Business
ECCIMA Creates Special Agric Area At Fair
The Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA) has created a special agricultural interface area at the ongoing 2017 Enugu International Trade Fair ground.
The President of ECCIMA, Rev. Ugochukwu Chime, told newsmen recently that the innovatiion was one of the unique features of the ongoing 2017 Enugu International Trade Fair’’.
Chime said that the area was created as a “major fulcrum to refocus attention and adopt a pragmatic approach toward restoring the place of agriculture in the development of the nation’s economy”.
He canvassed for investments in agricultural production and commercial agriculture.
“We have continued to boost our match-making strategy to provide a more amenable atmosphere for interface between researchers, prototype innovators and investors in the agriculture sector.
“This will enhance linkages to improve and unleash the industrial sector as well as the Small and Medium Enterprises to invest in the huge potential of the agriculture sector.
“So, the special designated agriculture area was conceived to achieve this,’’ Chime said.
The chamber boss, however, urged the Federal Government to implement its policy reform statement of devolving the exclusivity the Federal Government has over the solid minerals sector.
“We do hope that action in this regard would be made manifest to produce results which would definitely rub off positively on the nation’s economy.’’
According to the president, the fair is in line with the Federal Government’s diversification agenda as it provides a platform to showcase non-oil commodities with export potential.
Furthermore, he said that it provides an opportunity for local and foreign businesses to explore and access the commercially viable South-East market.
The Tide gathered that the theme of the 2017 Enugu International Trade Fair, the 28th edition in the series, is “Promoting Nigeria’s Industrial Sector and SMEs for Inclusive and Robust Economy.”
The fair, will end on April 10.
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.
