E-Financial
Will the Central Bank of Nigeria Pull the Rate Cut Trigger?
By Lukman Otunuga, Senior Research Analyst at FXTM,
As the coronavirus outbreak creates shockwaves across the globe, central banks and governments are enforcing emergency measures to defend their respective economies.
It was only last week that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) technically devalued the Naira at the Investors and Exporters (I&E) windows of the nation’s foreign exchange markets. While this move may attract foreign exchange investors due to the convergence of the multiple exchange rates, it may end up stoking inflationary pressures and complicating the implementation of the 2020 budget which predicted N305 per dollar. The CBN also announced a reduction of interest rates in all its intervention facilities from nine per cent to five per cent per annum for one year while pledging to inject over N1 trillion across critical sectors of the economy. With the CBN going all in out in shielding the Nigerian economy from the coronavirus outbreak, speculation is rising over the bank cutting benchmark interest rates from 13.5% in March.
Risk appetite returns as Fed goes limitless…but for how long?
As monetary policy bazookas prove ineffective against the coronavirus-induced market chaos, central banks are taking unprecedented steps in defending their respective economies against the pandemic.
Over the last 24 hours, the Federal Reserve dropped an atomic monetary bomb by announcing an open ended unlimited quantitative easing program in an effort to promote stability across financial markets. Although the initial reaction was somewhat mixed with shares on Wall Street closing in the red overnight, investors seem to be taking heart from the Fed’s limitless pledge, as Asian stocks roar back to life this morning and US futures jump. However, this positive market mood is unlikely to last given how the Senate once again failed to move ahead with a $2 trillion US coronavirus stimulus package at the start of the week.
If the global economy is a tin bucket filled with water, the coronavirus outbreak has drilled multiple holes into it and monetary policy bazookas are unable to stop the water from leaking away. While fiscal policies could plug some of the holes, the solution may have to be a new bucket which in this instance is a cure to the coronavirus.
More Pound pain as UK enters lockdown?
Sterling could be set for more weakness after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a three-week lockdown to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. With “non-essential” shops and services being ordered to shut as part of the strict new measures, consumption could be hit, stimulating fears over the United Kingdom entering a recession. The latest flash manufacturing and services PMI data for March will be released later this morning. The Pound may end up offering a muted response to the data as investors focus on the three-week national lockdown and what it means for the economy.
Focusing on the technical outlook, a picture is worth a thousand words and this remains true for GBPUSD which is trading at levels not seen since 1985. Consolidation at the lows points to further downside with the first key level of interest at 1.1400. A breakdown below this level could open the flood gates towards 1.1300 and lower.
Commodity spotlight – Gold
Everyone has wanted a shiny piece of Gold over the last 24 hours, after the Fed took unprecedented measures to defend the US economy from the coronavirus outbreak.
The precious metal has appreciated over 2.7% since the start of the week and has the potential to extend gains on Dollar weakness. A sense of unease over the coronavirus developments and fears around a global recession should support appetite for gold moving forward. Looking at the technical picture, the precious metal has extended gains this morning with prices trading around $1575 as of writing. An intraday breakout above $1580 could swing open the doors towards $1600.
Nigerian banks have resumed processing international tuition payments from Naira accounts through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Form A portal.
Form A is an application form designed by the Central Bank of Nigeria to pay for service transactions (invisible trade).
The form allows customers to purchase foreign exchange at the CBN or interbank rate to make payments for eligible services as predetermined by the foreign exchange manual.
This development comes a month after commercial banks announced the resumption of international transactions on their naira cards.
In an email to customers, Guaranty Trust Bank Limited (GTBank) and Lotus Bank announced that the service is now available for applicants paying undergraduate and postgraduate tuition fees abroad.
“Pay international tuition fees directly from your Naira account,” the notice from GTBank read.
To access the service, customers are required to register and submit their applications via the Trade System Portal at www.tradesystem.gov.ng.
GTBank explained: “Select the ‘Form A’ application for Educational Fees. Choose GTBank as the processing bank, attach required documents, and submit the application.”
Similarly, Lotus Bank stated, “Register on the Trade System Portal. Select Form ‘A’ application for Educational Fees. Choose Lotus Bank as the processing bank, attach required documents, and submit the application.”
In a similar notice, Lotus Bank also informed customers of processing international fees using its facility.
“Register on the Trade System Portal (www.tradesystem.gov.ng). Select Form ‘A’ application for Educational Fees. Choose Lotus Bank as the processing bank, attach required documents, and submit the application,” the bank said.
In 2022, Nigerian banks said international school fees and upkeep requests via Form A will be processed within 120 days due to forex scarcity at the time.
Safaricom, M-PESA and PayPal have announced a strategic collaboration to enable account linking and seamless fund transfers across their networks.
This collaboration aims to empower more than 35 million M-PESA customers and two million businesses and micro traders in Kenya to access PayPal’s global network.
By first linking their PayPal and M-PESA wallets, users can easily transfer funds from their PayPal accounts into their M-PESA wallets, and vice versa. This service is designed to enhance the experience for customers and businesses transacting between the two platforms.
The solution is currently available to Safaricom M-PESA customers in Kenya, with plans to roll out the service to the other M-PESA markets in the future.
“As globalization and digitization continue to reshape how people and businesses connect, our partnership with PayPal is a bold step forward in enabling seamless, worry-free, safe, secure, and inclusive digital payments.
“This collaboration empowers over thirty-five million customers and two million businesses and micro-entrepreneurs across Kenya to participate in the global digital economy by conveniently sending and receiving payments across more than 200 markets. It’s part of our commitment to unlocking opportunities and transforming lives through the power of M-PESA,” said Esther Waititu, Chief Financial Services Officer, Safaricom PLC.
“Building seamless connections between the global economy and local financial ecosystems is crucial to expanding digital financial inclusion,” said Otto Williams, Regional Head and General Manager for the Middle East and Africa, PayPal. “We are thrilled to enable millions of M-PESA’s customers across Africa connect more easily to PayPal’s international customer base.”
For 18 years, M-PESA has driven financial inclusion and bridged the digital divide. With M-PESA Kadogo, introduced in 2016, Safaricom waived fees for transactions of Kshs 100 and below, making digital payments more accessible. Now, through Ziidi MMF, customers can invest from as little as Kshs 100, promoting a culture of saving and financial wellness.
The partnership will tap into the emergence and growing popularity of the gig economy that has seen a rise among Africans accepting online jobs for clients across the world.
It equally marks a growing trend of interoperability between fintech providers with a goal of providing customers with a digital financial ecosystem that meets their needs by combining different capabilities.
PayPal is a leading global payment processor with more than 400 million active PayPal accounts operating across 200 markets, while M-PESA is Africa’s leading mobile money service connecting more than 50 million customers across Africa, 2 million businesses and micro traders, with more than $1.1 billion transacted daily.
Federal government has mandated banks and financial institutions to begin reporting monthly transactions exceeding N25 million for individuals and N100 million for firms to the tax authorities.
Under the new provisions of the Nigerian Tax Act, financial institutions are required to submit quarterly returns to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The agency will be renamed to the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) from January 2026, when the new tax system will take effect.
“Every person who has an obligation to deduct and remit tax under this Act or any other Returns for tax legislation shall render monthly returns to the appropriate tax authority, as specified deduction of tax in the regulation issued for that purpose,” the Act reads.
“Without prejudice to section 142 of this Act, every bank, insurance company, stock-broking firm, or any other financial institution, shall prepare, with or without demand be delivered by the relevant tax authority, quarterly returns to the relevant tax authority specifying the names and addresses of new customers;Nigerian fashion trends
“…and existing customers in the case of (i) an individual, all transactions where the cumulative transactions in a month amount to N25,000,000 or more, or (ii) a body corporate, all transactions where the cumulative transactions in a month amount to N100,000,000 or more.”
Prior to the new tax law, banks were mandated to report deposits of N5 million — a measure intended to curb illicit financial flows, according to TheCable
Experts said the shift is part of efforts to tighten anti-money laundering reporting in the financial sector.
In 2023, Nigeria was listed on the grey list by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) over deficiencies in tackling money laundering and terrorism financing.
Since then, the country has been making efforts to exit the grey list, which subjects it to increased monitoring by the FATF.
In November 2024, Hafsat Bakari, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), said Nigeria has achieved upgrades in five key recommendations from the FATF.
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