Following the Naira Scarcity in Nigeria, GoldenNewsNg has compiled Latest CBN News and Update on Naira Notes Today 14th April 2023.
Access Bank, Others Send Messages to Customers on New Interest Rate on Savings Following CBN’s Hike
Nigerian banks have recently announced new interest rates on savings accounts in response to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) hike. Access Bank, a leading financial institution in Nigeria, sent an email to customers informing them of an immediate increase in the interest rate on all savings accounts to 4.50% per annum, reflecting the new CBN interest rate. Other banks, including Zenith Bank, FCMB, First Bank, and Fidelity Bank, also announced similar increases to their interest rates on savings accounts.
The CBN’s decision to hike the interest rate during its last MPR meeting was aimed at combating rising inflation and improving the standard of living in the country. However, the quarterly hikes in interest rates can have an impact on purchasing power, the standard of living, and consumer goods’ prices. In addition, it can erode savings in banks and other financial instruments, as commercial banks use the rate as their benchmark for lending. Higher interest rates also increase borrowing costs, which may encourage people to save more and spend less. Ultimately, the CBN’s interest rate hikes are aimed at reducing the volume of money supply, which curbs demand-side inflationary pressures.
CBN Moves to Claim Monies in Dormant Accounts in GTB, Access, Zenith, First Bank, and Others- See Reasons
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued new guidelines to commercial banks on how to handle funds from dormant accounts. A dormant account is defined as an account that has not had any deposit or withdrawal activity for at least a year. The CBN will open a pool account to warehouse all funds left in dormant accounts and invest them in interest-yielding ventures, returning the profits to the account owners upon reactivation. The CBN has directed commercial banks to continue paying interest into dormant accounts and maintain period communications with account owners via emails, text messages, and other necessary mediums. The move is to prevent fraudulent transactions or abuse, and the bank has clarified that a bank account should be deemed dormant if it has done any transactions for one year. The CBN is empowered to carry out the guideline and aims to prevent fraudsters from targeting dormant and unclaimed accounts. The bank has said that about N500 billion had been left by their owners in abandoned bank accounts as of January 2021.
CBN makes adjustments as Naira exchanges at an all-time low against US dollar
It is possible that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reduced the official exchange rate of the Naira against the US dollar. Since April 1, 2023, the Naira has been trading at a historically low rate against the dollar, surpassing N463. This is a contrast to the previous months’ exchange rate, which was within the range of N461 to a dollar.
IMF Urges CBN to Sustain Anti-inflation Campaign Ahead of Tinubu’s Presidency, Makes Prediction
The IMF has recommended that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) continue its anti-inflation campaign as Nigeria prepares for the expected presidency of Bola Tinubu on May 29th, 2023. This advice was given by Pierre-Oliver Gourinchas, the director of the IMF’s Research Department, during the release of the World Economic Outlook report at the ongoing IMF/World Bank Spring meetings in Washington DC. The report predicted that Nigeria’s economy would grow at 3.2%, but noted that the growth would fall to 3.0% in 2024 when the new administration fully kicks off.
The IMF advised the CBN to continue increasing interest rates to address Nigeria’s inflation rate, which remains at one of its highest levels in history. Despite the bank’s monetary policy interest rate hike from 16.5% to 18% in March 2023, the inflation rate reached 21.91% in February 2023. The IMF believes that further interest rate increases will help bring down inflation. Daniel Leigh, Division Chief of the Research Department, recommended tightening monetary policy to bring inflation down towards target levels.
Naira Redesign Was Done In The Interest Of Nigerians – CBN Declares
During the 34th Enugu International Trade Fair, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Dr. Abdulmumin Isa, stated that the naira redesign policy was implemented in the best interest of Nigerians and was a step in the right direction.
He also mentioned that the redesign led to stability in the exchange rate and supported security agencies in combating banditry and ransom-taking.
Mr. Esu Imoh, Assistant Director of Corporate Communications, represented the CBN Director and highlighted that the redesign adheres to international best practices. In response to the growing usage of online banking facilities by Nigerians, the CBN confirmed that the Nigerian payment system infrastructure is sufficiently robust to handle the increasing pressure.
However, Mr. Jasper Nduagwuike, the President of Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries, and Agriculture, expressed concern over the recent increase in interest rates to 18 percent, which was an aggressive move by the CBN to contain Nigeria’s inflationary pressure. He cautioned that this high interest rate regime could negatively impact businesses’ access to bank credit.
Although they commended the CBN’s measures to rebuild stronger business confidence and ensure stability in the economy, particularly in the financial/banking sector, Mr. Nduagwuike advised the CBN to utilize the grace period for full implementation of the naira redesign and cashless policy as directed by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
CBN lists gains of naira redesign
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has stated that the recent redesign of some Naira denominations is positively impacting the country’s economy, supporting macroeconomic fundamentals, moderating inflation, and increasing financial inclusion rates.
The policy is in line with international best practice and has also helped security agencies combat banditry and ransom-taking in the country.
The CBN is encouraging Nigerians to embrace alternative payment channels, such as eNaira, USSD, and internet banking facilities, as the world moves towards alternative payments.
Under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), the bank has sponsored over 4.6 million smallholder farmers across 21 agricultural commodities on 6.02 million hectares of farmland.
The Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA) commended the CBN for its policy measures to ensure stability in the economy, particularly in the financial and banking sectors
CBN Set to Close Millions of Bank Accounts in GTB, Access, Zenith, First Bank, and Others- See Reasons
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has recently made an announcement to address the increasing incidents of fraud in the financial sector. As part of their efforts to combat this problem, the CBN has planned to close millions of bank accounts that are not linked to a Bank Verification Number (BVN).
CBN tight monetary policy affecting banks’ profits, says operator
The CEO of Cowry Asset Management, Johnson Chukwu, has said that more Nigerian banks will pursue cross-border expansion due to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s adoption of a hawkish monetary stance.
The CEO explained that the hike in the benchmark interest rate has led to higher lending yields and consequently eaten into banks’ net interest margins, spurring Nigerian banks to move into other African markets to benefit through risk diversification and greater profit opportunities for shareholders.
The adoption of Holdco structures by many local lenders will help swathe the increasing competition from fintech and diversify their earnings in the face of the present tight monetary policy regime, thus enhancing their topline.
The banking sector has seen an upsurge due to the increase in transactions electronically and through several payment options.
