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.

Naira Slides on FX Market Liquidity Squeeze, US Dollar Rally

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Naira Slides on FX Market Liquidity Squeeze, US Dollar Rally Naira fell against the US dollar as rising demand for international payments outstripped FX supply in the currency market on Friday. The local unit closed at N1379 per greenback as eligible market participants’ dollar requests beat available liquidity for settlements. The exchange rate fluctuated between N1375 and N1382 per dollar during the day as demand pressures mounted at the official window. The Nigerian foreign exchange market (NFEM) recorded a slowdown in interbank FX turnover and deal counts. According to Central Bank data, interbank FX turnover fell to $71.044 million on…

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Swift Launches Blockchain Pilot for Tokenised Deposits with 17 Banks

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Swift Launches Blockchain Pilot for Tokenised Deposits with 17 Banks Swift has announced that its blockchain-based ledger is ready for initial use, enabling early adopter financial institutions to support 24/7 cross-border payments with tokenised deposits — and marking a decisive step in scaling the benefits of digital value across the regulated global financial system. Seventeen banks from six continents are preparing to pilot live transactions, reflecting strong global demand for the new addition to Swift’s technology stack and its ability to unlock faster, more flexible money movement worldwide. The shared ledger provides participating banks with a secure orchestration layer for…

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South African Rand Trades Soft on U.S. Dollar Rally

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South African Rand Trades Soft on U.S. Dollar Rally The South African rand traded weaker on Friday as investors continued to favour the US dollar amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and persistent concerns around global inflation. Fresh US strikes against Iranian targets, Iran’s retaliatory action, and ongoing disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz supported safe-haven demand for the dollar, First National Bank (FNB) said in a brief. Market analysts said higher oil prices reinforced concerns that inflation may remain elevated, supporting expectations that interest rates could stay higher for longer. The rand is changing hands at…

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XRP Price Rises 2% as AI Trades Drive Volume

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XRP Price Rises 2% as AI Trades Drive Volume Ripple (XRP) price increased 2% to $1.11 on Friday, closely tracking a broader market uptick but primarily driven by a technical breakout above the $1.10 resistance level, confirmed by a late-session volume spike. According to market reports, the number of commercial transactions executed solely by artificial intelligence systems on the XRP Ledger has surpassed 1 million, marking a significant milestone for crypto-enabled machine economies. Latest on-chain data shows this surge in activity via the x402 protocol is no longer just an experimental phase. The threshold became clear following the launch of…

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