Author: News Room

Bitso is expanding its payments partnership with Ripple by bringing its Mexican peso-backed MXNB stablecoin onto the XRP Ledger, where it will be used alongside Ripple USD (RLUSD) to support enterprise cross-border settlement between the United States and Mexico.Mexico City-based Bitso said it will issue MXNB on the XRP Ledger where it will be integrated into Ripple’s Payments on DEX infrastructure and paired with RLUSD stablecoin for dollar- and peso-denominated settlement of enterprise payments.Money transfers between the US and Mexico comprise the single largest remittance corridor in the world, according to the US Federal Reserve. American goods and services trade…

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has three Super Bowl rings to his name and is on the fast track to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but his popularity among fans seems to have taken a hit. After having the fourth-most-popular NFL jersey by total sales in 2023, the year he and Taylor Swift began dating, Kelce, 36, has fallen all the way out of the top 25 on the list of officially licensed NFL player products and merchandise sales for the 2025-26 season. According to data released by the NFL Players Association, Kelce had the 29th-most sales,…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned three men before the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja over an alleged attempt to fraudulently obtain N10 billion from Fidelity Bank Plc through forged documents and false representations. The defendants, Ibeh Emmanuel, Chidiebere Ihekoronye and Akubuo Chimuanya, were arraigned on Wednesday alongside Austen Peaks Aniekan, who is said to be currently at large. They were arraigned before Judge Olubusola Okunuga on a five charges of conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence, possession of fraudulent documents and forgery. According to the EFCC, the defendants allegedly conspired to obtain N10 billion from Fidelity…

The private sector is stepping up efforts to promote ethical leadership and responsible citizenship among young Nigerians, with a growing focus on embedding values such as integrity, accountability and social responsibility into the education system. The push was on display on Thursday at the grand finale of the 2026 Ethical Living Initiative Competition in Lagos, a youth-focused programme organised by the African Capital Alliance Foundation in partnership with Enactus Nigeria. The initiative brought together students from 40 secondary schools across the state after six weeks of ethics workshops and mentorship sessions. According to the organisers, the programme has engaged more…

A two-storey building under construction on Gospel Avenue, off Adesuwa Road, in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, collapsed in the early hours of Thursday, raising fresh concerns over building standards and regulatory compliance in the state. A resident, Jonathan Bitrus, told PUNCH Metro that the structure caved in at about 2:00 a.m., attributing the collapse to a weak foundation that was incapable of supporting a two-storey building. According to him, a major tragedy was averted because no workers were on site when the incident occurred. “The building collapsed at about 2:00 a.m. or 2:15 a.m. on Thursday. I…

For many years, Nigeria had its troubles, but kidnapping was not the defining feature of our national life. Our country wrestled with military coups, communal clashes, armed robberies, and periodic ethno-religious violence. Travelling from Lagos to Kano, Enugu to Sokoto, or Ibadan to Maiduguri carried risks, but the average Nigerian did not routinely fear being seized and held for ransom. Highway robbers were dreaded, and road accidents were common. However, kidnapping had not evolved into the sprawling criminal economy that now casts a shadow over everyday existence. That reality began to change with the rise of Boko Haram. Founded in…

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with NASD Plc, has hosted a stakeholders’ forum in a bid to expose Small and Medium Enterprises to alternative sources of medium- and long-term financing in Lagos. The forum, themed ‘Financing Growth: Propelling the Real Sector Through the Capital Market,’ brought together entrepreneurs, regulators, and other stakeholders to discuss strategies for improving SMEs’ access to capital market funding. Participants identified key requirements for attracting investment, including a clear business model, a well-defined growth strategy, sound corporate governance, audited financial statements, and transparent cash flow records. Speaking at the event, the Managing…

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway in Mexico, Canada and the United States, African players are backing the continent’s representatives to challenge the rest of the world, inspired by Morocco’s historic achievement at the last edition in Qatar, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. With the tournament expanded to 48 teams, Africa will be represented by 10 countries — Algeria, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia. Since the first edition of the global showpiece in 1930, no African nation has won the World Cup. Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) all…

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities has expressed concern over the prolonged delay in concluding the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement between university unions and the Federal Government, warning that its members are becoming increasingly agitated as the process drags on. National Vice President and Chairman of SSANU, Western Zone, Dr Abdussobour Salaam, said the union had exercised considerable patience over the years but cautioned that members’ tolerance was rapidly wearing thin. Speaking at the 79th Zonal Executive Council meeting of the union held at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, on Thursday, Salaam said the meeting brought together…

Former Deputy Director-General of the State Security Service and ex-Chairman of the Oyo State Amotekun Corps, Brig.-Gen. Kunle Togun (retd.), speaks with WALE AKINSELURE on rising insecurity in the South-West, the effectiveness of regional security efforts, and his controversial views on the forces driving banditry and insurgency in the region Tou have repeatedly warned about the infiltration of Yoruba land by terrorists, bandits and insurgents. Recently, there was the abduction of teachers and students in Oyo State. As a former Director of Military Intelligence and ex-Chairman of Amotekun in Oyo State, how serious is the security threat in the South-West…