BASF, Desert Gold, PayPal: Creating growth and value with the circular economy

BASF and Iveco form groundbreaking partnership for electric vehicle battery recycling

The business cycle for electric vehicles offers enormous scope for innovation. Similar to a computer that you buy and carry out of the store, when you buy an electric vehicle, you know that the value will drop rapidly as soon as you leave the dealer's yard. A used car market similar to that of combustion engines does not exist to the extent that consumers in this sector are used to. Once the battery of an electric vehicle is used up, the entire vehicle is scrapped. This benefits neither the climate nor the environment.

But what to do with battery raw materials such as lithium, which are expensive to procure? Thanks to BASF (ISIN DE000BASF111), innovation in the economic cycle for electric vehicles is gaining new momentum. The well-known Italian commercial vehicle manufacturer Iveco is planning to enter into a pioneering partnership with the chemical company BASF to recycle batteries from electric vehicles. BASF will take over the entire recycling process for the state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries used in Iveco's electric vehicles.

Daniel Schönfelder, responsible for the battery recycling business at BASF, emphasizes: "The partnership with the Iveco Group marks a milestone as our first agreement for the recycling of batteries from electrically powered vans, buses and trucks."

**Last year, BASF opened a pioneering center for the production of battery materials and the recycling of batteries in Schwarzheide, the first of its kind in Europe. This partnership between BASF and Iveco sets an example in the ever-growing effort to make the product life cycle of electric vehicles sustainable and thus drive progress in the field of environmentally friendly mobility.

Desert Gold Ventures in focus: Exploration company with promising gold projects in Mali

The solid business of precious metals is less experimental. Gold has fascinated people since ancient times. Due to its high demand and limited availability, gold is very valuable, which is why it has established itself as an investment. Physical gold is offered in various forms such as bars or coins. Most of the gold mined is used in the jewellery industry. Gold is also used in industrial processing, e.g., electronics, due to its high electrical conductivity. It is also used in medicine, especially dentistry.

Desert Gold Ventures (ISIN CA25039N4084) is an exploration and resource development company with gold projects in Mali, West Africa. The Company's main focus is on its 440 sq km Senegal Mali Shear Zone Gold Project (SMSZ). The project covers a 38 km section of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone in West Africa, with access to four gold mines. There are proven and indicated mineral resources on the SMSZ property of 8.47 million tons grading 1.14 g/t gold, yielding 310,300 ounces. In addition, there are estimated mineral resources of 20.7 million tons grading 1.16 g/t gold, representing 769,200 ounces.

Mali is the fourth largest gold producer in Africa, with an annual production of around 2.28 million ounces of the precious metal with reserves of around 26 million ounces of gold. Major producers and explorers in Mali include companies such as Barrick Gold, B2Gold and Endeavour. Therefore, it may be worth looking at Desert Gold as a portfolio candidate.

PayPal in transition: New management, strategy and forecasts for the coming financial year

Those more interested in technology will find what you are looking for with PayPal (ISIN US70450Y1038).
The Company is undergoing a rigorous management change. The new CEO, Alex Chriss, faces the challenging task of growing the digital payment company even further. And ideally, this can only be achieved with a new crew. Jamie Miller took over the CFO position on November 6, 2024, Archie Deskus was appointed Chief Technology Officer on November 2, 2023; and Susan Kereere has been responsible for Global Markets since this January. Kereere is an experienced leader in the merchant services world where PayPal is looking to gain market share. Kereere has experience with credit card companies, Visa and American Express.

PayPal will announce how the past fiscal year went on February 7. Analysts estimate that the Company posted earnings per share (EPS) of USD 1.36, which corresponds to a growth of 9.68% compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Analysts are forecasting quarterly revenue of USD 7.88 billion, an increase of 6.74% compared to the same period last year. With these estimates, PayPal's shares currently appear undervalued.

In order to establish clear accountability in meeting customer needs from start to finish, the Company is aligning PayPal with three new business units based on the customer groups it serves: Consumer, Small Business and Large Business. Chriss explained that by organizing the teams into defined business units, the focus will be on what matters most to customers. The aim is to harness the power of data and platforms to deliver with increased speed and present innovations in a way that differentiates the Company in the market. This will enable the Company to achieve significant growth.

CEO Chriss will exclusively reveal how things will proceed under the new leadership in a Live YouTube Broadcast on January 25 at 9:30 a.m. PT

As a pioneer in battery recycling, BASF is driving the sustainable development of electric vehicles. The partnership with Iveco creates a B2B alliance that specializes in the recovery of precious raw materials such as lithium. Desert Gold Ventures shows promising potential in the precious metals sector with its Senegal Mali Shear Zone Gold Project in Mali. The country is the fourth largest gold producer in the world. Desert Gold has an experienced local team and an area with proven gold reserves, making it a promising player in Africa's growing gold industry. At PayPal, the change in leadership under CEO Alex Chriss signals a shift towards greater customer focus, with the introduction of new business units and new leaders pointing to a strategic realignment to meet the changes in digital payments. Investors now have the opportunity to invest in BASF's recycling business, back traditional gold or participate in the ever-changing demands of digital payments.