Search
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...
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....
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,...
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...
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...
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...
Central Bank of Nigeria Blocks Fintech Startups From Accessing KYC Service— Decision Described as an ‘Attack on All Fintechs’
12.4.2021
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has recently suspended the provision of the bank validation number (BVN) service to all fintech and third-party partners. The decision means non-banks entities include crypto startups “have lost one of the most comprehensive means of identity verification...
P2P Bitcoin Trade Volumes Surge in Kenya and Ghana but Nigeria Still Dominates
11.4.2021
According to new data, peer-to-peer (P2P) bitcoin trade volumes in Kenya and Ghana surged in Q1 of 2021, with the two countries now ranked second and third respectively. On the other hand, volumes in South Africa, which occupied second place in 2020, dropped marginally. Consequently, South Africa...
African Migrants Are Turning to Cryptocurrency Platforms for ‘Low-Fee Remittances’
31.3.2021
As central banks on the African continent fight to keep cryptocurrencies from going mainstream, many more migrant workers are increasingly turning to money-sending platforms that use cryptocurrencies when moving funds across borders. More Than Just an Investment Thus in addition to becoming...
Central Bank of Nigeria Official Reiterates Nigerian Residents Free to Trade Cryptos: Directive Only Applies to Banking Sector
21.3.2021
A senior executive with Nigeria’s central bank, Adamu Lamtek, has reportedly denied that his institution had placed restrictions on the use of cryptocurrencies. Instead, Lamtek, who is the deputy governor responsible for corporates services at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), says...
Nigeria to Pay 1.2 Cents for Each Dollar Remitted to the Country to Combat Cryptocurrency Use
9.3.2021
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced a scheme that seeks to boost international remittances as well as to encourage the use of official corridors when retrieving funds. The CBN’s move to incentivise recipients follows the plummeting of the country’s official remittances...
Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo Contradicts Central Bank, Says Cryptocurrencies Must Regulated and Not Prohibited
27.2.2021
In an apparent rebuke of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Vice President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo says the country’s monetary authorities must consider regulating crypto assets. He adds that instead of “killing the goose that might lay the golden egg”, Nigerian monetary...
Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Defends Decision to Exclude Crypto Players, Says the Order Is ‘in the Best Interests of Nigerians’
26.2.2021
The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele has defended the apex bank’s decision to exclude cryptocurrency transactions from the banking ecosystem. In his testimony before the Nigerian Senate, Emefiele claimed that the February 5 directive is “in the best...
IMF Representative of Nigeria Calls for Caution Over the Use of Cryptocurrencies
20.2.2021
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) resident representative for Nigeria, Ari Aisen recently discussed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) directive that targets crypto entities. In remarks made during a special virtual press briefing, Aisen repeats some of the CBN’s claims that...