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Nigeria Acts to Stabilize Currency with Forex Auction
4.8.2024
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will reintroduce a foreign exchange auction system as part of efforts to ease pressure on the local currency. The CBN has called on authorized dealer banks to share their respective lists of outstanding forex demand by end users. Auction System Aims to Mitigate...
Ethiopian Premier Defends Currency Float Decision, Rejects Devaluation Claims
3.8.2024
The Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, has defended the decision to float the birr and insisted that this move does not amount to the devaluation of the currency. Ahmed stated that the intention is to unify the official and parallel market exchange rates. Reports suggest that Ethiopia’s decision...
Ghana Launches Centralized Online Foreign Exchange Trading Platform
2.8.2024
The Bank of Ghana has recently launched a centralized online foreign exchange trading platform. This platform aims to enhance secure and efficient operations in the foreign exchange market. As of August 1, 2024, all licensed Foreign Exchange Bureaux are mandated to use this platform for buying...
Ethiopia’s Birr Falls 30% After Currency Float; Forex Surrender Requirements Scrapped
29.7.2024
Ethiopia’s birr plunged 30% against the dollar after the central bank floated the currency as part of reforms aimed at correcting foreign exchange market distortions. The bank also eliminated foreign exchange surrender requirements and lifted restrictions on certain imports. In return...
Zimbabwe Injects $50M in Forex Market to Stabilize Currency
27.7.2024
Zimbabwe’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), has injected over US$50 million into the interbank foreign exchange market to stabilize the economy. This move comes as the parallel market exchange rate is significantly higher than the official rate, causing economic instability....
Giesecke+Devrient: Ghana CBDC Nullifies the Need for Multiple Intermediaries in Cross-Border Payments
25.7.2024
The recently completed proof of concept by the Bank of Ghana and the Monetary Authority of Singapore demonstrated that the latter’s central bank digital currency enables cross-border payments, excluding many intermediaries and associated costs. Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) stated that the proof...
Nigeria Acts to Defend Naira After Currency Hits New Record Low
21.7.2024
The Central Bank of Nigeria recently sold U.S. dollars to Bureaux de Change (BDC) at a flat rate of NGN1,450 per greenback. The central bank stated that eligible BDCs can sell the dollars to end-users at a margin of no more than 1.5% above the purchase exchange rate. The Nigerian apex bank...
IMF Warns Zambia Against Dedollarization, Calls Plan Counterproductive
20.7.2024
An International Monetary Fund representative has cautioned that Zambia’s proposed dedollarization initiative may inadvertently undermine efforts to contain inflation. The representative expressed concern that the prevailing economic conditions in Zambia are not conducive for the country to proceed...
Nigerian Central Bank Warns Financial Institutions Against Rejecting Old or Lower Denomination US Dollars
3.7.2024
The Central Bank of Nigeria warned local financial institutions against rejecting older or lower-denomination U.S. dollar banknotes. The apex bank said it will take strong action against financial institutions that refuse to accept mutilated or overcirculated local currency banknotes. Older U.S....
Nigeria’s Naira Rated Worst-Performing Currency in H1 of 2024; Kenyan Shilling Named Best Performer
30.6.2024
In the first half of 2024, the Nigerian currency depreciated by nearly 40%, making it the worst-performing currency during that period. Meanwhile, the Kenyan shilling appreciated by 20.7%, ranking it as the best performer. The depreciation of the Nigerian naira was primarily driven by U.S. dollar...
Ghana’s Cedi Hits Record Low Against US Dollar Amid Cocoa Output Decline
12.6.2024
The Ghanaian cedi recently plunged to a record low, trading at GHS 14.9335 against the U.S. dollar, which led to its designation as the fourth-worst-performing currency globally. Additionally, a decline in cocoa production has further complicated matters for the cedi, a currency previously ranked...
Nigeria Increases Capital Requirements for Currency Dealers Nearly Sixtyfold to $1.4 Million
25.5.2024
The Central Bank of Nigeria has increased the capital requirements for national bureau de change operators from approximately $24,000 to $1.4 million. The central bank has given operators a six-month period to comply and they must apply for new licenses. The bank’s director for risk management...
IMF Calls Zimbabwe’s Gold-Backed Currency an ‘Important Policy Action’
24.5.2024
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has stated that Zimbabwe’s recently introduced gold-backed fiat currency represents a significant policy step. This is the IMF’s first substantial comment on the currency since its inception. The global lender has reportedly announced plans to send a team...
Nigerian Currency Slides 5% After Central Bank Injects More Than $80 Million Into Forex Market
20.5.2024
The Nigerian naira continued with a downward which recently saw it being named the worst-performing currency when it slid by just over five per cent to erase the previous day’s gains. The naira’s depreciation is said to have occurred just a day after the central bank intervened...
Tether’s USDT Implicated in $2B Illegal Foreign Exchange Scheme in China – Regulation Coming?
15.5.2024
On May 15, a few people suspected in an underground banking operation were arrested by Chinese police in Sichuan province. They have been charged in facilitating illegal foreign currency transactions involving around $2 billion worth of Tether's USDT.
The post Tether’s USDT Implicated in...
Nigerian Currency Becomes Worst-Performing After Erasing All Early April Gains
12.5.2024
The Nigerian currency, which has been depreciating against the U.S. dollar in the past few weeks, has completely erased its gains from early April, making it the worst-performing currency in the world. The decline of the naira is attributed to Nigeria’s ongoing foreign exchange shortages....
Zambian Currency, the Kwacha, Plunges to New Record Low Against US Dollar
10.5.2024
Zambia’s worsening shortage of foreign exchange as well as one of its worst droughts in recent memory saw the local currency drop to a record low of K27.3 to the dollar. As explained in the report, the kwacha has lost as much as 17% in the past six months. Forex Shortages: The Impact...
Nigeria Cryptocurrency Clampdown: Central Bank Directs Fintech Firms to Stop Opening New Accounts
1.5.2024
The Central Bank of Nigeria has directed four fintech companies to cease the creation of new accounts, citing their potential use by cryptocurrency traders. An executive from one of the affected fintech companies has associated the Central Bank’s directive with a current audit of the Know Your...
Nigerian Currency Reverses Early April Gains, Depreciating by 12% in Seven Days
28.4.2024
The Naira recently depreciated by 12% in just seven days, thus shedding all the gains it made against the U.S. dollar in early April. Local media reports attribute the volatile naira’s latest drop to the growing mismatch between the supply and demand of foreign exchange. Demand and Supply Mismatch...
Nigerian Central Bank Governor Denies Using Forex Reserves to Defend Local Currency
20.4.2024
The Nigerian central bank governor has refuted claims that the bank is using the country’s foreign exchange reserves to shore up the naira. The governor attributes the decline in reserves to debt repayments and other payments, which are made because they help to maintain Nigeria’s...