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Nigerian Twitter Suspension Has Unintended Effects on Country’s Crypto Community
6.7.2021
On the surface, it looks like Nigeria’s suspension of Twitter operations on June 4 may have been triggered by the microblogging company’s decision to take down a controversial tweet — from President Mohammed Buhari. However, as some observers have noted, the removal of the tweet...
Nigerian Currency Overvalued by 10% Says Central Bank Governor
1.7.2021
The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has reportedly told investors that the country’s currency is overvalued by 10%. The governor’s remarks, which have been confirmed by two unnamed sources, suggest that the central bank is planning to devalue the naira...
Nigerian Learning Institution Says It Now Accepts Crypto as Payment for School Fees
29.6.2021
A learning institution in Nigeria’s Kano state, the New Oxford Science Academy, recently announced it will be accepting cryptocurrency as payment for school fees. According to the school’s proprietor, Sabi’u Musa Haruna, the institution arrived at this decision after consulting...
Nigerian Central Bank Threatens Jail Time for Citizens Caught Defacing Naira Banknotes
16.6.2021
Fighting to stop the value of the naira from dropping further, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) faces yet another problem: abuse of naira banknotes. According to the CBN’s Aladeen Badajo, the central bank is concerned with the rate at which Nigerians “mutilate, deface, squeeze and even...
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...
The CBN Says Nigeria Will Have a Digital Currency Before End of Year
12.6.2021
Nigeria is likely to have its own central bank digital currency (CBDC) by the end of the year, an official with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said. In his remarks following the bankers’ committee meeting, Rakiya Mohammed, who is the director of information technology at CBN, also...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Sale of MTI Bitcoins in South Africa Briefly Wipes out Premium Buyers
22.4.2021
The premium or arbitrage gap on bitcoin in South Africa recently turned negative following the offloading of coins worth over $75 million by liquidators of MTI. As a result of the temporary supply glut, buying bitcoins on local South African exchanges briefly became cheaper than buying on overseas...
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...
Nigeria’s SEC in Talks With Central Bank of Nigeria Over Crypto Regulation— 2020 Crypto Guidelines Still Suspended
17.4.2021
Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has revealed that talks with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regarding the regulation of cryptocurrencies are ongoing. The securities regulator also reiterated that due to a CBN directive that was issued on February 7, 2021, the crypto...
Nigerian Blockchain Educator Says Uncertain Regulations and Scams Slow Adoption of Cryptocurrencies
15.4.2021
With a population of over 200 million, Nigeria is widely regarded as one the biggest crypto markets in the world. Some in the crypto world believe Nigeria is one of the few countries better placed to see a greater acceptance of digital currencies. However, despite this optimism, the Nigerian crypto...