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Egypt Aims to Ease Pressure on Forex Reserves via $1 Billion Treasury Bill Auction
6.2.2024
Barely a month after raising $850 million from an auction of dollar-denominated treasury bills, the CBE was reportedly poised to raise $1 billion via similar instruments. The decision to hike overnight interest is said to be part of the central bank’s ongoing efforts to stabilize Egypt’s...
Mbridge Project Has Observers Worried About Advances of the Digital Yuan
15.8.2023
The Mbridge project, a central bank digital currency (CBDC) international payment system, is starting to worry observers. Such a system, when completed, could ostensibly allow the digital yuan to reach more countries in trade settlements, chipping away at the world dominance of the U.S. dollar...
Russian President Vladimir Putin Criticizes the ‘Use of the Dollar as a Political Weapon’
29.7.2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin has railed against using the dollar as a political weapon in a meeting with the New Development Bank’s president, Dilma Rousseff. Putin stated that this weaponization and the recent developments in global finance complicated the institution’s growth...
Latam Insights — Argentina Reaches IMF Agreement, Bitfarms to Open New Mining Operations in Paraguay
25.7.2023
Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of Latin America’s most relevant crypto and economic news during the last week. In this issue, Argentina reached a new agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Bitfarms will open two bitcoin mining farms in Paraguay, and Venezuela is...
Central Bank of Argentina Reduces Dollar and Yuan Disbursement to Importers
21.7.2023
Importers are accusing the Central Bank of Argentina of stalling on the delivery of dollar-based payments under the pretext of high freight costs. According to importers, the Argentine government considers freight costs exceeding 15% of the value of the merchandise imported as an inconsistency....
Central Bank of Argentina Accelerates Yuan Sales and Dollar Purchases as Reserves Dwindle
14.7.2023
The Central Bank of Argentina has accelerated the sale of its Chinese yuan stash, using part of the swap line provided by the government of China while it tries to acquire dollars simultaneously. According to local sources, the country’s reserves have plunged to their lowest levels in eight...
What is the International Monetary Fund, and how does it work?
30.6.2023
Explore the IMF’s objectives, governance structure and key functions in promoting global financial stability
Argentina to Expand De-Dollarization Efforts; Seeks Extension of Yuan Based Swap Line With China
27.5.2023
The government of Argentina is reportedly seeking to expand its de-dollarization agreement with China due to the lack of dollars that the country is facing. According to reports, Economy Minister Sergio Massa would be in talks to expand the current swap line to double the available amount from...
Russian Think Tank Profiles BRICS Bank as IMF Counterpart to De-Dollarize Credit Markets
26.5.2023
The Roscongress Foundation, a Russian think tank, has profiled the New Development Bank, known as the BRICS bank, as an alternative to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its latest “Decolonization in Energy Markets” report. Nation members could secure loans based on their...
Nigeria-China Currency Swap: Activist Lawyer Accuses IMF and World Bank of ‘Economic Sabotage’ to Promote US Dollar, Urges Nigeria to Join BRICS
10.5.2023
Nigerian human rights activist and lawyer, Femi Falana, has accused the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) of sabotaging the currency swap arrangement between China and Nigeria. Falana said the Nigerian central bank and the two global financial institutions are helping...
IMF Says Sub-Saharan Africa Already Feeling Effects of the ‘Big Funding Squeeze’
18.4.2023
Countries from the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region face a “big funding squeeze” which is forcing some of them to cut spending on health, education, and infrastructure. According to Abebe Aemro Selassie, people from the region are already “feeling the effects of the funding...
Report: Zambian Currency Poised for First Quarterly Decline Since 2020
4.4.2023
The Zambian kwacha, one of the best-performing currencies in 2022, is now expected to see its first quarterly decline in nearly two years. The Zambian leader Hakainde Hichilema claimed that stalled debt restructuring negotiations are adding to pressure against the local currency. Zambia’s...
South Africa Added to FATF ‘Grey List’ Despite Designation of Crypto as a Financial Product
26.2.2023
In a move seen as a major setback for South Africa, the international financial watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force, announced on Feb. 24 that it had added the country to its “grey list.” Getting grey-listed by the financial watchdog potentially makes it difficult for South Africa...
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...
Report: Somalia to Fight Inflation and Counterfeiters With New Banknotes
20.1.2023
According to the deputy governor of the Somalian central bank, Ali Yasin Wardheere, the institution plans to fight inflation and currency counterfeiters with newly issued shilling banknotes. The bank reportedly said it hopes to complete the process of replacing old and high-value shilling bills...
Ghanaian Cedi Appreciates by More Than 30% in 4 Days — Currency Recovery Follows IMF Loan Announcement
18.12.2022
Just a few months after it became the world’s worst-performing currency, the Ghanaian cedi’s exchange rate versus the U.S. dollar bounced back from just over 14 units per dollar on Dec. 1, to 8 units for every dollar by Dec. 16, new data has shown. The currency’s resurgence...
IMF Blog: Better Regulation of Africa’s Growing Crypto Market Urgently Needed
24.11.2022
A well-regulated African cryptocurrency market is needed in order to protect users as well as help countries stop bad actors from using digital assets to circumvent capital controls, the latest post on the IMF blog has said. The blog post reiterated the IMF’s belief that risks to a country...
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...
While Official Figures Claim Turkey’s Inflation Rate Is 85%, Third-Party Stats Say It’s Closer to 200%
5.11.2022
Inflation has skyrocketed in Turkey as official figures from the Turkish Statistical Institute (Tüik) show the country’s inflation rate topped 85.5% year-on-year. The inflation rate in Turkey has risen for 17 consecutive months and last month it reached a 24-year high. Turkey’s Interest Rate...