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CBN-BDC Scuffle: After CBN Ban, BDCs Move to P2P Forex as an Alternative Source of Forex

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P2P Forex

Over a month has passed since the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) stopped selling forex to Bureau De Change (BDC), leaving many wondering how these parallel market operators will continue to operate in the face of the new CBN policy.

BDC operators play an important role in Nigeria’s economy as informal financiers. This creates a strong foundation for cooperation with apex banking. The apex bank was unable to control the BDCs due to greed and the pursuit of abnormal profits. Godwin Emefiele (the Governor of CBN), ended the relationship as he addressed the media during the MPC briefing, Tuesday 27th July 2021.

He stated that in particular, they have noticed with disappointment and great concern that BDC operators had abandoned their original objective for the establishment, which was serving retail end-users who have $5,000 or less. He claimed that they have turned into wholesale dealers in illegal foreign currency, averaging millions of dollars per transaction.

Despite the fact Nigeria being the only country where a central bank sells dollars directly at the BDCs today, operators in the Nigeria BDC market have not reciprocated that gesture to maintain price stability in that segment.

This approach has hurt top Forex brokers in Nigeria multiple times, many of them even abandoning the local market and switching to international instead. Although reports have suggested that the governor may appeal to the apex bank for assistance, his resolve seems unshaken.

There are ongoing investigations on how these developments have affected the operation of BDCs. An operator of a BDC stated anonymously that BDCs can make money other than the CBN sale. He stated that BDCs were not closing down shops.

He explained that funds inflow refers to money that comes from outside Nigeria, mainly from the UK and other European countries and they can receive a large amount of money due to the account BDCs use.

They normally assist customers in accepting these inflows from overseas and facilitate outflows to countries such as China. There are limitations on how much money one can deposit or send to their domiciliary accounts.

“However, BDC operators have relationships with parties around the world that can facilitate smooth and seamless payment.” He said that there was no way for him to source foreign currency in Nigeria right now.

Abbas, another BDC operator, stated that it is important to be creative in dealing with difficult situations in Nigerian businesses and BDCs are no exception.

He joked that those who cannot keep up with the pace of business would need to shut down. Nigeria is only for the strong players, he says. BDC operators that cannot overcome challenges will have to close their doors.

“It’s not easy to get dollars but for the moment, most of my colleagues and I have discovered that dealing directly with customers has proven more profitable than dealing with licensees.”

He said that he only uses customers with proper documentation like passports and travel documents to get the maximum amount of personal or business travel allowances (PTAs) from banks. Because of the large number of people who are interested in travelling out of the country, this is a significant source of forex supply for BDC operators.

This avenue has been very profitable as it has allowed them to purchase dollars at a lower price and then sell them at black-market rates, while still making significant profits. While this method is not sustainable, he believes that there will be more creative channels soon.

Ango, a BDC operator, also confirmed that BDC operators work in partnership with individuals to obtain FX from banks.

“If someone wishes to take a personal travel allowance, they will need to show us their documentation. We would then fund his account to receive the maximum amount from the bank. Everyone gets a cut so the transaction runs smoothly. The licenses are ineffective at the moment because the CBN has stopped giving us dollars,” he said.

BDC operators are now more dependent on peer-to-peer transactions to fund their dollar supplies in the face of the CBN dollar sales ban. People with strong networks of buyers or sellers attract more business, while those who don’t have such strong networks are less likely to be successful in attracting volume.

However, exchange rates continue to be transacted at black market rates that are higher than those preferred by the central banks.

BDCs’ reactions to the ban by the apex bank raise questions about the effectiveness of Nigerian monetary policy. Can they sideline a major player in the foreign currency space and directly deal with banks? In this case, the end should justify the means. However, there have been very few results as the naira is still extremely weak against the dollar.

The rate at the parallel market was N530 per dollar at the time this article was written. This indicates that black-market forex is still in high demand.

Dipo Olowookere is a journalist based in Nigeria that has passion for reporting business news stories. At his leisure time, he watches football and supports 3SC of Ibadan. Mr Olowookere can be reached via dipo.olowookere@businesspost.ng

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Economy

Naira Appreciates to N1,601/$1 at Official Market, Remains N1,615/$1 at Black Market

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currency in circulation eNaira

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Naira appreciated against the US Dollar by 0.24 per cent or N3.85 at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Tuesday, April 15, closing at N1,601.40/$1 compared with the previous day’s N1,605.25/$1.

However, according to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Naira depreciated against the Pound Sterling in the official market yesterday by N59.23 to sell for N2,115.26/£1 compared with Monday’s closing price of N2,056.03/£1 and tumbled against the Euro by N38.75 to trade at N1,808.89/€1, in contrast to the previous session’s N1,770.14/€1.

As for the black market, the Nigerian Naira maintained stability against the Dollar during the trading session at N1,615/$1.

The Nigerian currency closed mixed on Tuesday as Nigeria’s inflation data edged up to 24.23 per cent in March, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday.

It was the first time the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has risen since it was rebased in January. The new rate indicates an upward movement of 1.05 per cent from the 23.18 per cent reported in February 2025, signalling a return to levels (24.48 per cent) recorded in the beginning of the year after the CPI rebasing.

In the cryptocurrency market, there were major negative outcome as Nvidia, which plays a crucial role in mining cryptocurrencies, received a US ban restricting its H20 chip sales to China.

This adds to fears triggered by President Donald Trump’s trade war with China and other trading partners, leading to profit-taking.

Cardano (ADA) lost 5.5 per cent to trade at $0.6055, Solana (SOL) slumped by 4.2 per cent to $125.44, Ethereum (ETH) slid by 4.0 per cent to $1,570.96, and Ripple (XRP) dropped 3.9 per cent to $2.05.

In addition, Dogecoin (DOGE) depreciated by 3.8 per cent to $0.1535, Litecoin (LTC) went down by 2.7 per cent to $75.72, Bitcoin (BTC) fell by 2.4 per cent to $83,405.30, and Binance Coin (BNB) shrank by 1.3 per cent to $580.40, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) were flat at $1.00 each.

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Economy

NGX Index Chalks up 0.03% Despite Weak Investor Sentiment

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NGX All-Share Index

By Dipo Olowookere

The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited bounced back to the green territory on Tuesday with a 0.03 per cent growth amid a bearish market sentiment.

Data showed that the bourse finished with 24 price gainers and 29 price losers, representing a negative market breadth index and weak investor sentiment.

This was due to the persistent cautious trading by the market participants because of the global trade war between the United States and China.

Business Post reports that the banking space was down yesterday by 0.11 per cent as a result of profit-taking activities by investors, though this did not affect the general outcome of Customs Street because of the gains recorded by the others.

The consumer goods index appreciated by 0.72 per cent, and the insurance counter improved by 0.15 per cent, while the energy, industrial goods and commodity sectors closed flat.

At the close of business, the All-Share Index (ASI) chalked up 30.40 points to settle at 104,560.02 points compared with the previous day’s 104,529.62 points and the market capitalisation grew by N19 billion to N65.704 trillion from N65.685 trillion.

Abbey Mortgage Bank gained 9.94 per cent to sell for N7.41, Unilever Nigeria appreciated by 9.65 per cent to N38.05, Learn Africa jumped by 8.33 per cent to N3.25, Secure Electronic Technology surged by 7.41 per cent to 58 Kobo, and Consolidated Hallmark advanced by 7.27 per cent to N2.95.

On the flip side, Northern Nigeria Flour Mills declined by 9.97 per cent to N79.00, The Initiates fell by 9.57 per cent to N4.25, Caverton descended by 9.06 per cent to N2.31, Guinea Insurance depreciated by 8.70 per cent to 63 Kobo, and NGX Group lost 8.56 per cent to quote at N31.50.

The activity log was mixed yesterday as the trading value went up by 3.81 per cent, while the trading volume and the number of deals went down by 13.87 per cent and 9.29 per cent apiece.

A total of 368.8 million shares valued at N10.9 billion were traded in 13,228 deals during the session versus the 428.2 million shares worth N10.5 billion transacted in 14,583 deals on Monday.

Fidelity Bank was the most active stock of the day with a turnover of 47.4 million units worth N867.0 million, Access Holdings traded 28.1 million units for N592.2 million, Zenith Bank sold 23.1 million units valued at N1.2 billion, UBA exchanged 22.0 million units worth N690.5 million, and FCMB transacted 20.8 million units valued at N185.1 million.

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Economy

Oil Prices Drop as Investors Weigh Tariffs Impact

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Crude Oil Prices

By Adedapo Adesanya

Oil prices fell slightly on Tuesday as investors weighed US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and tried to figure out how much the US-China trade war could reduce global economic growth and oil demand.

During the session, Brent crude futures declined by 21 cents or 0.3 per cent to $64.67 per barrel and the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures dropped 20 cents or 0.3 per cent to settle at $61.33 per barrel.

The on and off US trade policies have created uncertainty for global oil markets and has led to many analysts changing their outlook.

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cut its 2025 global oil demand growth forecast on Monday for the first time since December, citing the impact of data received for the first quarter and trade tariffs announced by the US.

The cartel said world oil demand would rise by 1.30 million barrels per day in 2025 and by 1.28 million barrels per day in 2026. Both forecasts are down 150,000 barrels per day from last month’s figures.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) followed with its projection that global oil demand in 2025 will grow at its slowest rate for five years due to worries about economic growth from President Trump’s trade tariffs.

The agency said world oil demand this year would rise by 730,000 barrels per day, a sharp cut from 1.03 million barrels per day expected last month.

The reduction is larger than a cut made on Monday by OPEC by 150,000 barrels per day.

In its first look at 2026, the IEA predicted a further slowdown in demand growth to 690,000 barrels per day, due to a fragile economic backdrop and growing penetration of electric vehicles.

In China, economic challenges and a shift towards electric vehicles are tempering oil growth prospects in the world’s second-largest consumer, which had driven rises in oil consumption for years.

Reuters also reported that bank executives in the US warned consumer spending faces huge risks if the upheaval sparked by President Trump’s trade policy persists.

The country’s import prices unexpectedly fell in March, pulled down by decreasing costs for energy products, the latest indication that inflation was subsiding before President Trump’s sweeping tariffs came into effect.

There are worries the tariff policies could boost inflation, making it difficult for the US Federal Reserve to reduce interest rates.

Normally, central banks use higher interest rates to combat rising inflation, which boosts consumer costs and can reduce economic growth and demand for energy.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated that crude oil inventories in the US rose by 2.4 million barrels for the week ending April 11. Official data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) will be released later on Wednesday.

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