Shell, Equinor and BP will be using the blockchain-based platform Vakt for energy trading, with operations on the platform to go live by the end of November 2018 in the North Sea oil fields. The purpose of using Vakt is to move energy trading from cumbersome paper contracts to digital smart contracts. Cryptocurrency will not be used for the trades but the deal recap, contract, confirmation, logistics, and invoicing will be recorded on the blockchain.
Shell is based in the Netherlands and has an annual revenue of USD 300 billion. Norway-based Equinor records annual revenues of USD 60 billion and BP USD 245 billion. Combined, these energy companies have assets of nearly USD 800 billion, approximately eight times the Bitcoin market cap.
Blockchain is known to shorten and strengthen supply chains, by providing a cryptographically secure, immutable, and transparent ledger. Inefficiencies and errors in the energy trading process will be easy to spot and correct, and fraud will be reduced due to the transparency. Overall, energy trading on the blockchain will be more reliable and efficient than with paper. It is expected that energy trading fees will drop 40% once the blockchain platform is implemented.
Vakt is a post-trade management platform that is meant to digitize the commodities trading industry. Aside from the major oil companies backing Vakt, the banks ING, Societe Generale, and ABN AMRO are on board, as well as the independent traders Koch, Mercuria, and Gunvor.
After the integration of energy trading in the North Sea oil fields in late 2018, Vakt will look to integrate barges, waterborne energy markets, and United States crude pipelines in 2019. Additionally, in 2019 Vakt expects its first licensees and shareholders, implicitly indicating the door is open for other energy trading firms to join Vakt.
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