Business
Bitcoin soars past US$81,000 as Trump’s pro-crypto stance fuels buying spree

Published
5 months agoon
By
Ekwutos BlogThe token climbed to an unprecedented US$81,497 early in the Asian day on Monday
Bitcoin rallied past US$81,000 for the first time, boosted by President-elect Donald Trump’s embrace of digital assets and the prospect of a Congress featuring pro-crypto lawmakers.
Trump’s decisive victory in the presidential election has prompted celebratory chest-thumping from the digital-asset industry, which spent over US$100 million backing a range of crypto-friendly candidates.
The largest token climbed as much as 6.1 per cent on Sunday, before extending the gain to an unprecedented US$81,497 early in the Asian day on Monday. Bullish sentiment lifted smaller coins too, including a surge in Dogecoin, a meme-crowd favourite promoted by Trump supporter Elon Musk.
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“With the dust from Trump’s victory still settling down, it was only a matter of time before a run-up of some sort occurred given the perception of Trump being pro-crypto, and that’s what we’re seeing now,” said Le Shi, Hong Kong managing director at market-making firm Auros.
Trump vowed on the campaign trail to put the US at the centre of the digital-asset industry, including creating a strategic bitcoin stockpile and appointing regulators enamoured with digital assets. Jubilant traders for the moment are paying little heed to questions such as the speed of likely implementation or whether a strategic stockpile is a realistic possibility.
His broader agenda of stoking domestic economic growth, tax cuts and reducing red tape has fuelled a buying spree across stocks, credit and crypto. The S&P 500 stock index last week hit its 50th record this year.
Bitcoin has added about 92 per cent so far in 2024, helped by robust demand for dedicated US exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. The rise in the token, which scaled fresh records after Tuesday’s US vote, exceeds the returns from investments such as stocks and gold.
The ETFs, powered by BlackRock’s $35 billion iShares Bitcoin Trust, posted a record daily net inflow of almost US$1.4 billion on Thursday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. A day earlier, the iShares ETF’s trading volume jumped to an all-time peak – all signs of how Trump’s victory is reshaping crypto.
Trump’s stance contrasts with a crackdown on digital assets under President Joe Biden. Securities & Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Genslerrepeatedly labelled the sector as rife with fraud and misconduct. The agency turned the screws on crypto following a 2022 market rout and a litany of collapses, notably the bankruptcy of Sam Bankman-Fried’s fraudulent FTX exchange.
Digital-asset companies spent heavily during the election campaign to boost candidates viewed as favourable to their interests. Against that backdrop, Trump did an about-face, becoming a supporter of an industry he once labelled a scam.
“Trump has promised supportive regulation, and the sweep of the House and the Senate makes the passage of crypto bills much more likely,” wrote Noelle Acheson, author of the Crypto Is Macro Now newsletter.
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FCCPC Urges Nigerians to Report Harassing Loan Apps and Businesses

Published
2 days agoon
April 7, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) is advising Nigerians to report any loan apps or businesses that engage in harassing behavior over unpaid loans.
According to the FCCPC, no consumer should live in fear of harassment or intimidation.
Ekwutosblog gathered that Consumers can file complaints with the FCCPC through their website or contact their customer service hotline.
The FCCPC is responsible for protecting consumer rights and promoting fair competition in Nigeria.
FCCPC has taken steps to regulate digital money lenders and enforce consumer protection laws, including fining Meta and WhatsApp $220 million for violating the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR)
To file a complaint, follow these steps
Visit the FCCPC website and fill out the complaint form. Provide detailed information about the harassment, including dates, times, and communication records. Submit supporting documents, such as screenshots or messages. FCCPC Website: https://fccpc.gov.ng/ Customer Service Hotline: 0805 600 2020, 0805 600 3030
Email: mailto:contact@fccpc.gov.ng
Business
Chief Vincent Obianodo is the Founder of Young Shall Grow Group, a leading transportation company in Nigeria.

Published
2 days agoon
April 7, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Chief Vincent was Born in Neni, Anambra State, He spent his early life in his hometown after which he moved to Kano state where He learnt how to fix punctured tyres (vulcanizer), and became perfect at it (a time when few people could do it), because of it he had a lot of customers queuing for his vulcanizing services.
He did the job for more few years before he decided to go into the transportation business as a bus conductor. He continued the bus conductor job until 1972 when he had gathered enough money to buy his bus. After acquiring maximum knowledge on how the transportation business works, he then decided to stop working as a bus conductor and he acquired a mini-bus to ply the Enugu to Onitsha route.
In 1973 he relocated his business operations from Onitsha to Lagos and ventured into a more developed transport business, which he started with two locally built Mercedes Benz 911 buses. After seven years of operating in Lagos, the number of buses he owned increased from 2 to 40 alongside his transport business. He also engaged in the delivery of goods which also boosted the success of his business.
His exceptional customer service delivery got many people to patronize his business and by 1978, he decided to expand by opening up a new interstate route, plying from Lagos to Onitsha to Owerri. He also bought a Mercedes Benz 0362 luxury bus for this purpose. This expansion gained his business more fame and within 6 years, his number of buses grew to 150. Owing to the success of the business, Chief Vincent Incorporated his business in 1984 so he could fully cover every possible part of Nigeria, as a leading inter-state luxury bus company.
Today, The Young Shall Grow Motors is one of the largest luxury bus companies in Nigeria with over 500 buses that ply almost every route in Nigeria as well as other west African countries like Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali and The Benin Republic.
He also has businesses in the Hospitality, Oil and Gas, Real estate sectors.
From Vulcanizer to millionaire in dollars, today his net worth is over 300 million dollars.
Business
Dangote refinery, NNPC: More fuel stations increase pump price in Nigeria

Published
5 days agoon
April 4, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
The price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as fuel, has recorded a significant increase in the past days, which may worsen the economic hardship Nigerians face.
MRS, a filling station partner of Dangote Refinery, kicked off the latest fuel price increase when it adjusted its petrol pump to between N925 and N950 per litre in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Similarly, other fuel marketers such as Empire Energy, Recoil, Juda Oil, Total, Emedab, and others also increased their fuel pump to between N950 and N970 per litre.
On Wednesday, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited retail outlets also jacked up their fuel price to N950 per litre from N880 in Abuja.
Summarily, Ekwutosblog observed motorists will have to pay N70 more to buy a litre of petrol in the coming days.
The development comes amid the suspension of petrol product sales in Naira by Dangote Refinery. This follows the initiation of the naira-for-crude sale deal between Dangote Refinery and the federal government through NNPCL.
On Wednesday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced a reshuffling of NNPCL.
Meanwhile, local oil prices are increasing in Nigeria, despite the decline in global crude prices. As of the time of this report, United States West Texas Intermediate was at $62.15 per barrel, down from above $65, while Brent crude stood at $65.42 per barrel, down from $72 last week.

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