Business

Naira Rallies N7.27 on Dollar to N1,372/$1 at NAFEM

The Naira further appreciated against the US Dollar by N7.27 or 0.39 per cent to N1,372.41/41 in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Wednesday, July 1 compared with the previous day’s N1,379.68/$1.

The local currency also further improved against the Pound Sterling in the official market by N3.32 to close at N1,821.73/£1 compared N1,825.05/£1, and gained N7.61 on the Euro to sell at N1,565.37/€1 versus N1,572.98/€1.

Meanwhile, the Naira traded flat against the Dollar at the parallel market yesterday at N1,395/$1, and also closed flat at the GTBank FX desk at N1,389/$1.

Interbank FX deals count reduced to 91 from 166, reducing pressures on foreign currency supply at the FX window. A lower number of deals and turnover suggested that bank customers’ Dollar requests eased today, pointing to low demand and alleviating pressure on the Naira.

Nigeria’s gross external reserves closed the first half of 2026 at $51.46 billion following a sequence of additional FX inflows from across key sources, including oil sales.

The market also got affirmations of stronger policy direction as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) continued to sanitise the financial system with the revocation of 46 microfinance banks across the country with immediate effect.

In the cryptocurrency market, the market was positive after the US Federal Reserve Chairman, Mr Kevin Warsh, said inflation risks had eased, giving a market that spent most of June grinding lower its first clear lift in weeks.

Speaking at the European Central Bank’s annual forum in Sintra, Portugal, on Wednesday, Mr Warsh said “inflation risks have come down” while reaffirming the Fed’s commitment to returning inflation to 2 per cent.

Solana (SOL) grew by 3.9 per cent to $78.02, Bitcoin (BTC) rose by 2.5 per cent to $60,385.27, Ethereum (ETH) expanded by 2.3 per cent to $1,623.09, Cardano (ADA) jumped by 2.1 per cent to $0.1542, Ripple (XRP) appreciated by 0.9 per cent to $1.05, Dogecoin (DOGE) increased by 0.7 per cent to $0.0726, and Binance Coin (BNB) soared by 0.4 per cent to $551.50.

On the flip side, TRON (TRX) fell by 0.2 per cent to $0.3154, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 each.