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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...
Chainalysis: Stablecoins Used to Fight Devaluation and Inflation in Latam
24.10.2022
According to Chainalysis, a crypto auditing and blockchain tracking firm, the use of dollar-pegged stablecoins is growing in Latam, specifically in Argentina and Venezuela, due to the common economic problems that both countries are facing. 34% of the “small” transactions include...
Argentina Introduces New Exchange Rates to the Mix — ‘Qatar’ and ‘Coldplay’ Dollars Go Against IMF’s Warnings
14.10.2022
The government of Argentina, which is currently applying dollar exchange controls, has added two new dollar exchange rates into its arsenal: the “Qatar” and “Coldplay” dollars. However, Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has made...
Nigerian Vice President Says Current Naira Exchange Rate ‘Artificially Low’
12.10.2021
Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo recently warned that the country’s official naira exchange rate of N411 for every dollar is artificially low. This exchange rate, according to Osinbajo, discourages foreign exchange entrance into the country. Naira Exchange Rate Must Reflect Realities...
Remittances to Africa Set to Drop by 5.4 % to $41 Billion — Covid-19 Pandemic and High Sending Costs Blamed
21.9.2021
According to findings from the Continental Migration Report 2021, remittances to African countries are projected to decrease from the $44 billion recorded in 2020 to $41 billion. The Covid Effect As expected, the Covid-19 pandemic is identified as one of the main causes of the decline. However...
Cheap Power Is Creating a Bitcoin Mining Boom in Argentina
2.6.2021
Argentina, the ailing South American country, is experiencing a cryptocurrency mining resurgence due to artificially low power rates maintained by subsidies from the national government. This fact, alongside exchange controls and the possibility of selling obtained assets at a higher exchange rate...
Sale of MTI Bitcoins in South Africa Briefly Wipes out Premium Buyers
22.4.2021
The premium or arbitrage gap on bitcoin in South Africa recently turned negative following the offloading of coins worth over $75 million by liquidators of MTI. As a result of the temporary supply glut, buying bitcoins on local South African exchanges briefly became cheaper than buying on overseas...
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...