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Nigerian fintechs crack down on crypto, users face account blocks
3.5.2024
The CBN's attitude to crypto has been inconsistent in recent years and the crackdown contradicts a decision taken in 2021 to facilitate crypto account opening
Yellow Card’s Partnership With Moonpay Set to Enhance Nigerian Users’ Crypto Trading Experience
14.9.2023
Yellow Card, the Africa-focused crypto exchange, recently said it had joined forces with Moonpay in an arrangement which is expected to help “enhance the crypto purchasing experience for Nigerians by leveraging local bank transfers.” According to Uzoma James, Yellow Card’s West...
Report: Nigerian Central Bank Sued for Dollarizing Economy
30.8.2023
In a lawsuit filed by a Nigerian human rights activist, the country’s central bank is accused of failing to stop the dollarization of the economy. According to the activist, the central bank’s unwillingness to stop economic agents from demanding U.S. dollars for domestic transactions...
Nigerian Currency Plunges to New Low, Central Bank Says the Naira Is Undervalued
11.8.2023
The Nigerian currency continued its slide versus the greenback when it fell to a new all-time low of NGN950 per dollar. Folashodun Shonubi, the acting governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, insists that the naira is currently undervalued. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said...
Egyptian and Nigerian Central Banks Sign Agreement to Deepen Cross-Border Regulation
20.7.2023
The central banks of Egypt and Nigeria have signed a fintech agreement to deepen the two institutions’ “cross-border regulatory collaboration” and information sharing. The London Institute of Banking & Finance, which also signed an MOU, will offer training programs, workshops...
US Dollar Shortages: Ethiopia and Nigeria in $100 Million Currency Swap Transaction
17.7.2023
According to a report, the central banks of Ethiopia and Nigeria recently consummated a $100 million currency swap transaction. Under the arrangement, an Ethiopian airliner was paid local currency equivalent to $100 million while Dangote Cement is said to have received a similar amount of nairas....
Nigeria Currency Presently Undervalued Says Bank of America Analysts
4.7.2023
According to Bank of America analysts, the Nigerian currency is currently undervalued and will likely end the year trading at around NGN680 per dollar. The analysts assert that higher oil revenues and a liberalized import regime will likely see Nigeria record current account surpluses in the medium...
Nigerian Currency Falls by More Than 30% After Central Bank Announced New Forex Market Rules
18.6.2023
The Nigerian currency’s official exchange rate versus the greenback recently plunged to NGN634 per dollar from just under NGN470 per dollar. The central bank’s decision to allow the naira to “float” came a few weeks after Nigerian president Bola Ahmed Tinubu pledged to end...
Security Agency Detains Nigeria’s Suspended Anti-Bitcoin Central Bank Governor
12.6.2023
The Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin Emefiele, was suspended by Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on June 9 and was subsequently arrested by a domestic security agency. Several reports have linked Emefiele’s suspension to the central bank’s controversial naira demonetization...
Nigerian Central Bank Blasts Naira Devaluation Report — Publication Stands by Its Story
2.6.2023
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said on June 1 that the report claiming it had devalued the local currency to N631 per dollar “is replete with outright falsehoods and destabilising innuendos.” The Nigerian publication Daily Trust has said it stands by its story and called on...
New Nigerian President Slates Central Bank’s Interest Rate and Currency Demonetization Policy
31.5.2023
The new Nigerian president Bola Ahmed Tinubu has deplored the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s aggressive interest policy which he has reportedly labeled “anti-people” and “anti-business.” Tinubu also announced the scrapping of a fuel subsidy which has been in existence...
Experts Say Nigeria’s Blockchain Adoption Strategy Likely to Add Clarity and Legitimacy to Ecosystem
9.5.2023
The recent approval of a blockchain adoption strategy by the Nigerian government has been described as a milestone that will “add clarity, trust and confidence in the [blockchain] ecosystem.” The unveiling of the adoption strategy document has also been hailed as a step that will lend...
Nigeria Passes ‘National Blockchain Policy,’ Industry Player Says Central Bank Unlikely to Lift Crypto Ban
5.5.2023
The Nigerian Federal government said on May 3 it had passed what it called the “national blockchain policy.” The Nigerian minister of communications and digital economy, Isa Pantami, said the new policy is a product of consultations with 56 institutions and personalities. Lucky Uwakwe...
Report: Nigeria-China Currency Swap Agreement Fails to Ease Pressure on the Naira
16.4.2023
Nigerian economic experts have said the country’s five-year-old currency swap agreement with China has not eased the pressure against the Nigerian currency. According to one expert, implementation of the swap arrangement is being held back by the size of the trade imbalance between Nigeria...
US Banking Crisis: Nigerian Banks Not Directly Exposed to SVB Says Central Bank Governor
25.3.2023
A recent review of Nigerian banks’ bond portfolios showed that the institutions were not directly exposed to Silicon Valley Bank, the governor of the country’s central bank has said. In addition, the governor said the Central Bank of Nigeria’s stringent guidelines help to create...
After Presidential Rebuke, Nigeria’s Central Bank Says Demonetized Naira Banknotes Still Legal Tender
16.3.2023
The Nigerian central bank has said the recently demonetized ₦200, ₦500 and ₦1,000 banknotes will remain legal tender until Dec. 31, 2023. The central bank statement, which reaffirms a Supreme Court ruling that extended the lifespan of the demonetized naira banknotes, followed a rebuke of the CBN...
Nigerian Central Bank Unveils Open Banking Guidelines
12.3.2023
The Nigerian central bank recently said it had issued operational guidelines for open banking in Nigeria which are expected to enhance efficiency and access to financial services. According to the central bank, some of the guidelines’ objectives include ensuring “consistency and security...
Nigerian Banks Resume Dispensing Recently Demonetized Naira Banknotes
11.3.2023
According to local reports, Nigerian financial institutions have begun abiding by a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s demonetization of the 1,000, 500 and 100-naira banknotes. According to the court, Nigerian residents will continue to use...
Nigerian Cash Crisis: Benue State Residents Resort to Barter Trade
1.3.2023
Faced with cash shortages caused by the central bank’s currency policies, traders in the Nigerian state of Benue have reportedly resorted to barter trading. Traders from the state have implored the Nigerian government to consider rescinding the Central Bank of Nigeria’s naira redesign...
Moody’s Says Forex Shortages May Force Nigerian Central Bank to Delay Repaying Local Banks
17.2.2023
The persistent scarcity of foreign exchange may force the Nigerian central bank to delay repaying the $10.4 billion owed to local banks, analysts at Moody’s Investors Service have concluded. The central bank’s failure to pay its debts on time will likely force the affected financial...