The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has intensified efforts to clamp down on currency speculators and cryptocurrency platforms that manipulate the Nigerian naira, as revealed by sources within the commission.
According to these sources, the EFCC’s focus extends beyond Binance to encompass all cryptocurrency platforms and individuals involved in destabilizing the foreign exchange market in Nigeria.
A spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, affirmed that the commission is taking lawful measures to restore stability to the country’s forex market.
This crackdown comes amidst reports of the dollar’s slight rise against the naira due to interbank activities by commercial banks.
Foreign exchange market analysts have attributed the recent increase in the dollar’s value partly to speculative activities on peer-to-peer (P2P) trading platforms.
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These speculators allegedly aim to raise the exchange rate to recoup losses, prompting calls for decisive action from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and relevant authorities.
In response, stakeholders in the Bureaux De Change (BDC) sector have emphasized that the recent currency fluctuations are not solely attributable to BDCs but are influenced by interbank transactions facilitated by commercial banks.
They clarified that while the CBN provides dollars to BDCs at a certain rate, commercial banks engage in interbank conversions at different rates, impacting the parallel market exchange rate.
Amidst concerns over speculative manipulation, efforts are underway to address these challenges comprehensively, with authorities closely monitoring and responding to the evolving forex market dynamics.
The involvement of relevant security agencies underscores the seriousness of the situation, as observed from recent actions against cryptocurrency platforms like Binance.
Efforts to reach out to the Office of the National Security Adviser for further comments on this matter were unsuccessful.
