Business
Jonathan Commends BPP For Saving N216bn In 2010
President Goodluck
Jonathan has commended the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) for saving N216.7 billion from the 2010 budget alone.
Jonathan, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, made the commendation on Monday in Abuja, at the fourth National Procurement Forum.
Jonathan said that his administration would give every necessary support that BPP required to sustain and improve on its achievements.
He urged the bureau to remain fair, firm and resolute and resist any form of intimidation or inducement in its resolve to enthrone a procurement regime.
“ I believe that the fight against corruption has now entered a critical stage and all public servants must take note that the old era has passed away.
“This is the era of transformation, transparency and accountability not just in words but by action, because the tools for public participation are now fully in place,’’ Jonathan said.
The President observed that delays in verification and certification of projects had drastically reduced as a result of steps taken by the government in response to widespread public complaints especially on budget implementation.
He urged public officers to work towards the transformation of the country and advised that they study the act on public procurement as well as to apply its provision in the conduct of government business.
“There will be no sacred cows for any infractions especially by those responsible for budget implementation at the federal level, Jonathan said, adding that ignorance of the law would never be accepted.
Earlier, the Director-General of BPP, Emeka Ezeh, had said the Bureau had recommended five federal agencies for investigation by EFCC and ICPC.
“The reform is to remind Nigerians of where we are coming from and the challenges we have been facing for the past 10 years.
He stated that the challenge faced by the Bureau was an institutional resistance by the elite who had refused the reform.
The Bureau, which became operational in 2007 through an act, establishes pricing standards and benchmarks.
It ensures the application of fair, competitive, transparent, value-for-money standards and practices for the procurement and disposal of public assets and services, for attaining transparency, competitiveness, cost effectiveness and professionalism in the public sector procurement system
Cornerstone of Financial Services
A survey of more than 1 000 global finance leaders undertaken by digital payment network Ripple shows that 72% of respondents believe they need to offer a digital asset solution to remain competitive.
According to Ripple, leaders from the banking, fintech, corporate and asset management sector have made it clear that the “digital asset revolution is happening now”.
“Digital assets are quickly becoming a cornerstone of financial services, underpinned by progressive regulation, growing interest from Tier-1 banks, a steady consumer shift from banks to fintech providers, and booming stablecoin adoption,” Ripple says.
The survey was conducted in early 2026 and the findings released in March.
Stablecoin Boon or Bane?
Ripple has experienced significant success in the stablecoin sector since launching its Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin in 2024.
With a market cap of $1.56 billion, it is considered a major regulated player in the market.
No doubt the platform was pleased to learn through its own survey that financial leaders were most bullish about stablecoins.
Roughly three-quarters of respondents believed they could boost cash-flow efficiency and unlock trapped working capital.
Ripple noted that finance leaders were thinking about stablecoins as more than “just a new way to execute payments”; instead, they viewed them as effective tools for treasury management.
In March 2026, Ripple began testing a new trade finance model built around RLUSD in a bid to increase the speed of cross-border payments.
The pilot initiative, developed alongside supply chain finance company Unloq [https://unloq.com], is running on the XRP Ledger inside a testing framework developed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
The Asian city-state is one of the platform’s biggest growth markets.
The idea behind the project is to see whether stablecoin-based settlement can streamline trade finance, too often hampered by reliance on intermediaries and slow reconciliation.
The only potential drawback is that if the initiative takes off, the Ripple to USD price could be negatively affected.
Ripple has always championed its native XRP token as a bridge asset, the “middleman” in the process of a financial institution turning dollars in the US into pounds in the UK, for example.
Ripple converts dollars into XRP and then back into pounds.
If RLUSD can do exactly the same thing, questions will be asked about XRP’s relevance.
That is a bridge Ripple will have to cross if it gets to that point.
Tokenisation Partners
Another interesting finding from Ripple’s survey is that most banks and asset managers are seeking tokenisation partners to help execute their strategies.
Some 89% of respondents said digital asset storage and custody were top priority. “Token servicing/lifecycle management also ranks highly for banks at 82%, while asset managers place greater emphasis on primary distribution at 80%,” Ripple found.
The survey also revealed that just more than half of fintechs and financial institutions want an infrastructure provider that can offer a “one-stop-shop solution”. This rose to 71% among corporate financial leaders.
Ripple attributes this to institutions and firms wanting uncomplicated, cohesive systems.
Infrastructure Rules
In its final analysis, Ripple says companies across the board are looking for partners and solutions that are “secure, compliant, battle-tested and that enable growth and execution”.
“The message is clear: infrastructure decisions made today will shape competitive positioning tomorrow.”
No surprise that this is precisely where Ripple is placing much of its focus.
