Murban was much-hyped at launch
Murban’s long journey only beginning
There will be no immediate promotion into the super league of global crude benchmarks for the Middle East’s latest challenger
It has now been just over a month since exchange Ice and Abu Dhabi’s Adnoc listed their heavily trailed Murban crude futures contract on the Ice Futures Abu Dhabi (Ifad) oil exchange. Media attention in the run-up to launch was more substantial than for most fledgling instruments. Some commentators provocatively suggested that Murban could be a substitute for Brent or even possibly WTI. Others posited that Murban could reduce Opec market power and upend Middle East oil pricing. After its first month of trading, has the contract lived up to the hype? It is perhaps worth highlighting, in the context of the key takeaways of Murban’s first month of trading, why the contract was launched in the f
Also in this section
28 April 2026
Datacentres will guzzle power at a ferocious rate, but the impact on wider energy markets will be far more complex than previously thought
28 April 2026
The key energy player faces balancing regional routes, political complexities, and creating a clear strategic vision for energy security
24 April 2026
The European Commission’s response to the Middle East crisis is to double down on its transition strategy, with plans for a new target on electrification
24 April 2026
A major new discovery by Eni and BP that can likely be fast-tracked to production is welcome news for Egypt as it scrambles to plug a widening supply gap and deal with rising import risks
