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Kenyan Forex Crisis: Central Bank Orders Financial Institutions to Ration Dollars
6.3.2023
Growing shortages of foreign exchange on the interbank market have reportedly forced the Central Bank of Kenya to ask financial institutions to ration dollar purchases by Kenyan businesses. The shortages have forced Kenyan firms to seek greenbacks on alternative markets where the exchange rate...
Moody’s Says Forex Shortages May Force Nigerian Central Bank to Delay Repaying Local Banks
17.2.2023
The persistent scarcity of foreign exchange may force the Nigerian central bank to delay repaying the $10.4 billion owed to local banks, analysts at Moody’s Investors Service have concluded. The central bank’s failure to pay its debts on time will likely force the affected financial...
Ghanaian Cedi Second Worst-Performing Asset Among Sub-Saharan Africa’s Top 15 Currencies
24.1.2023
In just the first 17 days of the new year, the Ghanaian currency reportedly depreciated by 12.7%, making it the second worst-performing among Sub-Saharan Africa’s top 15 currencies. While one U.S. dollar bought 13.10 units of the cedi on the parallel market, according to the latest Bank...
Huobi Korea Plans to Cut Ties With Parent Company, Strengthen Domestic Presence
10.1.2023
According to a report from South Korea, the Korean subsidiary of Huobi Global is planning to cut ties with the parent company. The management of the trading platform stated that they plan to “strengthen its position” as a domestic cryptocurrency exchange and change its name. Huobi...
Sberbank Analyst’s Editorial Delves Into the ‘Tremendous Potential’ of a BRICS Reserve Currency Fueling De-Dollarization
7.1.2023
During the last month, Russia’s ruble has dropped 16.48% against the U.S. dollar as energy and commodity prices have slowed over the last few weeks. Russia’s central bank revealed two weeks ago that it is further distancing itself from U.S. dollar dependence by purchasing the Chinese yuan...
Report: Syrian Central Bank Devalues Local Currency by Nearly 50%
3.1.2023
The Syrian central bank recently announced the nearly 50% devaluation of the Syrian pound’s exchange rate versus the greenback from 3,015 per dollar to 4,522 per dollar. The central bank also warned currency speculators that it will take steps to end activities that undermine the stability...
Ghana Takes Steps to Operationalize Gold-for-Oil Scheme — Move Expected to Help Halt Cedi’s Depreciation
27.11.2022
According to directives issued by Samuel A. Jinapor, the Ghanaian minister for lands and natural resources, large-scale gold mining companies will be required to “sell 20% of all refined gold at their refineries to the Bank of Ghana.” A gold-for-oil scheme is part of the Ghanaian...
Nigeria’s Rising Inflation and Foreign Exchange Shortages Fueling Devaluation Speculation — IMF Mission
20.11.2022
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s mission concluding statement, Nigeria’s rising inflation rate as well as the continuing shortage of foreign currency are fueling the naira devaluation speculations. To achieve a unified naira exchange rate, the global lender said...
Wells Fargo, HSBC Add Offshore Yuan to Blockchain Foreign-Exchange System
17.11.2022
The system started operating almost a year ago with the U.S. and Canadian dollars, British pound and euro and has settled over $200 billion in transactions
Nigerian Currency Gains Versus US Dollar Days After Tapping All-Time Low
10.11.2022
Just a few days after plummeting to its worst exchange rate against the U.S. dollar ever, the Nigerian currency was trading at around 820 units for every dollar on Nov. 8, a report has said. An economist has suggested that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s controversial currency plan is unlikely...
World’s Worst Performing Currency, the Cedi, Reverses Gains — Economist Steve Hanke Says Ghana Inflation Now Over 140%
10.11.2022
Just days after registering marginal gains against the U.S. dollar, the Ghanaian currency — the cedi — slipped to C14:$1 versus the U.S. dollar on the foreign exchange parallel market on Nov. 7. The cedi’s reversal is said to have dented the currency’s recovery prospects. On the other...
Displaying US Dollar Prices Still Prohibited, Ghanaian Central Bank Tells Actress Lydia Forson
5.11.2022
The Bank of Ghana recently warned businesses quoting U.S. dollar prices that the practice is still prohibited and that the cedi remains Ghana’s sole legal tender. The bank said it is working with law enforcement to “clamp down on illegal foreign exchange operations.” In addition...
Nigerian Currency Redesign Controversy: Naira Slips by Almost 20%, Experts See Exchange Rate Reaching 1,000:1 USD Before Year End
5.11.2022
The Nigerian currency appeared to accelerate its decline versus the U.S. dollar after it slipped to a new low of 900 naira for every dollar. The currency has continued to depreciate even after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s raid on suspected illegal foreign exchange dealers....
Foreign Exchange Transactions Take Center Stage in New BIS CBDC Report
26.10.2022
The Bank for International Settlements tested its central bank digital currency research project, mBridge, in another pilot focused on foreign exchange transactions, a new report says
Ethiopia Orders Banks to Reject Requests for Foreign Exchange to Buy ‘Non-Priority Products’
19.10.2022
The Ethiopian government has instructed banks to reject requests for foreign currency to buy so-called non-priority products. The Ethiopian Minister of Industry Melaku Alebel Addis has defended the move, saying this will allow local manufacturers to grow and become competitive. The restrictions...
Report: Ghanaian Currency Slips to Another Low Versus the US Dollar
17.10.2022
After it slipped to a rate of about 12:1, the Ghanaian cedi became the latest African currency to touch a new low versus the U.S. dollar, albeit on the unofficial foreign exchange market. Having started 2022 trading around 6.25 per dollar, the cedi has now lost over 90% against the appreciating...
FX Strategists From Citi Say Euro Could Sink to $0.86 if Macro Turmoil Continues
16.10.2022
While the euro has found support between 0.96 to 0.97 nominal U.S. dollars per unit, foreign exchange (FX) strategists from Citi believe the euro could tap a low of around $0.86 against the greenback. While the dollar slumped on October 13, the fiat currency is rising again and market strategists...
Japanese Yen Plunges to 32-Year Low Against US Dollar — Another Intervention by Authorities Expected
16.10.2022
The Japanese yen’s exchange rate versus the U.S. dollar recently plunged to its lowest rate in 32 years — 147.66 JPY per dollar. The yen’s latest fall comes less than a month after its slip in September prompted authorities to enter foreign exchange markets for the first time since...
Report: Withdrawal Limits for Egyptian Travelers Lowered as Banks Seek to Conserve Scarce Forex
13.10.2022
According to a report, some Egyptian banks recently informed clients who plan to travel abroad that they can now only withdraw $2,000 or less. The banks have also lowered the amount of foreign exchange that clients can withdraw when abroad. Egypt’s ongoing shortage of foreign exchange...
Report: Zimbabwe Tertiary Learning Institution Developing Central Bank Digital Currency
12.10.2022
Harare Institute of Technology, a Zimbabwean higher learning institution, is reportedly developing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). Quinton Kanhukamwe, the institution’s vice chancellor, said the digital currency is expected to help eliminate vices such as currency manipulation...