Binance Suspends Deposits in Nigeria Following Central Bank Directive

Following the outcry over the Central Bank of Nigeria’s latest directive that targets cryptocurrencies, the institution has reaffirmed its stance with another statement. In the latest five-page document, the CBN insists that this directive is intended to protect the country’s financial system from the “risks” that are associated with cryptocurrencies. Debunked Claims Still, the central bank claims the directive has “not placed any new restrictions on cryptocurrencies” but is only regurgitating what was said four years ago. In January 2017, the CBN....

A senior executive with Nigeria’s central bank, Adamu Lamtek, has reportedly denied that his institution had placed restrictions on the use of cryptocurrencies. Instead, Lamtek, who is the deputy governor responsible for corporates services at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), says his organisation’s directive only applies to the banking sector. Prohibition Only Applies to Banks The remarks by Lamtek, who spoke on behalf of the CBN governor Godwin Emefiele, follow the central bank’s February 5, 2021, directive which prohibited banks from facilitating crypto-related....

It has been more than six months since the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) directed banks to stop serving customers from the cryptocurrency industry. While the measure appears to have succeeded in removing crypto entities from the banking ecosystem, the policy has however led to the growth of peer-to-peer trading. ‘Central Bank of Nigeria’s Actions Led to an Increase in Activity on the Black Market’ As some reports have shown, Nigeria’s position as the biggest cryptocurrency market in Africa remains unchallenged. For its part, the CBN has complemented its regular....

Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has revealed that talks with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regarding the regulation of cryptocurrencies are ongoing. The securities regulator also reiterated that due to a CBN directive that was issued on February 7, 2021, the crypto guidelines it issued in September 2020 remain suspended. Crypto Guidelines Set Aside However, the regulator promises that at the conclusion of its engagements with the CBN, stakeholders will be informed of the outcome. Meanwhile, in his comments that were made during a Q1 Capital Market Committee....

Yellow Card has announced the resumption of naira deposits and withdrawals in Nigeria via a statement from the cryptocurrency exchange platform. The move by the company comes almost a year after a central bank directive forced Yellow Card to suspend deposits and withdrawals. CBN’s Growing Interest in Digital Currencies Almost a year after suspending services following a central bank directive, crypto exchange platform Yellow Card now says it is resuming local deposits and withdrawals in Nigeria. The company’s resumption of services also comes a few months after....