Business
‘Patronise Made-In – Nigeria Vehicles’
Nigerians have been
enjoined to patronise made-in-Nigeria vehicles inorder to support local car manufacturing companies as well as help boost the dwindling economy.
A Port Harcourt-based Economist and Social Critic, Dr. Dam Alami made the call in a chat with The Tide in Port Harcourt at the weekend.
Alami said from all indications, made in Nigeria vehicles can compete favourably with those imported from foreign countries because they are durable and of standard in all facets, stressing that local manufacturers should be encouraged to be in business.
He noted that with the patronage, the industry would create more jobs for the teeming unemployed Nigerians, pointing out that it would also encourage the business and economic growth in the country, especially now that the nation is passing through uncertainty and economic woes.
The social critic noted that Nigeria can now boast of cars with 60 per cent content and are of high quality, saying that with the full support of all Nigerians, car manufacturers will do more and compete favourable, with their foreign counterparts.
“All what is needed is patronage so that their business will grow, economy revived and employment opportunities available for the people”, Alami opined.
According to him, he is optimistic that if necessary support and environment is created, they could produce a 100 per cent locally made vehicles in few years time, because they have the technical know-how and all what it takes to attain such height.
He said despite incessant power failures, Nigerian manufactured vehicles would also help reduce lost of foreign cars imported into the country, while calling on the Federal Government to review its automotive policy for the interest of the local car manufacturers.
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.