Economy
The Impact of Digital Asset Trading Market on Nigeria’s Economy
What are Digital Assets?
Digital assets are simply items whose content is stored in electronic format.
With that definition, you would most likely be thinking about images, music, movies, documents, etc. The truth is, those indeed are digital assets. Thanks to technology, these assets have developed far beyond that, and are also digital currencies.
What Are The Types of Digital Assets?
Based on this article, I would be focusing on two major types of digital assets which serve as a source of money. Gift cards and cryptocurrencies.
Gift Cards
Gift cards or gift certificates are a type of debit card, pre-loaded with a specific amount of money that could be used for a variety of purchases at a designated brand.
Gift cards serve as alternative sources of payment at designated brands. For example; A $100 Amazon gift card could be redeemed to make purchases online or any of the multiple Amazon stores located in the United States.
These cards are also excellent presents to give a loved one on their special day. When a birthday, wedding anniversary, baby shower, graduation, etc is coming up, gifting your loved one a loaded gift card from their favourite brand would always put you in their good books.
Presently, the numerous gift card brands could not all be possibly be listed. However, some of the notable and familiar names include; Amazon, Itunes, Steam, Walmart, Apple, Google Play Gift Cards, etc.
Cryptocurrencies
What are cryptocurrencies?
Cryptocurrencies are Binary data that were designed to serve as a means of exchange of goods and services. Created with the use of blockchain technology, these coins are secured by Cryptography.
Currently, there are over 10,000 coins in the crypto market. You should be familiar with certain names like Ethereum, Bitcoin, Tether, etc.
Evolution of Digital Asset trading in Nigeria
To those who are just getting accustomed to digital asset trading in Nigeria, you should consider yourselves lucky. There is a very huge difference between what it is now and what it was back then.
A couple of years back, most Nigerians were not familiar with this concept. A crypto or gift card holder in Nigeria, wanting to exchange his asset for cash was practically embarking on an impossible mission here.
It was just not feasible. This was not a result of the difficulty of this process per se, but the awareness, There were a lot of dark clouds regarding these assets here in Nigeria, and as a result, people felt very hesitant to own or collect them. With very little demand for this service, there was no incentive for individuals to provide supply.
How did we get here? you may be wondering. Thanks to certain trading platforms that decided to pioneer the movement, the market was able to grow over the years.
The founders of these early platforms also witnessed the vast scarcity in the market and knew that they most likely won’t be the only ones going through this. They leapt and decided to create a solution to this problem without ripping people off.
Word got around, and many other Nigerians developed the confidence to trust these platforms with their assets. As the demand for this service started growing rapidly, other entrepreneurs saw the opportunity and decided to enter the market.
In Nigeria, what was once perceived as a myth, is not only possible but has been made very simple.
The Impact of The Digital Asset Trading Market on Nigeria’s Economy
Another important aspect to look at after the evolution of this market is its impact. Has this market affected Nigeria’s economy Positively or negatively?
I believe that everything in life has its pros and cons. It would be up to you to decide if the pros outweigh the cons for you or vice versa.
Since the introduction of digital asset trading on a national level, Nigerian citizens have enjoyed the ease of transactions. Day-to-day activities such as payments and exchange have been made simpler and faster amongst Nigerians and even beyond.
The increase in patronage of this service has profited such platforms, which has led to its continuity and expansion. This act has employed various intelligent Nigerians.
This market has also aided international business transactions between Nigerians and individuals and companies in the diaspora.
For example, a graphics designer or web developer working remotely in Nigeria could be freelancing for a company located in America and receive payment straight to his BTC wallet or the equivalent in gift cards, which saves the several hassles faced in the banking halls or waiting for hours or days for the money to arrive from outside the country.
With the massive rise in demand for this service, unfortunately, there was also an increase in digital asset scams in the market. Crypto and gift card owners have fallen victim to these scammers throughout exchanging their assets for cash.
Quite frankly, this would only happen when adequate research is not conducted. With money, you should be patient. There should be enough background checks done with whoever you are entrusting your money with. Till today there are still various victims of BVN and real estate scams. This would not stop us from using our traditional banks or buying and renting properties.
There are still legitimate exchange platforms to sell gift cards in Nigeria which could be used to avoid scams.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The federal government has been asked by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to suspend the implementation of the controversial tax laws.
In a reaction to the tax reform acts, the president of the group, Mr Afam Osigwe (SAN), the suspension of the laws would allow for a proper investigation into allegations of alterations in the gazetted and harmonised copies.
A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Abdussamad Dasuki, alleged that some parts of the laws passed by the parliament were different from the gazetted copy.
To address the issues raised, the NBA said it is “imperative that a comprehensive, open, and transparent investigation be conducted to clarify the circumstances surrounding the enactment of the laws and to restore public confidence in the legislative process.”
“Until these issues are fully examined and resolved, all plans for the implementation of the Tax Reform Acts should be immediately suspended,” the association declared.
It noted that the controversies “raise grave concerns about the integrity, transparency, and credibility of Nigeria’s legislative process.”
“These developments strike at the very heart of constitutional governance and call into question the procedural sanctity that must attend lawmaking in a democratic society,” it noted.
“Legal and policy uncertainty of this magnitude has far-reaching consequences. It unsettles the business environment, erodes investor confidence, and creates unpredictability for individuals, businesses, and institutions required to comply with the law. Such uncertainty is inimical to economic stability and should have no place in a system governed by the rule of law.
“Nigeria’s constitutional democracy demands that laws, especially those with profound economic and social implications, emerge from processes that are transparent, accountable, and beyond reproach. Anything short of this undermines public trust and weakens the foundation upon which lawful governance rests.
“We therefore call on all relevant authorities to act swiftly and responsibly in addressing this controversy, in the overriding interest of constitutional order, economic stability, and the preservation of the rule of law,” the organisation stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Demand for hot stocks, including MRS Oil Plc, buoyed the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 0.52 per cent on Tuesday, December 23.
The energy company was one of the three price gainers for the session as it chalked up N19.69 to sell at N216.59 per share versus the previous day’s value of N196.90 per share.
Further, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc gained N2.95 to close at N56.75 per unit versus N53.80 per unit and Golden Capital Plc appreciated by 84 Kobo to N9.29 per share from Monday’s N8.45 per share.
Consequently, the market capitalisation went up by N10.95 billion to N2.125 trillion from N2.125 trillion and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) rose by 18.31 points to 3,570.37 points from 3,552.06 points.
Yesterday, the NASD bourse recorded a price loser, the Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), which gave up 17 Kobo to close at N33.70 per unit against the previous trading value of N33.87 per unit.
The volume of securities traded at the session went down by 97.6 per cent to 297,902 units from the previous day’s 12.6 million units, the value of securities decreased by 98.5 per cent to N10.5 million from N713.6 million, and the number of deals remained flat at 32 deals.
By value, Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company (InfraCredit) Plc ended as the most actively traded stock on a year-to-date basis with 5.8 billion units exchanged for N16.4 billion. This was followed by Okitipupa Plc, which traded 178.9 million units valued at N9.5 billion, and MRS Oil Plc with 36.1 million units worth N4.9 billion.
In terms of volume, also on a year-to-date basis, InfraCredit Plc led the chart with a turnover of 5.8 billion units traded for N16.4 billion. Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc ranked second with 1.2 billion units sold for N420.7 million, while Impresit Bakolori Plc followed with the sale of 536.9 million units valued at N524.9 million.
By Dipo Olowookere
It was another bullish trading session for the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited as it closed higher by 0.59 per cent on Tuesday.
The market further rallied due to continued interest in large and mid-cap stocks on the exchange by investors rebalancing their portfolios for the year-end.
Yesterday, Aluminium Extrusion sustained its upward trajectory after it further appreciated by 9.96 per cent to N14.90, as Austin Laz gained 9.81 per cent to close at N2.91, Custodian Investment improved by 9.69 per cent to N38.50, and First Holdco soared by 9.35 per cent to N50.30.
Conversely, Royal Exchange declined by 7.22 per cent to N1.80, Champion Breweries shrank by 6.57 per cent to N15.65, NASCON lost 5.36 per cent to trade at N105.05, Sovereign Trust Insurance depreciated by 5.28 per cent to N3.77, and Japaul went down by 4.51 per cent to N2.33.
At the close of business, 29 shares ended on the gainers’ table and 27 shares finished on the losers’ log, representing a positive market breadth index and bullish investor sentiment.
This raised the All-Share Index (ASI) by 895.06 points to 153,354.13 points from 152,459.07 points and lifted the market capitalisation by N579 billion to N97.772 trillion from the previous day’s N97.193 trillion.
VFD Group finished the day as the busiest stock after it recorded a turnover of 192.0 million units worth N2.1 billion, GTCO exchanged 63.5 million units valued at N5.6 billion, Access Holdings traded 49.8 million units for N1.0 billion, First Holdco sold 45.8 million units valued at N2.3 billion, and Secure Electronic Technology transacted 38.3 million units worth N28.4 million.
In all, market participants bought and sold 677.4 million units valued at N20.8 billion in 27,589 deals compared with the 451.5 million units worth N13.0 billion traded in 33,327 deals on Monday, showing an improvement in the trading volume and value by 50.03 per cent and 60.00 per cent apiece, and a shortfall in the number of deals by 17.22 per cent.
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