Business
Experts Forecast Capital Market Growth
Some financial experts have predicted improved activities at the capital market following the release of N400 billion earmarked for capital projects by the Federal Government.
They say improved full year reports of some quoted companies would aid the growth of the capital market.
Chief Executive Officer, Lambeth Trust & Investment Company Limited, Mr. David Adonri, said that the equities market rebounded last week due to the gains recorded by some multinationals.
Managing Director, HJ Trust and Investment Limited, Mr. Harrison Owoh, urged the Federal Government to desist from pronouncements that would create negative perception about the market abroad.
Owoh said that the government should be mindful of the information it releases to the public because stock market performance is information driven.
Meanwhile, a turnover of 2.55 billion shares worth N21.69 billion were traded in 29,335 deals on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) last week.
This was against the 1.93 billion shares valued at N20.99 billion traded in 28,832 deals in the preceding week. The Financial Services sector was the most active, exchanging 2.07 billion shares worth N14.28 billion in 16,956 deals.
NewGold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) traded 577 units valued at N1.41 million in seven deals last week. This was against the 846 units valued at N2.034 million exchanged in seven deals in the preceding week. Also, 2,020 units of FGN bonds valued at N2.42 million were traded in 20 deals in contrast to 2,536 units valued N3.09 million traded in 26 deals last week.
The NSE All-Share Index grew by 0.31 per cent to close at 32.950.08 against the 32,849.11 recorded in the previous week.
Similarly, the market capitalisation gained N32.31 billion to close at N10.54 trillion against the N10.51 trillion posted in the preceding week. Total led the gainers’ table, appreciating by 12.89 per cent to close at N161.11 per share. Guinness followed .
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.
