Business
PHCCIMA Wants Stronger Public, Private Sectors Partnership
The President of the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture, PHCCIMA, Engr. Emeka Unachukwu, has canvassed stronger ties in government, private sector collaboration as a means of boosting entrepreneurial development in Rivers State.
Engr. Unachukwu gave the charge yesterday during the closing ceremony of the 1st Port Harcourt Easter Discount Market and Funfair, organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with PHCCIMA at the Isaac Boro Park, Port Harcourt.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the event, the PHCCIMA boss, stated that “the success of the 1st Easter discount market which started as an experiment was an indication that the government and the organised private sector could work together to achieve tangible economic goals.”
He noted that before now, government had engaged in activities that required the input of the organised private sector, but the deserving input was lacking due to absence of proper collaboration.
He commended the efforts of the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in Rivers State, Barr. Chima Chunye for his vision and initiative and called for the sustenance of the objectives.
Eng. Unachukwu also called on other ministries, departments and parastatals of government to embrace the vision to boost business and economic growth in Rivers State.
In his remark, the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Barr. Chima Chunye said the Easter District Market was to create awareness on business development in the state.
The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Sir Gift Ake, said the move was to change concept of preparing for Christmas alone, and noted that Easter was equally a period for engaging business activities.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Joeba West, commended the initiatives, and described it as a platform for economic growth in the state.
The Commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Belema Mangibo also called for greater participation in the next edition of the discount market.
Mr Mangibo, who also represented the wife of the Governor, Dame Judith Amaechi, received the certificate of participation, on behalf of Dame Amaechi, and the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Joeba West.
Taneh Beemene
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.
