By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Following the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) press statement of June 14, 2023, on new guidelines in the foreign exchange market, an extraordinary Bankers’ Committee meeting was held on Friday, June 16, 2023, to discuss its implementation and implications for the banking public.
According to the CBN Director of Corporate Communications, Dr Isa Abdulmumuni, these policy changes aim at promoting transparency, liquidity and price discovery in the FX market in order to improve FX supply, discourage speculation, enhance customer confidence and ensure overall stability in the FX market.
Dr Abdulmumuni explained that the CBN, in line with deliberations at the meeting, provided further guidance to Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) as follows:
*All visible and invisible transactions (medicals, school fees, BTA/PTA, airline
and other remittances) are eligible for the Investors’ and Exporters’ (I & E) window.
*DMBs shall ensure expeditious processing of all eligible invisible transactions on behalf of their customers using the applicable rate at the I & E window.
*Ordinary domiciliary account holders shall have unfettered and unrestricted access to funds in their accounts. Domiciliary account holders are permitted to utilize cash deposits not exceeding USD$ 10,000 per day or its equivalent via telegraphic transfer. DMBs shall provide returns to the CBN, including the “purpose” for such transactions.
*Cash deposits into domiciliary accounts will not be restricted, subject to DMBs
conducting proper KYC, due diligence and adhering to the spirit and letter of
extant AML/CFT laws and other relevant rules and regulations.
*The CBN will prioritize orderly settlement of any committed FX forward
transactions as they fall due in order to boost market confidence further.
*The Bank will normalize its CRR maintenance processes and ensure equity its implementation across the banking industry.
“The CBN will continue to engage stakeholders and issue further guidance as it implements the ongoing reforms”, Dr Abdulmumuni added.