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Report: Lebanese Pound Exchange Rate Against Dollar Plunges to All-Time Low
31.5.2022
After relative calm for a few months, the Lebanese pound has plunged to an all-time low of 35,600 per dollar, a report has said. The currency’s latest slide is expected to worsen Lebanon’s economic challenges. Pound Depreciation In a sign that Lebanon’s ongoing economic crisis...
DAI Takes the Reigns as the Leading Decentralized Stablecoin by Market Capitalization
29.5.2022
Following the demise of the Terra-based stablecoin UST, the fiat-pegged token DAI has become the largest decentralized stablecoin in existence today. Moreover, Makerdao has regained the decentralized finance (defi) protocol’s position as the top defi protocol in terms of total value locked...
Report: Number of African Cryptocurrency Users up by Nearly 2,500%
22.3.2022
The number of cryptocurrency users in Africa grew by almost 2,500% between January 2021 and January 2022, while the average number of monthly transactions went up by 1,400%, a new report by Kucoin has said. Widespread Adoption of Cryptocurrencies According to a new report by crypto exchange Kucoin...
Bitcoin’s Hashpower Drops, BTC Mining Difficulty Expected to Jump Higher in 4 Days
27.2.2022
The processing power behind the Bitcoin network has dropped 30% since the hashrate’s all-time high (ATH) on February 15, sliding from 249 exahash per second (EH/s) to 169 EH/s. Furthermore, four days from now, the network’s mining difficulty is expected to increase following the 4.78%...
Russian Central Bank Ramps up USD Exchange Rate as Ruble Run Worries Mount
25.2.2022
Russia’s Central Bank is desperately trying to avoid a run on the fiat ruble in response to incoming sanctions measures from the EU, the United States, and their allies. And as the Ukraine crisis deepens, the bank has unleashed yet more extreme measures – which may eventually include freezing...
Report: Lebanon Planning to Devalue Currency by 93%, Depositors to Lose $38 Billion
9.2.2022
The Lebanese government is reportedly planning to devalue the local currency by up to 93% in a desperate bid to receive funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). As part of the plan, a major portion of foreign currency deposits in the banking system will be converted into local currency...
Nigerian Remittances Rebound as Country Tops Sub Sahara Africa — Sending Costs Still High
21.11.2021
Nigeria is once again Sub Sahara Africa’s biggest recipient of remittances into the region where the money transfers went up by 6.2 percent to $45 billion, a new World Bank report has shown. The Impact of Nigerian Policies on Remittances According to the November 17, 2021 press release, this...
No Plans to Make US Dollar Sole Currency, Zimbabwean Finance Minister Calls Idea ‘Suicidal’
29.10.2021
The Zimbabwean Finance Minister, Mthuli Ncube, recently told business leaders that he is not planning to make the U.S. dollar the country’s sole currency again. Government Focused on Strengthening Local Currency Instead of entertaining those calling for the dollarization of the Zimbabwean...
Nigerian Presidency: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo Against ‘Willy-Nilly Devaluation of the Naira’
15.10.2021
The Nigerian presidency has denied reports that the country’s Vice President (VP), Yemi Osinbajo, was calling for the devaluation of the local currency when he recently questioned the naira’s official exchange rate. The Huge Arbitrage In fact, according to a report that quotes Laolu...
Nigerian Vice President Says Current Naira Exchange Rate ‘Artificially Low’
12.10.2021
Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo recently warned that the country’s official naira exchange rate of N411 for every dollar is artificially low. This exchange rate, according to Osinbajo, discourages foreign exchange entrance into the country. Naira Exchange Rate Must Reflect Realities...
Nigerian Lawmaker Proposes Closure of All Domiciliary Accounts in Order to Save Imperiled Naira
30.9.2021
Nigerian lawmaker Ibrahim Obanikoro has called on Nigerian authorities to “close all domiciliary accounts for the next 12 months.” Such a move, he argues, will help to ease pressure on the naira, which has depreciated by more than 10% in the past two months. The Naira’s...
Nigerian Central Bank Threats Force Parallel Exchange Rate Tracker to Suspend Service
20.9.2021
Following threats from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the management of Abokifx, a website that tracks the Nigerian currency’s black market exchange rates, has announced the suspension of their daily updates. This suspension will remain in effect until Abokifx gets “better clarity...
Nigerian Currency Plunges to New Low of 570 — 10% of Value Lost in Under 30 Days
17.9.2021
The Nigerian currency, the naira, plunged to a new all-time low of N570 for every dollar on September 16, 2021. This new exchange rate means since August 17, the naira has now lost about a tenth of its value on the foreign currency black market. Naira Overvalued In spite of this plunge, which...
Nigerian Central Bank: We Are Not Worried About the Naira’s Valuation
9.9.2021
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s director of monetary policy, Hassan Mahmud, has suggested that the institution is not worried about the naira’s valuation but is instead interested in “boosting dollar supply on the currency market.” Naira Depreciation According to...
Forex Shortages Force Nigerian Corporates to Turn to Parallel Market
13.7.2021
Nigeria’s ongoing shortage of foreign exchange is forcing corporates and businesses to source this resource on the parallel market, a former official with the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has said. According to Muda Yusuf, who is the previous director-general at LCCI, these...
Angola Hikes Benchmark Interest Rate as Central Bank Attempts to Tame Rising Inflation
5.7.2021
The Angolan central bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) recently hiked the country’s benchmark interest rate from 15.5% to a record of 20%. The largely unexpected hike, which is one of the National Bank of Angola (NBA)’s attempts to curb inflation, marks the first time...
New Bank of America Report Says Digital Currencies ‘Could Boost Economic Growth’ in Developing Countries
23.6.2021
A new Bank of America (BOA) research study has found that both central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and private digital currencies hold “a lot of potential” for increasing financial inclusion in developing countries. In the report, the bank also argues that such “digital...
New World Bank Report: Nigeria’s Exchange Rate Policies Fueling Inflation, Affecting Food Prices
21.6.2021
Nigeria’s use of multiple exchange rates regimes may have contributed to a rise in the country’s inflation rate, the latest World Bank report has said. In addition, the report says ongoing restrictions on the use and movement of foreign exchange are “further pushing up prices...
After Central Bank Devalues Naira by 5% Finance Minister Attributes Drop to ‘Market Forces’
14.6.2021
Nigerian Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed has denied widespread reports that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had sanctioned the devaluation of the local currency sometime in May 2021. Instead, she attributes the naira’s fall to the “volatility in the oil price.” Ahmed’s...
Cheap Power Is Creating a Bitcoin Mining Boom in Argentina
2.6.2021
Argentina, the ailing South American country, is experiencing a cryptocurrency mining resurgence due to artificially low power rates maintained by subsidies from the national government. This fact, alongside exchange controls and the possibility of selling obtained assets at a higher exchange rate...