Friday Five for Dec 7, 2018: Luxembourg Cannabis, Mediterranean 7, Congo Decrees and More

It’s Friday, December 7, 2018 and we hope you’ve bought all your Christmas presents you keeners! Here are 5 trending stories to stuff your stockings with!

First Country in the EU to legalize Cannabis

Canada, Uruguay and….Luxembourg! The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is slated to become the next country to legalize cannabis, no doubt sparking a frenzy of new economic activity in the small country.

Who Will Be the Best Blockchain Jurisdiction?

The Swiss Government announced its further commitment and support for blockchain applications and seven EU nations, led by Malta have announced a Mediterranean Seven bloc to promote and encourage blockchain technology. Who’s next?

End Users and Efficiency Driving Mobile App Adoption in the Enterprise

According to a recent Human-Centric Trends report provided by DMI, an app development agency, mobile applications are finally replacing many legacy office tools. According to the report, this is being driven by the employees themselves (i.e. the end users), as well as cost savings vs maintaining legacy systems, and the need for greater efficiency and productivity.

Another Big Mining Investment Due to Growth In EV Sales

We’ve covered how the growth in electric vehicle sales will impact demand for minerals such as cobalt and copper. It also impacts nickel. To that end, Brazilian miner Vale SA, announced plans to invest $500M into one of their nickel mines, citing future demand for EV’s as the primary reason.

Congo Ups Royalty Tax on Cobalt Further Increasing Attractiveness of European and North American Cobalt Mines

Cobalt miners in the Congo got a nasty surprise when it was announced, through a decree by the Prime Minister, that the royalty rate to be paid on cobalt will be increased three-fold to 10 percent going forward. We’ve previously highlighted the difficulties with 60% of cobalt being located in the Congo (see our 5 Trends in Cobalt report for more information) and how this puts a premium on European and North American mines as demand for cobalt is set to skyrocket. This latest announcement further underpins this trend.

That’s it for our Friday Five for this week! Enjoy your weekend!