CBN settles $7 billion forex backlogs

Nigeria’s Central Bank has settled all the backlogs of foreign exchange to the tune of $7 billion, according to the Governor of CBN, Olayemi Cardoso

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Mrs Hakama Sidi Ali in Abuja.

The CBN stated that only the transaction which was confirmed by the independent auditors from Deloitte Consulting and considered legitimate were paid.

The statement noted that the CBN recently concluded the payment of $1.5 billion to settle obligations to bank customers, effectively settling the residual balance of the FX backlog.

At a recent meeting, Governor Cardoso declared: “We made clear the FX backlog a priority to restore credibility and confidence in the Nigerian economy.

“It was important that we go through an independent and credible process that would determine the authenticity of those obligations, and, at this point, I can tell you that we have now cleared all genuine, verifiable transactions. This encumbrance to market confidence in the country’s ability to meet its obligations is now totally behind us,” he added.

Clearance of the foreign exchange transactions backlog is part of the overall strategy detailed in last month’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting to stabilise the exchange rate and thereby curb imported inflation, spurring confidence in the banking system and the economy.

Cardoso used the MPC meeting and a subsequent conference call with foreign portfolio investors to set expectations for sustained increases in Nigeria’s foreign currency reserves and improved liquidity in the foreign exchange market.

The CBN followed this month by reporting a significant increase in external reserves, rising by $993 million to $34.11 billion as of March 7, 2024, the highest level in eight months.

The month-on-month increase was driven by a marked advance in remittance payments by Nigerians overseas, as well as higher purchases of local assets, including government debt securities, by foreign investors.