Business

Naira Slides Further As Dollar Shortage Hits Banks

Published

2 years ago

August 14, 2023

The widening gap between the demand and supply of dollars in the banks and at the parallel market has continued to worsen the value of the naira, findings by The PUNCH have revealed.

In less than three weeks, the naira lost N100 after sliding from 860/$ to 960/$ at the parallel market as of Friday.

Before the Central Bank of Nigeria enabled the free float of the naira against other global currencies in June, the naira had traded at 471/$ at the Investor & Exporter window.

However, on June 13, a day after the regulator floated the local currency, the naira rose to 664/$ the next day.

However, the naira which traded in a close margin at both the official I&E window and parallel market soon began to witness serious volatility in the black market.

After crossing the N900/dollar ceiling at the parallel market last week, the local currency tumbled to 925/dollar in Lagos.

On Friday, the naira reached a high of 799/$ before closing at 740.60/$ at the I&E forex window. However, at the parallel market, the naira closed at 930/dollar in Lagos and 960/$ in Abuja at the parallel market.

The development came as dollar shortage hits banks with several lenders complaining of not having enough greenback to meet customers’ demand.

At the parallel market, currency dealers also complained of dollar shortage.

Bank officials said the CBN removal of cash deposit limits on domiciliary accounts in June had led to the repatriation of funds through the banks.

As a result, he said the demand for the dollar had outweighed the supply significantly.

“Some of the dollars are being repatriated through the banks but the demand is still higher than supply because everyone is still sourcing for dollar for imports, PTA, BTA, others,” an official of a lender, who chose to speak on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said.

“Nigerians are still hoarding dollar, customers are still hoarding FX because they don’t trust the policy. Banks are not getting forex supply from the CBN regularly like before,” he added.

Also, an official of tier-1 bank, who pleaded anonymity, said, “Before, the banks used to get dollar from the CBN every week but now, it has reduced drastically; we have not been getting again. Banks are sourcing for forex everywhere. The banks don’t have enough. We have not been getting supply from the CBN for weeks now.”

The President, Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria, Aminu Gwadabe, in a chat with our correspondent, said liquidity squeeze in the FX market had continued to put the naira under heavy attack from speculators.

He said, “The dwindling supplies in the I&E window shifted the demand to the parallel market where volatility and spikes is most pervasive. The entire forex market is plagued by liquidity shortages.

“The banks, as a result of the supply shortages, are limiting their available position for the financing of visible letters of credit and abandoning the invisible request like PTA, school fees, medicals of their clients and inadvertently adding more pressure in the parallel market.”

He added, “As it is, most licensed BDCs due to their demand for KYC requirement have lost their clients to the parallel and undocumented space with no regulation and standardisation. It is indeed a difficult time for most of our members as we are excluded from the harmonised market.”

Proffering solutions, Gwadabe said Nigerians should aspire to have a stable exchange rate devoid of illegal economic behaviour like arbitrages, hoarding and panic buying.

“ABCON is desirous to partner the apex bank and the Federal Government for an elaborate dialogue and engagement to champion paths to naira recovery,” he said.

He added that the financial architecture should be reviewed to include BDCs in the harmonised markets.

The monetary and fiscal authorities should create enabling environment and friendly policies, he said.
VANGUARD

Business

NNPCL Raises Fuel Price

Published

2 weeks ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has increased the pump price of petrol from ₦865 to ₦992 per litre, marking a fresh hike that has sparked widespread concern among motorists and consumers .

As of the time of filing this report, the company has not released any official statement explaining the reason for the sudden adjustment.

During visits to several NNPC retail outlets, The Nation observed fuel attendants recalibrating their pumps to reflect the new price.

At NNPC filling station on Ogunusi road, Ojodu Berger, petrol attendants at the station said they were instructed to change the price to reflect the new rate N992 per litre.

However, checks at Ibafo along the Lagos /Ibadan expressway showed that NNPC outlets still displayed the old price of N875 per litre, although they were not selling to commuters.

Most of the NNPC stations were not dispensing fuel.

Business

CBN Directs Banks To Refund Failed ATM Transactions Within 48hrs

Published

2 weeks ago

October 11, 2025

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria has directed Deposit Money Banks and other financial institutions to refund customers for failed Automated Teller Machine transactions within 48 hours, in a sweeping reform aimed at protecting consumers and restoring confidence in the banking system.

The directive is contained in a draft guideline released by the apex bank on Saturday, titled “Exposure of the Draft Guidelines on the Operations of Automated Teller Machines in Nigeria.”

The document, signed by Musa I. Jimoh, Director of Payments System Policy Department, was circulated to banks, payment service providers, card schemes, and independent ATM deployers, with a call for stakeholder feedback by October 31, 2025.

Under the draft, failed “on-us” transactions, where customers use their own bank’s ATM, must be reversed instantly. If technical glitches prevent immediate reversal, the bank is required to manually refund the customer within 24 hours.

For “not-on-us” transactions, involving other banks’ ATMs, refunds must be processed within 48 hours.

“Customers must not be made to suffer for failed transactions caused by system errors or network failures,” the circular stressed.

In a significant shift, the CBN mandated banks and ATM acquirers to deploy technology that automatically reverses failed or partial transactions, removing the need for customers to lodge complaints.

Institutions holding customer funds due to failed disbursements must reconcile and return balances immediately.

According to the apex bank, these measures respond to widespread frustration over delayed refunds and poor customer service and form part of a broader effort to enhance consumer protection, improve reliability, and modernise Nigeria’s payment infrastructure in line with global standards.

The guidelines will also overhaul ATM operations nationwide. Banks and card issuers are now required to deploy at least one ATM for every 5,000 active cards, with phased targets of 30% compliance in 2026, 60% in 2027, and full compliance by 2028. Any future deployment, relocation, or decommissioning of ATMs must receive prior approval from the CBN.

To ensure safety, ATMs must be fitted with anti-skimming devices, CCTV cameras, and placed in enclosed or well-lit areas.

Machines are expected to comply with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, maintain audit logs, and display functional helpdesk contacts. At least 2% of all ATMs must feature tactile symbols for visually impaired customers.

ATMs are also required to dispense cash before returning cards, allow free PIN changes, issue receipts for all transactions except balance inquiries, display clear transaction fees, dispense only clean banknotes, and provide backup power to reduce downtime.

Downtime must not exceed 72 consecutive hours, after which operators must inform the public of the cause and expected restoration time.

The CBN will enforce compliance through regular audits, on-site inspections, and monthly reports from ATM operators detailing deployments and locations. Defaulting institutions risk sanctions, though fines were not specified.

The apex bank explained that the overhaul was necessary due to rising complaints about failed transactions, cyber fraud, and declining service quality, noting that “the goal is to build a payments system that works seamlessly for everyone, urban and rural users alike.”

Nigeria’s electronic payments landscape has grown rapidly in recent years, with 200 million cardholders and rising reliance on digital banking, but network failures, poor infrastructure, and delayed reversals have continued to undermine confidence.

The fresh guidelines, coming eight months after a revision of ATM fees, are expected to streamline service delivery, enhance transaction security, and hold banks accountable. Stakeholders are invited to submit feedback ahead of the final policy adoption, which could take effect before the end of the year.

Business

Nigerian Stock Market Hits 10th Consecutive Uptrend As investors Gain N308bn

Published

2 weeks ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian Stock Market recorded its 10th consecutive uptrend as investors raked in N308 billion gain on Thursday.

This comes as the Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX, market capitalisation, which opened at N92.490 trillion, appreciated by 0.33 per cent to close at N92.798 trillion on Thursday.

Also, the All-Share Index added 0.33 per cent, or 485.25 points, to close at 146,204.34, compared with 145,719.09 recorded on Wednesday.

Increased trading in Eunisell Interlinked, Caverton Offshore Support Group, Sunu Assurances, Industrial and Medical Gases, Mecure, and 27 other advancing stocks boosted market performance on Thursday.

To this end, the market breadth also closed positive with 32 gainers and 21 losers.

Further analysis showed that Eunisell Interlinked and Caverton Offshore Support Group led the gainers’ chart by 10 per cent each, closing at N44 and N6.93 per share, respectively, while FTN Cocoa Processors led the losers’ table by 6.67 per cent, closing at N5.60 per share.

Market activity showed a decline in the number of deals and volume traded but an improvement in trade value.

Accordingly, a total of 346.99 million shares worth N27.43 billion were traded in 24,691 deals, compared with 525.72 million shares worth N13.61 billion exchanged in 25,597 deals on Wednesday.

Fidelity Bank topped the activity chart with 42.01 million shares valued at N861.54 million.

According to DAILY POST, NGX has continued its bullish run from last month’s end to date.