Yemisi Izuora
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has made available the sum of $210million, to meet customers’ requests in various segments of the foreign exchange market.
The apex Bank in its desire to meet customers’ needs in the various segments of the market, offered $100million to authorized dealers in the wholesale segment of the market, while the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) segment received the sum of $55 million. According to figures obtained from the Bank on Tuesday, June 12, 2018, customers needing foreign exchange for invisibles such as tuition fees, medical payments and Basic Travel Allowance (BTA), among others, were also allocated the sum of $55 million.
It will be recalled that last week, CBN approved an upward review of the trading margin available to operators of Bureau De Change (BDC) in the country, allowing BDC operators could buy the United States dollar from the CBN at the rate of N357/$1 and sell at N360, thereby leaving them with a positive margin of N3.00 per dollar sold.
Meanwhile, the Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department (CCD), Mr. Isaac Okorafor, reiterated the Bank’s commitment to continue to intervene in the interbank foreign exchange market, in line with its pledge to sustain liquidity in the market and maintain stability. Mr. Okorafor reiterated that the CBN would sustain its strategic management of forex, with a view to reducing the country’s import bills and halting depletion of its foreign reserves.
The Bank last Monday, June 4, 2018, intervened to the tune of $210 million to cater for requests in the wholesale segment of the market.