Business
Analysts Predict Rising Inflation In Nigeria By Dec
Despite steady decline in inflation rates in the last few months, analysts have predicted an uptrend in inflation for the remaining part of the year as the festive season approaches.
Although the inflation rate fell to 15.99 per cent in October from 16.36 per cent the previous month, as statistically recorded, the country has seen a steady decline in inflation since April when it peaked at 18.12 per cent.
Analysts at CSL Stockbrokers, in a note made available to newsmen, predicted that the inflation rate would go higher within the last two months of the year.
“Looking ahead, we project inflation will maintain its descent throughout the year, supported by the high base in the prior period. The government sets 13 per cent as the inflation target for 2022.
“However, as we approach the festive season, considering expectations of increased demand, we expect an increase in monthly inflation reading for the last two months of the year”, they maintained.
CSL Stockbrokers blamed the inflationary pressures on the food supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and insecurity.
According to them, the reopening of the land borders has not contributed to a drop in food prices as trade flows have yet to resume to pre-border closure levels.
Meanwhile, analysts at Cordros Capital said given the lower-than-expected food supplies to the market in line with the below-average primary harvest season, food prices would increase this month.
They said, “In addition, we expect the upward pressures on food prices to be magnified by the increased demand for food items as the people prepare for the year-end festive season.
“Accordingly, we expect the farm produce basket to influence the uptrend in food inflation in November. Consequently, we forecast food inflation will increase by 16 basis points to 1.07 per cent month on month. Accordingly, we expect the core inflation to rise by 0.91 per cent month on month in November”.
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.