Business
Economic Growth: Uduaghan Woos Deltans In Diaspora
Delta state Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has appealed to Deltans in Diaspora to come home and partner with his administration in its quest to accelerate economic development and transform the state.
Dr. Uduaghan who made the appeal while swearing in a new Commissioner and two Special Advisers in Asaba said he requires the professional expertise of Deltans to enable him achieve his goal in the development of the state.
He explained that economic development required the input of human resources especially competent hands that would put their heads together to design a road map that would bring the much need development.
“The agenda of development requires a lot of hands and I call on Deltans in Diaspora to return home and join in this development crusade. We need their professional expertise,” he said.
The governor therefore promised to encourage Deltans in Diaspora to come home and join the team of crusaders who are already in the engine room fashioning out how to move the state forward.
Dr. Uduaghan announced that the development of an ICT village in the state would soon commence.
He explained that the establishment of the ICT village will give youths in the state the opportunity to acquire knowledge not only be computer literate but explore the internet in addition to employment opportunities.
The governor who enjoined the new Commissioner and Special Advisers to appreciate the problems of the less privileged in the state urged them to shun ostentatious living.
Dr. Uduaghan charged them to also adopt qualitative and selfless service as their working slogan so that they provide dividends of democracy to the people.
Explaining further he said “The expectations of our people are very high. I therefore appeal to you to show concern over the plight of our people especially the conditions which they live in and evolve ways of improving their living standard.
The governor however called on Deltans to support his administration so that he would realise the goal of a buoyant economy.
Responding the newly sworn in Commissioner Mr. Kenneth Okpara expressed appreciation to the governor for appointing them and promised not to betray the confidence reposed on them.
Also sworn in are Mr. Kenneth Okpara Commissioner while Sunny Ofili and Barrister Andrew Odum are Special Advisers.
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.
