Death on Mongolia’s ‘Coal Road’ www.news.mn

Kh.Sugar, director of the Citizens’ Representative Assembly has held a press conference regarding the dangerous situation on the main coal transportation route to China.

Mongolia shaken by widening loan scandal www.asia.nikkei.com

ULAANBAATAR -- Braving subzero temperatures, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside Mongolia's State Palace on Wednesday to demand prosecutions of officials caught in a widening loan scandal.

"I'm here to fight against the crooks who stole from the people, and I will fight until they face justice," said Munkhtsetseg Ulzii-togtokh, a shopkeeper in her 60s.

Her anger stems from years spent fruitlessly trying to expand her business with a government loan -- the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund extends loans with an interest rate of around 3% versus typical business bank rates of up to 20%.

The rage at Mongolia's biggest political demonstration of the year is over allegations that three members of Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh's cabinet have benefited by getting the low-interest loans for business controlled by them or their family members. More than a dozen lawmakers and police officials have also been implicated.

The head of the fund has been arrested, and the state auditor and the minister overseeing the fund -- himself an alleged beneficiary -- have both been ousted. Others are under investigation.

The aspersions are tainting the premiership of Khurelsukh, who took office just last year after a separate scandal over officials getting favorable deals led to the ousting of his predecessor.

The Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced Wednesday that its more than 3,500 member companies would withhold tax payments until the lending scandal is resolved. The chamber is also demanding a constitutional amendment to public oversight of government finances.

"Over the past two years, the crisis in the Mongolian economy has been overwhelming," the chamber said in a statement. "Meantime, high-ranking officials are taking advantage of funds meant to support businesses and are using their power and privilege to benefit themselves."

Julian Dierkes, who heads the program on Inner Asia in the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs of the University of British Columbia, said the demonstrations could get much bigger.

"If officials and organizations neglect the deep-seated public frustration over corruption, we might expect massive protests for calling changes," Dierkes wrote in a blog post earlier this month.

In financial distress after years of slumping commodity prices, Mongolia last year began a $5.5 billion bailout program with the International Monetary Fund. At the same time, the country's politicians have sought to avoid becoming overly dependent on neighboring China for support and trade.

The loan scandal is sharpening a constitutional standoff between Khurelsukh and his Mongolian People's Party government and President Khaltmaagiin Battulga of the opposition Democratic Party.

Battulga, who has been pushing for the country to shift away from parliamentary government, late last month sought the dissolution of the legislature -- a demand rejected last week by a parliament dominated by the People's Party.

Khurelsukh has demanded that lawmakers who received SME Fund loans apologize and repay the money. The People's Party, however, has been split by the scandal, with some lawmakers calling for a no-confidence vote against their own cabinet.

"SME embezzlement is a result of too many businessmen holding political powers and making our society dirtier and more corrupted," said Tserendash Tsolmon, a senior politician and former minister.

"Powerful politicians like Khurelsukh must fight to declare justice at any cost," the lawmaker said. "I think its better for the MPP to provide political stability. It is not good for Mongolia in case of foreign investment when we have unstable governance, and cabinets changed in every one year or two."

Mongolia’s unemployment falls by 2.2 percent www.news.mn

According to the National Statistic Office of Mongolia, the number of people aged 15 and above, who are in work reached 1.3 million in the first 10 months of 2018; a total of 721.1 thousand of them are men and 610.2 thousand are women.

Meeting meat demand: Mongolia to trade 17.9 percent of livestock www.news.mn

Mongolia is planning to trade 17.9 percent or 15.1 million head of livestock nationwide from 2018-2019. According to provincial administrations, they have planned to use 5.5 million for local meat demands and to trade 9.6 million animals.

President vetoes 2019 State Budget www.zgm.mn

President of Mongolia Battulga Khaltmaa put a veto on the Law on 2019 State Budget and the accompanying legislation and parliamentary resolutions. President Battulga handed over an official letter to Parliament Speaker Enkhbold Miyegombo, requesting action in accordance with the corresponding laws and regulations yesterday.

The veto reads, “I have reviewed the Law on 2019 State Budget, which was adopted by the Parliament on November 2 and forwarded to the President’s Office on November 12.

I have no choice, but to veto the 2019 budget and remind the Parliament of the necessity to look back on its budget policy, adopt a tighter and more efficient budget that upholds the national interest and discipline, and fix the following issues that violate the law and contradict the national development policy and vision.”

The letter highlights several issues in the 2019 State Budget Law, including high budget deficit which is MNT 1.9 trillion or 5.4 percent of GDP, “MP’s money” amounting to MNT 8 billion and budget allocation for the construction of facilities without blueprint, and estimation of the mining revenue at MNT 3 trillion, which was concluded as unattainable by the National Audit Office. Furthermore, the President points out that the 2019 State Budget Law creates conditions for abrupt increase of public debt and that the projection of MNT 11.5 trillion budget expenditure is not compatible with the objective to maintain inflation within eight percent next year. In addition, President Battulga stresses that the lawmakers must create conditions for small businesses that are truly considered SMEs to be able to obtain loans with 3 percent annual interest from the SME Development Fund starting from January 1, 2019.

GOVERNMENT PLANS TO REDUCE INFLATION TO 6 PERCENT IN MID-TERM

Later on, the Parliament, at its plenary session, approved the 2019 Monetary Policy Guidelines. Officials highlighted that the monetary policy will focus on overall financial and economic stability, as well as creating legal regulations for consumer protection next year. According to the guidelines, the Bank of Mongolia (BoM) will implement policies to stabilize inflation measured by consumer price index at eight percent for the next two years and reduce it to six percent in the mid-term. “Since external demand and commodity price fluctuations remain high, the monetary policy will be directed towards overall employment in all sectors and preserve inflation within expectation,” said a spokesperson of the Parliament. BoM also viewed that the inflation can be stabilized under the target level in 2018-2019.

In order to reduce the impact of foreign economies, improve the country’s economic vulnerability, maintaining balance of external sectors and creating financial sources to repay foreign debts foreign exchange (FX) reserves must be raised, says the BoM and informed that the guidelines include objectives to increase FX reserves and necessary coordination between government bodies.

The BoM views that the financial market infrastructure and institutes must be strengthened to improve the effects of monetary policy and financial stability. Therefore, the guidelines included several objectives on protecting the rights of financial consumers, creating legal environment, adopting common internationally-approved practices of stable financing, identifying the standards of technology-based financial products and services, as well as ensuring the safety and reliability of customer information.

The monetary policy guidelines also reflected several objectives on improving assets of commercial banks and transparency of the BoM.

MP Javkhlan Bold addressed, “The monetary policy does not have to align with the budget. But the two policies should mutually support their respective objectives. Both revenue and expenditure of the 2019 budget are vastly expanded. The balance of payment and current account are expected to be under a deficit. Accordingly, there is a high possibility that inflation will rise next year; thus, we expect more tight monetary policy.”

Basic guideline on state monetary policy approved www.montsame.mn

During the plenary meeting of the parliament, basic guideline on State Monetary Policy for 2019 was approved with 66.7 percent votes.

Natural gas skyrockets as China pledges huge supply boost www.rt.com

With an eye on last winter’s natural gas supply debacle, Chinese state-owned energy giant CNOOC has pledged a 20 percent rise in gas supply, the company said on Tuesday.
The company, one of three state-run oil majors, said that it will supply 24.6 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas during the heating season that kicks off this week, up 20 percent year-on-year, to meet rising natural gas demand in the country.

China is in the process of replacing over reliance on coal usage for both industrial and residential end users to offset rampant air pollution, particularly in its larger urban centers. By government mandate, at least 10 percent of the country’s energy mix needed for power generation by 2020 must be natural gas, with further earmarks set for 2030.

CNOOC, the country’s largest oil and gas producer, said 6.1 bcm of natural gas will be supplied to seven northern provinces and municipalities, up 63.5 percent from last year. The company added that most of the natural gas it’s supplying this year is from offshore fields, coal bed gas and imported liquefied natural gas (LNG).

According to reports, CNOOC has also been negotiating with LNG suppliers to ensure gas supply, including dealers from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Qatar, Nigeria and Russia. However, due to the ongoing trade war between the US and China, CNOOC spot purchases of LNG is coming to a halt amid Beijing’s retaliatory tariff on US-LNG imports.

LNG tariffs will also come full circle, since other LNG producers will likely increase their spot prices in the mid-term to a point just under US LNG prices including a tariff, with Chinese firms being forced to pay the extra price. Yet, unlike last year when China relied more on spot purchases to fill supply gaps, the country's oil companies have largely been filling up storage more than last year’s levels. Also, putting downward pressure on LNG spot prices in Asia are forecasts for a warmer winter in the Northern hemisphere.

Warmer temperatures

El Nino, the warming in Pacific Ocean sea-surface temperatures, has emerged and there’s an increased chance of it continuing through the Northern Hemisphere spring, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on Friday. The weather pattern usually causes warmer temperatures during winters in Japan. “With warmer weather expected now, the demand pull from China would be even less,” Xizhou Zhou, an analyst at IHS Markit, told Bloomberg. “The kind of tightness in the market we had seen last year will unlikely repeat.”

Na Min, a senior analyst for oil and gas at Bloomberg New Energy Finance said "the chance of a ‘cold winter’ is quite small this year."

LNG prices have tumbled for the past seven weeks amid weaker demand from North Asia while companies in Japan, China and South Korea (the world’s three largest LNG importers) already nearing full storage capacity. LNG prices in Asia, which are either linked directly to an oil price formulation or the global oil price trajectory, are extending its longest losing streak since January 2016, when Brent crude prices dipped below the $30 per barrel price point.

Other Chinese oil companies are also gearing up for the winter season. Sinopec, the world's largest refiner by volume, said on Monday it would supply 18.17 billion cubic meters of natural gas during the heating season, up 17.7 percent year-on-year, with supplies to seven northern province-level regions set to increase by 29.1 percent. A report on Tuesday in the China Daily said that Sinopec has been speeding up the construction and operation of new pipelines in northern regions in addition to increasing its spot purchases of LNG. All of the company's three LNG terminals are expected to run at full capacity.

Mongolia's foreign trade up 24.4 pct in first 10 months www.xinhuanet.com

Mongolia's foreign trade went up 24.4 percent year on year to 10.8 billion U.S. dollars in the first 10 months of this year, data from the National Statistics Office (NSO) showed on Thursday.

Farmatrust And Government Of Mongolia Round Up Feasibility Study To Eliminate Fake Drugs In The Country www.techbullion.com

FarmaTrust has revealed that it is partnering with the Government of Mongolia to fight fake drugs and this makes t the very first tracking solution that is based on a blockchain in the industry of pharmacy.

FarmaTrust happens to be a leading pharmaceutical supply chain company, and the reason for launching this maiden track & trace blockchain project is to get rid of counterfeit drugs in Mongolia. FarmaTrust collaborated with governmental parties and some NGOs such as the Specialized Inspection Agency of Mongolia, as well as, the e-Government Center NGO. With the memorandum of understanding signed in February 2018, the chairman of FarmaTrust was present as all parties appended their signatures to the feasibility study in London, precisely at the House of Lords.

How it works

Blockchain technology will be utilized by FarmaTrust in tracing the global supply chain of individual drug packets and also pharmaceuticals. It has a mission of getting rid of counterfeit medications in order to ensure that lives are saved while also making the pharmaceutical industry more efficient. With the use of blockchain, FarmaTrust develops a ledger that immutable and has the ability to track and ensure the security of pharma supply chains which make use of Artificial Intelligence and also the analysis of big data.

This partnership with the Government of Mongolia is FarmaTrust’s way of showing that its system works and is very effective in growing markets and also developed markets. FarmaTrust will commence through the administration of feasibility reports, national government monitoring, and the inspection of pharma supply chains, pharma warehouses, as well as, relevant retailers.

The Benefits

This partnership agreement by the government will provide performance longevity and will also offer the chance for this agreement to be used a study for related governmental entities all over the world, especially, in countries where there is an unclear environment for regulation, as well as, a lack of technological infrastructure. This project will encompass every medication in all parts of the territory instead of just targeting particular product lines in certain private companies. This is the first time that a tracking solution has been implemented that is based on blockchain in this specific territory and in the pharma sector.

When It Commences

It is anticipated that the installation procedure will take place in the second quarter of 2019 once the legal and budgetary requirements are fulfilled. FarmaTrust relishes the opportunity to be partners with the Government of Mongolia, especially, since it validates the blockchain tracking solution, not just its vision and its concepts. This project will be implemented live, and as a lifesaving project, it will show that FarmaTrust can function as a blockchain company and as a consultancy agency in the country

The stride made by FarmaTrust in order to commercialize its technology and also partner with some key players in recent times is really profound. It is expected that in 2019, FarmaTrust will accelerate its customer base as they have now become a leader in the blockchain pharmaceutical sector.

Goldlinks Teams Up with Mongolian Gold Mine www.markets.businessinsider.com

SINGAPORE, Nov. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 15, 2018, the global gold industry blockchain alliance, Goldlinks, announced the conclusion of a strategic partnership with Erd Khul LLC, a gold mine in Mongolia. The partnership covers cooperation on mining, the creation of gold-backed digital assets, mine acquisitions, and more. The tie-up is the latest in a succession of important partnerships for Goldlinks, and indicates Erd Khul's enthusiasm for the synergies made possible by gold-backed digital currencies.

Erd Khul LLC is located in Zaamar District, Töv Province, Mongolia. The mine occupies a total area of 2,243.08 ha, has proven gold reserves of 50 tonnes, and a monthly output of 150 kg, expandable to over 500 kg. Recent data shows that Mongolia has proven gold reserves of approximately 3,100 tonnes. These are widely dispersed, with over 70 known deposits. Moreover, with the opening of several mines of varying sizes in recent years, Mongolia's gold production has been on an upward trajectory.

Joint issuance of GGC tokens

Recently, Goldlinks unveiled a gold-backed digital currency called Global Gold Cash (GGC) that runs on a blockchain and is backed by physical gold. Currently, 100 GGC is equal to one gram of physical gold of 99.9% purity. As an up-and-coming 'stablecoin' that is backed by gold, GGC recently found itself in the media spotlight after it became the world's first digital currency to be used in international trade settlement.

Under this new strategic partnership, Erd Khul expressed its approval of Goldlinks' philosophy and vision and pledged to work together to digitize its 50 tonnes in gold reserves. This physical gold will be used by Goldlinks to back the issuance of GGC, helping to lend the tokens greater credibility.

In addition, Erd Khul agreed to accept payment in GCC from Goldlinks users for products and services provided by the mine and its subsidiaries. This offers a compelling usage case for the currency as a medium of exchange in commercial applications.

The agreement also calls for the establishment of a joint digital currency investment fund that will invest in high-quality digital currency projects worldwide to promote the digitization of gold by mine owners. Backed by physical reserves, future production, and mining rights, gold-backed blockchain tokens are expected to have a profound impact on the world's financial, blockchain, and digital currency sectors.

GGT poised to become first token used to acquire shares in mines

Also of note is that Erd Khul may allow users to trade Global Gold Token (GGT), a gold community digital currency issued by Goldlinks, in exchange for shares in its gold mine. This could make GGT the world's first digital currency that can be used to acquire a mining stake.

GGT is a utility token issued to community members by Goldlinks that records member rights, including the right to buy gold at a discount, invest in gold mines, vote on projects, and reap the rewards of the Goldlinks business ecosystem. At the time of going to press, one GGT token was trading at around 1.21 USDT on BitForex.