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Nigeria's central bank plans CBDC pilot launch before the end of 2021
11.6.2021
The Central Bank of Nigeria says it is gearing up to test a sovereign digital currency to ease foreign remittance restrictions
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...
Study Shows 36% of Nigerian Adults Are Financially Excluded — Digital Financial Services Bolsters Inclusion
6.6.2021
Nearly 36% of Nigeria’s 106 million adults lack access to both regulated and unregulated financial services, according to the findings of the Enhancing Financial Innovations and Access (EFIA) study. In addition, while the findings do suggest a marginal drop in the percentage of financially...
African Fintech Start-up Chipper Cash Raises $100 Million — CEO Says No Crypto Services for Nigeria
6.6.2021
Chipper Cash, an African fintech firm that specializes in facilitating cross-border payments, recently closed a $100 million Series C funding round. Taking the lead in what is now Chipper Cash‘s third fundraising round in the past twelve months is the venture capital (VC) firm, SVB Capital....
Fleeing Lynchpin of Nigerian Crypto Ponzi Scheme Inksnation Captured
29.5.2021
The lynchpin of Inksnation, one of Nigeria’s biggest crypto Ponzi Schemes, Omotade-Sparks Amos Sewanu, has been captured. According to Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Sewanu, who was on the run, was nabbed in Sokoto, a city located in the northwest part of...
Crypto will ‘come to life’ in Nigeria, central bank governor says
28.5.2021
Emefiele said the Nigerian government will do its best to prevent crypto from being used to finance illicit activities
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...
Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Says “Digital Currency Will Come to Life” but Attacks Volatile Cryptocurrencies
26.5.2021
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, says digital currency “will come to life even in Nigeria” just a few months after the central bank ordered banks to stop serving the crypto industry. While acknowledging his country’s position as one of the leading crypto...
Nigeria Bureau De Change Association Boss Accuses Speculators of Destabilizing the Naira— Says Central Bank Funding Will End Currency Woes
22.5.2021
According to the head of the Nigerian group of bureau de change operators, the naira’s continued fall on the parallel market is down to the activities of speculators. However, Aminu Gwadabe, the president of the Association of Bureau de Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), suggests that only...
Nigeria Devalues Currency as Central Bank Moves to Unify Exchange Rates
17.5.2021
In a possible policy shift, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently allowed the local naira currency to briefly drop to a new low of USD$1 for 419.75 nairas on May 14, 2021. However, by close of business the naira had recovered and was trading around 411.25. Before the latest adjustment,...
Official Remittances to Nigeria Plummet by Almost 40% in a Year When Crypto Use Surged
14.5.2021
According to the latest data from the World Bank, international money transfers into Nigeria dropped by nearly 40% from $23.8 billion recorded in 2019 to $17.2 billion in the past year. Yet despite this fall, remittances, which account for 4% of the country’s GDP, still remain an important...
Mastercard Payment Index: More Consumers in Three African Countries Plan to Use Crypto Based Payment Methods
12.5.2021
According to a recent Mastercard payment index report, the Covid-19 related lockdowns helped spread the use of cryptocurrency in three African countries, namely Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. The report also reveals that a greater number of consumers from these countries are “likely to...
African crypto exchange registers $3.2B in transactions ahead of global expansion
10.5.2021
After a successful run in Nigeria, Quidax announces global expansion plans and the launch of its native token, QDX
Nigeria’s Cryptocurrency Traded Volumes on P2P Platform Top $1.5 Billion
5.5.2021
According to Paxful, a peer-to-peer trading platform, Nigeria’s cryptocurrency traded volumes on the platform topped $1.5 billion in the first four months of the year 2021. This figure represents almost a third of Paxful’s global total volume of $5 billion. This latest traded volume...
Nigeria Stopping the Rejection of Old or Torn USD Notes Underlines Why Crypto Is a Better Reserve Currency
3.5.2021
In early April 2021, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) issued a circular warning Nigerian institutions to stop the practice of rejecting old or lower denomination USD notes. The CBN issued the warning after it became “inundated with complaints from members of the public on the rejection...
Nigerian Regulator Issues ‘Extreme Caution’ Crypto Investments Warning
28.4.2021
Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has become the latest body to warn of risks associated with cryptocurrency investments. In a public warning, the law enforcement agency argues that investing in cryptos “is a high-risk activity as the terrain is largely...
Nigerian hotel becomes country’s first to accept Bitcoin payments
26.4.2021
George Residence in Lagos has announced plans to start accepting BTC payments. The company has already converted 50% of its balance sheet to Bitcoin
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...
Nigeria Money Printing Controvesy: CBN Governor’s Remarks Attacked, Government Denies It Financed Deficit via Money Printing
21.4.2021
The fallout sparked by reports that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) printed over $150 million for states’ funding continued a few days after the allegations were initially made. In the latest twist, the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) vice-chairman Dan Orbih said the...
P2P Bitcoin Traders in Nigeria Think Outside the Box in the Wake of CBN Restrictions
18.4.2021
After the Central Bank of Nigeria issued a directive targeting the country’s cryptocurrency industry, bitcoin and altcoin trade volumes on centralized exchanges immediately plunged. Nevertheless, the new regulations seem to have succeeded in boosting crypto trade volumes on informal markets...