Exchange rate disparity widens as Naira climbs to N1,200/$
Nigeria’s currency woes continues in spite of the federal government’s efforts to unify the exchange rate with the disparity between the parallel market and official widening further.
Since the unification of the foreign exchange market in June, the naira’s value has slumped by over 100 per cent on the parallel market.
The current CBN management has introduced a slew of measures to provide liquidity but the chasm between the rate on the I&E window and parallel market continues to widen.
On June 16, the government unified the naira, effectively devaluing the currency from approximately N450/$1 to over N700/$1.
Since then, the official exchange rate has sunk to lows of N848/$1, while the NAFEX rate currently stands at N783/$1.
The exchange rate between the naira and dollar opened the week at N1,200/$1 on P2P platforms on Monday as traders continue to face demand pressures amidst dwindling supply.
According to checks, quotes opened at about N1,200/$1 however, in the afternoon, sellers quoted as high as N1,210/$1.
At the black market where the exchange rate is sold unofficially, quotes are going for N1200/$1 for cash trades and N1,250-N1300 for “inflows” aka wired transfers. It is important to add that actual crossed rates might be higher or lower depending on who is buying or selling.
