- BTC, ETH, XRP Bump- Japan Reclassifies Crypto as Financial Assets
- Oyo Govt Approves Over N35bn for Agriculture, Others
- Tantalizers Assures Shareholders of Sustainable Growth
- Naira Rises as Foreign Reserves Approach $52 Billion
- BUA, Insurance, Tech Stocks Drag NGX Indices Lower
- NCC Reviews MVNO Business Rules to Deepen Competition, Expand Telecom Access
- XRP Trades Soft as Ripple Urges Senate to Support Clarity Act
- Solana Slips after SBI Taps Network for Tokenised Japan Equity Fund
Author: Julius Alagbe
Julius Alagbe is a senior financial journalist and Editor at MarketForces Africa with nearly two decades of experience in finance, accounting, and economics reporting.He is one of Nigeria's most prolific financial market reporters, covering capital markets, monetary policy, corporate earnings, banking, telecoms, and macroeconomic developments across Africa.Julius has built a strong footprint reporting on Nigeria's leading corporates and financial services sector, including coverage of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Central Bank of Nigeria monetary operations, MTN Nigeria, GTCO, and major investment banking transactions.He regularly monitors the CBN’s open market operations, interbank FX markets, and equity market movements, providing readers with real-time intelligence on Nigeria’s financial landscape.His reporting draws on direct access to institutional research from firms including Moody’s Ratings, CardinalStone Securities, Fitch, and other leading African investment houses.Julius brings analytical depth and editorial rigour to every story, making complex financial data accessible to professionals, investors, and policymakers across Africa.Julius Alagbe is based in Lagos, Nigeria.
S&P Global Ratings affirmed its ‘CCC+’ long-term and ‘C’ short-term sovereign credit ratings on Burkina Faso, with a stable outlook accorded.
Oil prices posted weekly losses of about 7% on Friday as growing optimism over a possible US-Iran agreement overshadowed persistent geopolitical tensions and supply risks in the Middle East.
XRP rose slightly on Friday as investors returned to position amidst X’s strategic decision to integrate Ripple’s live price charts for tracking movement. Trading data showed XRP gained 0.34% to settle at $1.39, following earlier reported profit-taking by retail investors in the crypto market.
South African Rand momentum eased against Western currencies as US-Iran clashes reverse market optimism. The United States and Iran exchanged fire on Thursday in the most serious test yet of their month-long ceasefire, but Iran said the situation returned to normal.
Stoked by negative sentiment, Bitcoin (BTC). Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP) prices declined on Friday amid US-Iran tensions, triggering a fresh cryptocurrency selloff.
Global markets retreated as the geopolitical tensions’ shockwave stoked sell pressure across major exchanges. Escalating US-Iran ceasefire tensions dominated global markets, First National Bank (FNB) said in a morning brief.
Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) has announced plans to raise funds in the international debt capital markets to repay a 2031 maturing borrowing note.
Equities investment analysts at CardinalStone Securities Limited, one of the top brokers with the highest transaction record in the Nigerian Exchange, have raised Unilever Nigeria’s 12-month target price to a hold recommendation.
The Nigerian local currency, the naira, rallied across the currency markets on Thursday, driven by improved FX liquidity. In its daily FX report, the Central Bank reported that the spot FX rate rose by ₦1.49 to N1355.85 against the U.S. Dollar.
The U.S. trade position is evolving in response to significant tariff policy actions in 2025, with the main adjustment occurring in import composition rather than in the aggregate balance, according to Fitch Ratings.