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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...
Nigerian Central Bank Prohibits Use of Foreign Exchange as Collateral for Local Currency Loans
10.4.2024
The Central Bank of Nigeria has barred the use of foreign exchange as collateral for local currency loans. In its April 8 letter addressed to banks, the CBN warned of severe consequences for banks that fail to comply with the latest directive. Halting the Slide of the Naira Hamstrung by ongoing...
Beijing Police Uncovers Illegal Sale of Citizen Information Involving $282M Worth of Crypto
8.4.2024
The Beijing police, in collaboration with the Beijing Branch of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, has uncovered a series of cases involving the illegal sale of citizen information using cryptocurrency.
The post Beijing Police Uncovers Illegal Sale of Citizen Information Involving $282M...
Zimbabwe’s Central Bank Launches Gold-and Forex-Backed ‘Structured Currency’
6.4.2024
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has introduced a foreign exchange and gold-backed “structured currency” to replace the struggling local currency. The structured currency banknotes will be “fully convertible into the reserve currency on demand.” The central bank has also reduced...
Court Orders Binance to Hand Over ‘Comprehensive’ User Data to Nigerian Authorities
20.3.2024
A Nigerian high court has ordered Binance to provide the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with comprehensive data relating to all Nigerian traders on its platform. The EFCC alleges it has discovered instances of price discovery, confirmation, and market manipulation on the Binance...
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...
Nigerian Users Criticize Binance for Imposing Exchange Rate Caps on USDT to Naira Transactions
22.2.2024
Some Nigeria-based users of Binance’s peer-to-peer platform have blasted the crypto exchange’s decision to block or remove traders quoting USDT to naira exchange rates exceeding NGN1,802. Binance says it has the right to remove “users behaving in a malicious or manipulative...
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...
Nigerian Currency Plunges to New Low Versus the USD, Central Bank Governor Says Naira is ‘Undervalued’
28.1.2024
The Nigerian currency reportedly plunged to a new low versus the U.S. dollar on the official market on Jan.25. Central Bank governor Olayemi Cardoso has said the naira is currently “undervalued” and that efforts are underway to rectify this. Official and Parallel Market Exchange Rates...
Report: Turkey Exits From Foreign Exchange Protected Deposit Program
3.1.2024
On Jan. 1 Turkey ended its two-year-old foreign exchange (FX)—protected deposit program in what is seen as another step towards a return to orthodoxy. Treasury and Finance Minister, Mehmet Simsek also signaled the start of what he called a “permanent improvement in the current account.”...
China Tightens Grip on Cryptocurrency Trading, Targets Use of Tether in Foreign Exchange
29.12.2023
Source: AdobeStock / Wit Chinese authorities have issued a stern directive for an enhanced crackdown on the use of cryptocurrencies, emphasizing their role in illegal foreign exchange trading as part of ongoing efforts to mitigate financial risks. In a joint statement released on Wednesday,...
‘OTC King’ Zhao Guilty of Unauthorized Crypto Operations, Says Chinese Legal Authority
28.12.2023
Source: Pexels China’s Supreme Procuratorate has reportedly disclosed the details behind the seven-year prison sentence given to the founder of the over-the-counter (OTC) crypto trading desk RenrenBit, Zhao Dong. In a press release on December 27, the Chinese legal authority revealed that...
$2.2 Billion Illegal Forex Operation Busted by Chinese Authorities Using Crypto Platforms
27.12.2023
Source: Adobe / Alen Chinese authorities have reportedly dismantled an illegal underground banking operation that moved some $2.2 billion between China and other countries using overseas “virtual currency trading platforms.” On December 24, an account on social media app WeChat run...
China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange Cracks Down on $2.2 Billion Crypto Exchange Ring
26.12.2023
The Chinese State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) has cracked down on an underground bank that used crypto to offer illegal exchange services. The operation, which had over 1,000 bank accounts and a presence in 17 provinces, moved over 15.8 billion yuan ($2.2 billion) to purchase crypto...
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...