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Volatile Nigerian Currency Rallies 12%, Becomes Best-Performing Currency in April
15.4.2024
After months of sustained decline, the Nigerian currency has rallied since March and is currently ranked as the best-performing fiat currency in April. Andrew Matheny, an economist at Goldman Sachs, said the naira’s momentum can only be maintained if policymakers do not deviate from their...
Economic Intelligence Unit: Nigerian Central Bank Lacks Capacity to Defend Local Currency
12.3.2024
The Economic Intelligence Unit has stated that the Central Bank of Nigeria cannot halt the rapid depreciation of the local currency. The continued volatility of the naira is expected to result in erratic regulation, primarily affecting businesses that hold foreign exchange. Nigeria Presses Ahead...
Egypt Devalues Currency, Raises Interest Rates to Fulfill Key IMF Aid Requirement
8.3.2024
Authorities in Egypt recently allowed the local currency’s exchange rate versus the U.S. dollar to decrease by more than 60%. Additionally, the central bank raised interest rates by 600 basis points. Both steps were key conditions set by the IMF which Egypt had to meet before the approval of a...
Nigeria’s Headline Inflation Increases as Central Bank Intensifies Foreign Exchange Controls
17.2.2024
In the first month of 2024, Nigeria’s headline inflation rose from nearly one percent to 29.9%. However, on a year-on-year basis, the January 2024 headline inflation rate was 8.08 percentage points higher than the January 2023 rate. Many commentators identify foreign exchange shortages as...
Nigerian Currency Depreciation: Central Bank Head Reaffirms Commitment to Reviving Confidence in the Economy
8.2.2024
The Nigerian central bank remains committed to building confidence in the economy but that hinges on the implementation of “bold reforms” and residents’ help in easing pressure on the naira. However, critics have faulted the central bank’s policies including the devaluation...
Nigeria Forex Crisis: Central Bank Removes Cap on Exchange Rate for International Money Transfer Operators
4.2.2024
The Central Bank of Nigeria announced on Jan. 31 that it had removed caps on naira payout rates that international money transfer operators are allowed to quote. The central bank said the policy change is an effort aimed at further liberalizing the foreign exchange market. The naira’s Feb.1...
Report: Nigerian Currency Plunges to New Low Versus the US Dollar
22.12.2023
The official exchange rate of the Nigerian currency versus the U.S. dollar recently plunged to a record low of 1,248 naira for every greenback. The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria has told the country’s legislators that he sees the foreign exchange market stabilizing in 2024. Official...
Economist Peter Schiff Warns US Dollar Collapse ‘Inevitable’
5.8.2023
Economist Peter Schiff has warned of an impending collapse of the U.S. dollar even though he sees Fitch’s downgrade of the U.S. rating this week as “meaningless.” While cautioning about a financial crisis and a crash, Schiff emphasized: “Given the trajectory of U.S....
Study: Six Countries Account for Over 90% of Africa’s Crypto Interest in H1 2023
18.7.2023
Between Jan. 1 and July 4, the Nigerian share of Africa’s overall interest in cryptocurrency stood at 66.8%, a figure nearly eight times that of second-ranked South Africa’s share, according to the latest Coingecko report. South Africa, along with Morocco, Ghana, Egypt, and the Ivory...
Turks Turn to Tether Amid Record Inflation, Limited Access to Dollar, Report Reveals
12.6.2023
People in Turkey have been seeking refuge in stablecoins as their national fiat continues to depreciate against the greenback. The Turkish lira saw a record drop in its exchange rate with the U.S. dollar when the country’s central bank halted intervention after the recent presidential vote....
An African Perspective on Why the World Needs Cryptocurrencies
29.12.2021
Rising cryptocurrency use in Africa over the past few years has not only shown that digital currencies are now a vital means of moving funds across borders and between people, but that cryptocurrencies are also an important means of accessing global markets for the financially excluded....
Blockchain Entrepreneur to Regulators: ‘Crypto Community a Useful Ally’
16.8.2021
To many people, the year 2020 will probably go down in history as one of the most consequential of the century. After all, it was the year when governments, health professionals, and business owners all seemed to have a common goal: stopping the spread of Covid-19 at all costs. Indeed, in...
Nigerian Lawmakers Slam Naira Devaluation, Warn of Inflation Implications
11.6.2021
Nigeria’s House of Representatives has moved a motion calling on the country’s central bank to end the continuing devaluation of the naira. In his unanimously adopted motion, House Representative Bamidele Salam warned the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) of the negative “implications...
Nigeria’s Naira Loses Ground on Forex Black Market Just a Few Days After Devaluation
28.5.2021
The Nigerian naira currency lost further ground against major currencies after it depreciated to 493 nairas for one dollar on the black market on May 25, 2021. Before the latest depreciation, the currency had stabilized at around 485 nairas to the dollar. This was shortly after the exchange rate...
Nigerians Shun Local Currency— Seek to Protect Wealth From Inflation and Currency Depreciation with Foreign Currency
23.4.2021
Nigerians are thought to be accumulating foreign currencies which they believe will protect their wealth from the naira’s volatility as well as the surging inflation. Further, as a research paper in a journal published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) found, Nigerians’ use...
Peter Schiff Blames Government for the Massive Dollar Depreciation — Still Refuses to Accept BTC is Digital Gold
14.12.2020
Gold bug and bitcoin opponent Peter Schiff says the U.S. government’s actions in the past 78 years are partly responsible for the massive depreciation of the U.S. dollar. Using a medical bill from 1942 to illustrate the extent of the dollar’s decline, Schiff says the $70 paid to foot...
Mexican Billionaire Ricardo Pliego Invests 10% of Liquid Portfolio in Bitcoin- Says the Crypto Shields Against Wealth Expropriation
19.11.2020
Mexico’s second-richest person Ricardo Salinas Pliego confirms that 10% of his liquid portfolio is invested in bitcoin. The billionaire says the top crypto protects the wealth of private citizens from getting expropriated. Pliego advises his followers that might want to follow his...
Currency Depreciation to Blame for 7.2% Drop in Global Remittances: World Bank Supports Digital Remittances
10.11.2020
According to a new report, the depreciation of some currencies against the U.S. dollar is contributing to the declining international remittances. After touching an all-time high of $548 billion in 2019, the World Bank report now projects remittances to drop 7.2% in 2020 to $508 billion and...
Argentina’s Peso Plunges After Central Bank Tightens Foreign Exchange Controls: Citizens Discuss Bitcoin Adoption
18.9.2020
The Argentine peso plunged by more than 10% shortly after the country’s central bank announced measures to tighten controls on the movement of foreign currency. The peso, which is officially pegged at 72 for every USD, touched new lows of 145 to the greenback on the black market. The latest...
Nigeria Foreign Exchange Crisis: Worsening US Dollar Shortages Point to Further Devaluation
2.9.2020
Pressure on Nigeria’s current exchange rate is likely to get worse in 2021, when the expected recovery of imports is set to force another devaluation of the local currency to N430/$ next year, according to two Bank of America analysts. Earlier rate adjustments, one in March and another...