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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.
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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....
Nigeria's foreign investment at risk due to Binance bribery allegations
12.5.2024
SBM Intelligence emphasized that detaining foreign business officials could make it challenging for the country to attract investors
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...
Nigerian SEC Set To Meet With Foreign Crypto Exchanges Amid Regulatory Crackdown: Report
3.5.2024
The Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will meet with crypto exchanges to discuss the state of crypto regulation in the African nation, a Friday report from CoinTelegraph reveals. News of the meeting comes as Binance executives Nadeem Anjarwalla and Tigran Gambaryan face charges...
US Imposes Sanctions on Crypto Addresses Linked to Russian Drone Maker
2.5.2024
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury launched an action against a developer at OKO Design Bureau, a drone manufacturer with headquarters in Russia, on May 1. Three crypto addresses connected to the developer were added to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list...
Jack Dorsey’s Block Faces DOJ Probe Over Alleged Transactions With Sanctioned Nations and Terrorist Groups
2.5.2024
Department of Justice (DOJ) federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York are investigating fintech company Block, formerly known as Square, for significant compliance failures in its transaction monitoring systems after a former employee revealed lapses that included processing...
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...
Russia Warns US of Further Aggravation After Funding Bill Passes Amid Heightened Geopolitical Strife
22.4.2024
Amid ongoing global tensions, the price of gold remains robust at $2,391 per troy ounce, while bitcoin continues to trade at a 12% deficit from its peak value. Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a series of funding bills for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Following the bill’s...
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...
Edward Snowden Sounds Alarm on NSA’s Plans to Expand Surveillance Under New FISA Amendment
16.4.2024
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has warned that the National Security Agency (NSA) is on the verge of significantly expanding its surveillance capabilities through a new bill amending Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), potentially allowing the government to compel...
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.
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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...
Tron’s Parent Company Seeks Dismissal of SEC Lawsuit, Citing ‘Predominantly Foreign Conduct’
1.4.2024
The entity behind the layer-1 blockchain Tron has requested the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by the SEC against it, arguing that the regulator's focus on "predominantly foreign conduct" goes beyond its jurisdiction.
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U.S. Sanctions Hezbollah Crypto Operator Linked to Terrorist Funding
26.3.2024
A hawala operator who worked with agents from Hezbollah on cryptocurrency funding infrastructure has been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the federal agency announced Tuesday. Tawfiq Muhammad Said Al-Law is accused of providing digital wallets to...