their LinkedIn. profiles.

After the departure of Wetterwald, Dempsey and D'Offay,. Trafigura extended the notice period for traders leaving the. Swiss product trader to a minimum of 6 months or approximately one. year, depending upon seniority.

Along with Eugene Chan in Asia, Wetterwald, Dempsey and. D'Offay are core Mercuria employs in their respective regions, the. sources stated.

Mercuria decreased to comment.

Gunvor worked with Ivan Petev in 2015 to grow its base metals. offering. It has because employed George Donoghue previously at JP. Morgan, Paolo Cabrejos previously at Traxys and Michael Gerard. formerly at IXM.

Meanwhile, Vitol is waiting on the arrival in October of. Benjamin Seaford and William Gayner, poached from Mercuria. earlier this year.

Gunvor and Vitol declined to comment.

NOT ALIEN TO METALS

Mercuria bought metals warehouse and logistics company Henry. Bath from JP Morgan in 2014. It then offered a 51% stake to. China's CMST Development for $60 million in late 2015, making a. profit while doing so, and retained a 49% stake.

It likewise forayed into metals selling 2014 with aluminium,. keeping a staff of 4 to five in this sector till this. year.

Electricity is carried out through copper wire required for. electrical lorries. Power can likewise be performed aluminium.

Aluminium is also utilized to decrease the weight of electric. cars to help extend the driving series of their rechargeable. batteries.

Vitol's previous excursion into base metals ended in 2014,. though it did keep a presence in alumina, a feedstock for. aluminium, and iron ore till 2018 and 2017 respectively.

We're not alien to metals, we had a metals service in the. 1990s and the early 2000s. We had smelters ... I wouldn't describe. it as (our) finest hour, Vitol's President Russell Hardy. said earlier this year.

Gunvor left commercial metals in 2016, when the trader. decided it could not expand at the pace needed to be an. effective player and selected to focus on energy.

Now with the energy shift and the function metals play. throughout the energy worth chain, Gunvor has a model that much better. fits its functional capabilities, a fourth source with. knowledge of the matter stated.

(source: Reuters)