Business
… Wants FG To Liberalise Downstream Petroleum Sector
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has urged the Federal Government to urgently liberalise the downstream petroleum sector to end the recurring fuel scarcity in the country.
President of the chamber, Mr Babatunde Ruwase, made the call Wednesday in Lagos during a media briefing on the state of the nation.
Ruwase said that concentration of petroleum products supply in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) remained a concern for private sector investors.
“The arrangement is an inherent entrenchment of state monopoly in the NNPC to the detriment of private investors.
“The midstream and downstream petroleum sector currently suffers from regulatory regime which is negatively impacting growth, investment and job creation in the sector.
“The current model of managing the downstream petroleum sector is not sustainable,” he said.
Ruwase added that it was at variance with government’s vision to diversify the economy and create jobs as it perpetuates the phenomenon of rent economy which was detrimental to competition.
According to him, liberalising the downstream sector would create unfettered private sector participation and investment, subject to appropriate regulatory framework.
Ruwase said that the citizens were the ultimate beneficiaries of a competitive market environment, adding that there should be a level playing field for all operators, including the NNPC.
“The role of the NNPC needs to be clearly defined. It should not be operator and still have regulatory powers.
“The roles of the DPR and PPPRA need to be better defined. There are instances of overlapping and duplication of activities and responsibilities. This poses problem for investors in the sector,” he said.
The LCCI boss said that the refineries should be operated as commercial business entities, advising that the NLNG model which allows for private sector management should be adopted for the refineries.
He said that adopting the model would improve efficiency and reduce the burden of refineries on the nation’s treasury.
Ruwase urged the government to concession the oil pipelines for efficient management and reducing haulage of fuel by road.
He stressed that the speedy passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) would herald the much needed reforms in the oil and gas sector.
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.
