Business
NSE To Exempt Market Makers
The Nigerian Stock Ex-change has said market makers would be exempted from the 5 per cent circuit breaker price movement rule, when they eventually begin operation. The assurance followed expressed anxiety from various quarters over the operating environment appointed market makers may work under.
This means that when they eventually commence operations, they can move the price of a stock as high as possible in a day, in as much as there is demand and supply for such stock.
The Director-General of the Exchange, Prof. Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, who disclosed this recently, said there would be no restriction on price movement for the market makers in a bid to give them free hand to operate.
She noted that the only thing delaying their operation in the market was the issue of liquidity providers, the only condition which could guarantee the commencement of their operations. According to her, those who had presented some banks as their liquidity providers are still being delayed because the Exchange had to verify the strength of such banks and their ability to perform the roles. She said the Exchange had written to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the banks and the reply is being awaited.
The DG said while the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had done the right thing by registering the six firms that applied, the apex regulatory body did not look at the operation aspect, which was why the Exchange had to introduce the N10 billion minimum capital float for their operation.
Recall that SEC had registered six firms to act as market makers in the market, in a bid to help restore the elusive confidence, while ensuring liquidity. The appointed firms include Chapel Hill Denham; Diamond Capital & Financial Market Limited, a subsidiary of Diamond Bank; Greenwich Advisory Services, a member of the Greenwich Trust Limited; BGL Plc; Value Capital Limited; and Vetira Management Limited.
Speaking on the growing concern over the introduction of circuit breaker, which prevents stocks prices from losing and gaining more than 5 per cent on trading day, Okereke Onyiuke said it should not have generated much concern, adding that it is being adopted in stock exchanges all over the world.
She noted that before the NSE introduced it last year, it was tabled at a conference of World Stock Exchanges where it was approved as being practised in all the 122 Stock Exchanges in the world. She said the only difference in other exchanges is that it is not being announced for the public to know.
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.
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