Business
Piracy Rise In GOG Worries IMB
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has expressed worry over rise in reported incidents of piracy, kidnapping and all forms of criminality in the Gulf of Guinea (GOG).
The increase, as stated in the Bereau’s report, showed that there was 21 incidents recorded in the first nine months of 2023, compared to 14 incidents during the same period in 2022.
Among these incidents, 17 were classified as armed robberies and four as piracy.
IMB said the safety of crew members is a mounting concern, as 54 were taken hostage, 14 were kidnapped, and two others were injured.
The Director, IMB, Michael Howlett, expressed concern over the rise in reported incidents in the Gulf of Guinea.
“The Gulf of Guinea stands as a region of concern with a rise in reported incidents, as opposed to the downward trend we have seen in the past two years.
”The Bureau sees regional ownership as critical to safeguard shipping and trade and to address these crimes”, Howlett said.
The Singapore Straits also raised concerns, with 33 reported incidents in the first nine months of 2023, compared to 31 incidents during the same period last year.
“Out of these incidents, 31 vessels were boarded, five crew members were taken hostage, and two were threatened.
“The majority of incidents were reported in July, with ship stores or properties being the primary target for theft”, the report stated.
The Navigational challenges of the Singapore Straits further compound the risks posed by these incidents, potentially affecting safe navigation in these congested waters.
The IMB’s report also highlighted an increase in the number of incidents in the Indonesian archipelagic region, with 12 incidents reported during the first nine months of 2023, compared to 10 incidents during the same period in 2020 and seven incidents in 2021. Knives were sighted in five out of the 12 reported incidents.
Furthermore, reports from Callao Anchorage in Peru increased to 13 incidents from eight during the same period in 2022.
These incidents included nine crew members being taken hostage, one member being threatened, and another member being assaulted.
According to the report, there were 99 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the first nine months of 2023, marking an increase from 90 incidents during the same period in 2022.
Among the reported incidents, 85 vessels were boarded, nine had attempted attacks, three were hijacked, and two were fired upon.
The perpetrators successfully boarded 89% of the targeted vessels, with most incidents occurring at night.
While the reported violence towards crew members is relatively low compared to the past three decades, there remains a real risk to crew safety.
In the first nine months of 2023, 69 crew members were taken hostage, 14 were kidnapped, eight were threatened, three were injured, and one was assaulted.
IMB emphasized the importance of early reporting of incidents, even low-level opportunistic ones, to protect seafarers and ensure the safety of regional and international shipping and trade.
The organization commended local authorities for their efforts in investigating nearly all reported incidents.
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.
