Business
Group Charges Jonathan On Unresolved Corrupt Cases
A civil society group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to refer unresolved cases of corruption to the anti-graft agencies.
SERAP gave the advice in a statement issued in Lagos last Thursday, in reaction to Jonathan’s New Year day broadcast where he promised to fight corruption more in 2014.
The statement, signed by SERAP’s Executive Director, Mr Adetokunbo Mumuni, said: “Promises alone can’t end corruption and the impunity of perpetrators.
It cited some of the unresolved corruption cases to include that in the aviation sector, the fuel subsidy scam and others.
The body noted that requesting the prosecution of indicted officials would send a clear signal that the government was committed to combating corruption.
“Jonathan should urgently address allegations of corruption in the privatisation of electricity, which is now denying the citizens access to regular electricity supply.
“The matter should be urgently referred to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for action.
“Taking these simple actions will immediately send a clear message that as far as the fight against corruption is concerned, it won’t be business as usual in 2014,’’ SERAP said.
It also advised the president to demonstrate his total rejection of corruption by publicly declaring his assets and instructing all members of his government to do same.
According to SERAP, the president should cut down on unnecessary expenses in the 2014 budget and dedicate the resources for the provision of drugs for hospitals across the country.
It said the president should lead the process to domesticate and effectively implement the UN Convention against corruption, within the legal system.
SERAP said: “This is the best way the president is ever going to earn the trust of millions of Nigerians yearning for good governance, development and the rule of law.”
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.
