The year 2026 finds the global energy system at a crossroads defined by geopolitical fragmentation, accelerating decarbonization, and persistent market volatility. Major shocks of the early 2020s—most notably the post‑pandemic demand rebound, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the ongoing restructuring of global trade flows—have fundamentally altered the set of assumptions that governed energy markets for decades.

The white paper Industrial Transformation in ASEAN: A Cluster-Driven Model for Regional and Global Collaboration examines South-East Asia’s rapid industrial growth while navigating rising energy demand and the energy transition. ASEAN is home to over 670 million people and is the world’s fifth-largest economy. As its economies expand, dependence on fossil fuels, fragmented policies and high financing costs risk undermining energy security, competitiveness and resilience.

Fossil fuels are no longer optional in the near term, yet their long-term dominance is increasingly questioned; biofuels and clean fuels are emerging as strategic bridges; and the energy transition’s contours are reshaping investment flows, infrastructure priorities, and risk management frameworks for energy and commodity traders.

Discover how moderating inflation, shifting fiscal policies, and global trade dynamics are creating a delicate balance of tailwinds and headwinds across major economies. From the US avoiding recession and Western Europe’s subdued growth, to China’s pivot to domestic demand and India’s resilience amid tariffs, this episode delivers actionable perspectives on emerging trends, risks, and opportunities.

Looking ahead to 2026, several key trends and developments are emerging that will affect the European container supply chain. Predicting the future is not an exact science. However, patterns do emerge based on data, and market analytics platform Xeneta excels at recognising those patterns.

The United States’ renewed intervention in Venezuela is not just a geopolitical event — it is a market signal. For energy traders, investors, and risk managers, the key question is not whether Venezuelan barrels will immediately return to the market, but how this move reshapes expectations, pricing dynamics, and capital flows across Latin America.

Kazakhstan remains one of Eurasia’s most strategically important energy exporters, supplying crude oil, natural gas, and refined petroleum products to regional and global markets. In 2024 and 2025, the country consolidated its export-oriented energy model, driven by increased upstream production, stable refining operations, and incremental diversification of export routes.

In the high‑stakes world of global energy markets, a handful of trading houses quietly move more crude oil, refined products, LNG and related commodities than most national producers. These companies don’t just buy and sell fuels — they shape price signals, influence logistics flows and underwrite the physical movements that power global transport and industry