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Ghana Takes Steps to Operationalize Gold-for-Oil Scheme — Move Expected to Help Halt Cedi’s Depreciation
27.11.2022
According to directives issued by Samuel A. Jinapor, the Ghanaian minister for lands and natural resources, large-scale gold mining companies will be required to “sell 20% of all refined gold at their refineries to the Bank of Ghana.” A gold-for-oil scheme is part of the Ghanaian...
Nigeria’s Rising Inflation and Foreign Exchange Shortages Fueling Devaluation Speculation — IMF Mission
20.11.2022
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s mission concluding statement, Nigeria’s rising inflation rate as well as the continuing shortage of foreign currency are fueling the naira devaluation speculations. To achieve a unified naira exchange rate, the global lender said...
Wells Fargo, HSBC Add Offshore Yuan to Blockchain Foreign-Exchange System
17.11.2022
The system started operating almost a year ago with the U.S. and Canadian dollars, British pound and euro and has settled over $200 billion in transactions
Nigerian Currency Gains Versus US Dollar Days After Tapping All-Time Low
10.11.2022
Just a few days after plummeting to its worst exchange rate against the U.S. dollar ever, the Nigerian currency was trading at around 820 units for every dollar on Nov. 8, a report has said. An economist has suggested that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s controversial currency plan is unlikely...
World’s Worst Performing Currency, the Cedi, Reverses Gains — Economist Steve Hanke Says Ghana Inflation Now Over 140%
10.11.2022
Just days after registering marginal gains against the U.S. dollar, the Ghanaian currency — the cedi — slipped to C14:$1 versus the U.S. dollar on the foreign exchange parallel market on Nov. 7. The cedi’s reversal is said to have dented the currency’s recovery prospects. On the other...
Displaying US Dollar Prices Still Prohibited, Ghanaian Central Bank Tells Actress Lydia Forson
5.11.2022
The Bank of Ghana recently warned businesses quoting U.S. dollar prices that the practice is still prohibited and that the cedi remains Ghana’s sole legal tender. The bank said it is working with law enforcement to “clamp down on illegal foreign exchange operations.” In addition...
Nigerian Currency Redesign Controversy: Naira Slips by Almost 20%, Experts See Exchange Rate Reaching 1,000:1 USD Before Year End
5.11.2022
The Nigerian currency appeared to accelerate its decline versus the U.S. dollar after it slipped to a new low of 900 naira for every dollar. The currency has continued to depreciate even after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s raid on suspected illegal foreign exchange dealers....
Foreign Exchange Transactions Take Center Stage in New BIS CBDC Report
26.10.2022
The Bank for International Settlements tested its central bank digital currency research project, mBridge, in another pilot focused on foreign exchange transactions, a new report says
Ethiopia Orders Banks to Reject Requests for Foreign Exchange to Buy ‘Non-Priority Products’
19.10.2022
The Ethiopian government has instructed banks to reject requests for foreign currency to buy so-called non-priority products. The Ethiopian Minister of Industry Melaku Alebel Addis has defended the move, saying this will allow local manufacturers to grow and become competitive. The restrictions...
Report: Ghanaian Currency Slips to Another Low Versus the US Dollar
17.10.2022
After it slipped to a rate of about 12:1, the Ghanaian cedi became the latest African currency to touch a new low versus the U.S. dollar, albeit on the unofficial foreign exchange market. Having started 2022 trading around 6.25 per dollar, the cedi has now lost over 90% against the appreciating...
FX Strategists From Citi Say Euro Could Sink to $0.86 if Macro Turmoil Continues
16.10.2022
While the euro has found support between 0.96 to 0.97 nominal U.S. dollars per unit, foreign exchange (FX) strategists from Citi believe the euro could tap a low of around $0.86 against the greenback. While the dollar slumped on October 13, the fiat currency is rising again and market strategists...
Japanese Yen Plunges to 32-Year Low Against US Dollar — Another Intervention by Authorities Expected
16.10.2022
The Japanese yen’s exchange rate versus the U.S. dollar recently plunged to its lowest rate in 32 years — 147.66 JPY per dollar. The yen’s latest fall comes less than a month after its slip in September prompted authorities to enter foreign exchange markets for the first time since...
Report: Withdrawal Limits for Egyptian Travelers Lowered as Banks Seek to Conserve Scarce Forex
13.10.2022
According to a report, some Egyptian banks recently informed clients who plan to travel abroad that they can now only withdraw $2,000 or less. The banks have also lowered the amount of foreign exchange that clients can withdraw when abroad. Egypt’s ongoing shortage of foreign exchange...
Report: Zimbabwe Tertiary Learning Institution Developing Central Bank Digital Currency
12.10.2022
Harare Institute of Technology, a Zimbabwean higher learning institution, is reportedly developing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). Quinton Kanhukamwe, the institution’s vice chancellor, said the digital currency is expected to help eliminate vices such as currency manipulation...
Kenyan Central Bank Rejects Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s Claims Country Lacks Forex to Import Oil
4.10.2022
The Central Bank of Kenya appeared to rebuke the country’s new deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, after it rejected the latter’s claims the East African nation lacks enough foreign exchange to import oil. According to the bank, all the foreign exchange used in private transactions...
Forex Shortages Blamed After Nigerian Currency Hits New Low Versus the US Dollar
3.10.2022
A surge in the demand for foreign exchange and the general scarcity of the resource may be the reasons why the naira currency recently slumped to a new all-time low of 735 versus the U.S. dollar, a report has said. One Nigerian currency dealer said he expects the naira to further depreciate to...
China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and UAE Trial Cross-Border Transactions With Digital Currencies
29.9.2022
The monetary authorities of four jurisdictions in Asia have carried out tests with international settlements using state-issued digital currencies. Cross-border payments and foreign exchange transactions totaling over $22 million were made as part of the pilot project with the participation of...
Hong Kong Protects Local Currency in Forex Market Amid Capital Flight to US Dollar
29.9.2022
Following the Bank of England explaining that it would be meddling in U.K. bond markets and the Bank of Japan defending the yen in the foreign exchange market last week, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) revealed it intervened in forex markets on Wednesday. Hong Kong’s central bank...
Report: Gap Between Ethiopian Currency’s Official and Parallel Market Exchange Rate Grows to New Record
25.9.2022
The Ethiopian birr currency’s parallel exchange rate against the U.S. dollar recently dropped to a low of 92 birrs per dollar, a report has said. The report added that following this latest plunge, the gap between the birr’s official and parallel market exchange rates has widened to...
Bank of Japan Intervenes in Foreign Exchange Markets After Yen Slips to 24-Year Low
22.9.2022
While the greenback has been rising higher, the Japanese yen tapped a 24-year low and Japan decided to intervene in foreign exchange markets (forex) for the first time since 1998. Reports say the Bank of Japan conducted the first forex intervention in 24 years, after the Japanese central bank kept...