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Economy

Naira Appreciates to N1,359/$ in NAFEX, N1,390/$1 at Black Market

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The Naira further appreciated against the US Dollar in the various segments of the foreign exchange (FX) market on Thursday, April 9.

At the black market, the Nigerian currency improved its value yesterday by N20 to quote at N1,390/$1 compared with the previous day’s rate of N1,410/$1.

In the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) window, the domestic currency gained N12.50 or 0.9 per cent against the greenback to trade at N1,359.32/$1, in contrast to midweek’s price of N1,371.82/$1.

In the same official market, the local currency gained N14.89 against the Euro to sell at N1,589.18/€1 versus N1,604.07/€1, and traded flat against the Pound Sterling at N1,844.83/£1.

Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed that turnover increased to N71.156 million across 115 deals, suggesting that banks’ customers’ demand for foreign payments eased slightly on the day.

The local currency has been in strong demand from foreign portfolio investors seeking to purchase OMO bills and other fixed-income instruments.

External reserves, which provide the CBN with firepower to support the currency, declined for the 13th consecutive session, falling by about $840 million to $49.18 billion as of April 1 from $50.02 billion recorded on March 11, according to CBN data.

The persistent drawdown reflects mounting external pressures tied to heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which analysts say have dampened investor appetite for frontier markets and weakened capital inflows into Nigeria.

In the cryptocurrency market, prices tapped into optimism as geopolitical tensions over a fragile Iran ceasefire and a partial reopening of the Strait of Hormuz keep markets cautious and oil prices volatile.

Market analysts noted that if the ceasefire survives through the weekend and the Strait opens further, momentum will build for risk assets like crypto. However, if Iran’s grievances escalate or President Donald Trump’s rhetoric shifts, prices may crater.

Bitcoin (BTC) appreciated by 1.6 per cent to $71,989.47, Dogecoin (DOGE) expanded by 1.5 per cent to $0.0928, Solana (SOL) added 1.4 per cent to sell for $83.34, Ripple (XRP) jumped 1.1 per cent to $1.34, Cardano (ADA) went up by 0.8 per cent to $0.2518, TRON (TRX) grew by 0.7 per cent to $0.3195, Ethereum (ETH) increased by 0.6 per cent to $2,192.07, and Binance Coin (BNB) climbed 0.4 per cent to $601.29, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 each.

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

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Economy

e-Invoicing: NRS Begins Compliance Monitoring for Large Taxpayers

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NRS nigeria large taxpayers

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) has announced the commencement of compliance monitoring activities for large taxpayers under the National e-Invoicing and Electronic Fiscal System (EFS) regime.

A statement issued on Monday and signed by the agency’s chairman, Mr Zacch Adedeji, advised corporate organisations that have yet to adopt this system to do so on or before July 31, 2026.

Recall that on February 17, 2026, NRS issued an implementation timeline for the mandatory adoption of the EFS, also known as the Merchant Buyer Solution (MBS), by large taxpayers.

They were asked to complete the process of onboarding, integration, testing, and commence invoice transmission to the NRS e-invoicing platform in accordance with the prescribed implementation framework.

The compliances include the completion of onboarding on the NRS MBS; the successful integration of taxpayer systems through approved Access Point Providers (APPs) and/or Systems Integrators (SIS); the completion of all required validation and testing activities; the active transmission of invoices to the NRS e-invoicing platform in line with approved standards and guidelines; and the receipt of only compliant e-invoices with a valid Invoice Reference Number (IRN) from suppliers.

Ahead of the deadline, the NRS has commenced compliance monitoring activities to assess the level of adherence to the e-invoicing mandate across the large taxpayer segment.

Those that have not completed the process have been asked to conclude all outstanding onboarding and integration activities and commence invoice transmission before the compliance deadline.

The organisation warned that failure to comply would trigger regulatory and enforcement actions in accordance with the provisions of the relevant tax laws and regulations.

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Economy

Operational Challenges Shrink Transcorp Power H1 2026 Earnings, Profit

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Transcorp Power

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

Transcorp Power Plc suffered declines in its revenue and profit in the first half of this year; details of the company’s financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2026, have revealed.

The losses were attributed to recurring transmission line vandalism, which materially constrained the organisation’s ability to evacuate available generation capacity.

Business Post reports that earnings contracted in the first six months of this year to N181.97 billion from the N205.81 billion recorded in the same period of last year, while profit before tax moderated to N54.99 billion from N58.73 billion.

However, on a year-to-date basis, total assets went up to N619.02 billion from N563.48 billion in December 2025, as shareholders’ funds grew to N189.34 billion from N183.40 billion in FY 2025, while retained earnings soared to N140.90 billion from N123.41 billion in FY 2025.

It was observed that the increase in receivables and borrowings largely drove the expansion in the balance sheet during the period.

Also, the firm’s gross margin expanded to 38.4 per cent from 34.7 per cent in H1 2025, operating margin increased to 30.6 per cent from 28.5 per cent, and PBT margin rose to 30.2 per cent from 28.5 per cent, reflecting cost optimisation efforts and disciplined financial management, positioning the company to continue delivering sustainable value for shareholders.

“Our H1 2026 performance is a reflection of the resilience of our business operations despite significant sector-wide existential challenges.

“Regrettably, recurring transmission line vandalisation materially constrained our ability to evacuate available generation capacity.

“Nonetheless, we continued to deliver strong profitability, maintain operational efficiency, and strengthen our balance sheet,” the chief executive of Transcorp Power, Mr Peter Ikenga, stated.

“We remain committed to working with relevant stakeholders to put an end to transmission line vandalisation and to further improving operational performance, power generation supply reliability, and creating sustainable value for our shareholders. We remain highly confident that we will recover lost ground in H1 2026 and finish FY 2026 stronger than FY 2025,” he added.

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Economy

Market Participants Transact 2.819 billion Stocks Worth N182.5bn in Five Days

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Stock Investors

By Dipo Olowookere

A total of 2.819 billion stocks worth N182.499 billion exchanged hands in 226,729 deals on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited last week, in contrast to the 3.648 billion stocks valued at N220.568 billion transacted in 251,861 deals a week earlier.

From this, financial shares accounted for 2.006 billion units sold for N99.697 billion in 96,171 deals, contributing 71.17 per cent and 54.63 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.

Consumer goods equities traded 178.863 million units worth N7.872 billion in 26,637 deals, and energy stocks recorded a turnover of 151.237 million units valued at N38.309 billion in 16,879 deals.

First Holdco, FCMB, and Access Holdings accounted for 939.402 million units worth N57.673 billion in 19,051 deals, contributing 33.33 per cent and 31.60 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.

Business Post reports that the performance indicators were mixed in the five-day trading week, as the All-Share Index (ASI) depreciated by 0.14 per cent to 243,462.13 points, while the market capitalisation appreciated by 0.39 per cent to N157.057 trillion.

All other indices finished higher except the main board, consumer goods, energy, Lotus II, industrial goods, growth, and sovereign bond indices, which fell by 1.54 per cent, 0.15 per cent, 0.11 per cent, 0.40 per cent, 6.26 per cent, 0.09 per cent, and 0.33 per cent, respectively, while the commodity index closed flat.

Forty-four shares gained weight in the week versus 60 shares of the preceding week, 35 equities depreciated versus 28 equities in the previous week, and 67 stocks closed flat versus 58 stocks of the earlier week.

The best-performing stock was First Holdco, which gained 38.66 per cent to trade at N95.95. Thomas Wyatt expanded by 27.16 per cent to N3.09, Fidelity Bank grew by 15.00 per cent to N21.85, Learn Africa grew by 14.44 per cent to N10.30, and UBA chalked up 10.98 per cent to close at N45.50.

The worst-performing stock was BUA Cement after giving up 18.99 per cent to quote at N275.60, Red Star Express shed 18.53 per cent to end at N20.00, International Energy Insurance declined by 15.27 per cent to N4.66, C&I Leasing dropped 13.28 per cent to N5.55, and PZ Cussons crashed by 10.06 per cent to N80.95.

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