About this episode
The world is entering a new era of commodity volatility — and the infrastructure that powers global markets may be overdue for a redesign. Josh Crumb, Founder & CEO of Abaxx Technologies, joins In the Money with Amber Kanwar to explain why he believes the next generation of commodity markets will look very different from the ones investors rely on today.Abaxx is building both a commodity exchange and a technology platform designed to modernize how physical commodities trade and settle globally. The company focuses on markets that have been historically underserved by traditional exchanges — including liquefied natural gas (LNG), battery metals, environmental products and precious metals. A key difference is Abaxx’s emphasis on physically deliverable contracts, meaning traders can take or deliver real commodities rather than simply trading cash-settled price indexes — a structure Crumb argues is critical for balancing supply and demand in increasingly volatile markets.Crumb, a former commodities strategist at Goldman Sachs who previously worked with the Lundin Group, explains why today’s geopolitical shocks — from LNG disruptions to energy security concerns — are exposing weaknesses in how commodities are currently traded. He argues that as the world moves from “just-in-time” supply chains to “just-in-case” inventories, companies will need more sophisticated ways to hedge physical risk across energy, metals and environmental markets.The company has attracted significant investor attention as it attempts to build that infrastructure. Abaxx shares have been volatile, rising sharply over the past year before pulling back, with the company still in the early stages of revenue generation as it builds liquidity on its exchange and expands its network of traders and banks. Crumb addresses the stock’s big moves, the elevated short interest, and why he believes investors should focus on the long-term milestones — including trading volumes, new product launches, and institutional adoption — rather than short-term share price swings.Beyond the exchange itself, Crumb explains the company’s ID++ technology, which aims to enable real-time movement of collateral using tokenized financial assets like gold or Treasury-backed instruments. The goal: allow markets to operate 24/7 while managing risk more efficiently than traditional clearing systems, potentially reshaping how institutional markets settle trades in the future.Finally, Crumb shares his views on the structure of the gold market, the future of LNG trading hubs, and why energy security — not just the energy transition — is now reshaping commodity markets worldwide.Timestamps00:00 Intro02:30 The market structure for commodities & a new exchange06:15 Addressing underserved markets like LNG & the physical delivery component 10:40 Has the business seen a boost after events in Iran? And how does the business evolve?13:50
