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CBN News Update On Naira Notes Today Friday 14th April 2023

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CBN To Fine Banks N1m Daily For Failing To Disburse New Naira Notes

Latest CBN news update on New Naira Notes today, Friday 14th April 2023, can be accessed below.

Following the controversy associated with the new naira notes rages on, News Rain Nigeria brings you the latest update from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on naira notes.

This means the latest updates on the Naira crisis in Nigeria can be accessed on this page.

Below are the latest CBN news update on new Naira notes today

Access Bank, Others Send Messages to Customers on New Interest Rate on Savings Following CBN’s Hike

Nigerian banks have recently announced new interest rates on savings accounts in response to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) hike. Access Bank, a leading financial institution in Nigeria, sent an email to customers informing them of an immediate increase in the interest rate on all savings accounts to 4.50% per annum, reflecting the new CBN interest rate. Other banks, including Zenith Bank, FCMB, First Bank, and Fidelity Bank, also announced similar increases to their interest rates on savings accounts.

The CBN’s decision to hike the interest rate during its last MPR meeting was aimed at combating rising inflation and improving the standard of living in the country. However, the quarterly hikes in interest rates can have an impact on purchasing power, the standard of living, and consumer goods’ prices.

In addition, it can erode savings in banks and other financial instruments, as commercial banks use the rate as their benchmark for lending. Higher interest rates also increase borrowing costs, which may encourage people to save more and spend less. Ultimately, the CBN’s interest rate hikes are aimed at reducing the volume of money supply, which curbs demand-side inflationary pressures.

CBN Moves to Claim Monies in Dormant Accounts in GTB, Access, Zenith, First Bank, and Others- See Reasons

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued new guidelines to commercial banks on how to handle funds from dormant accounts. A dormant account is defined as an account that has not had any deposit or withdrawal activity for at least a year. The CBN will open a pool account to warehouse all funds left in dormant accounts and invest them in interest-yielding ventures, returning the profits to the account owners upon reactivation. The CBN has directed commercial banks to continue paying interest into dormant accounts and maintain period communications with account owners via emails, text messages, and other necessary mediums.

The move is to prevent fraudulent transactions or abuse, and the bank has clarified that a bank account should be deemed dormant if it has done any transactions for one year. The CBN is empowered to carry out the guideline and aims to prevent fraudsters from targeting dormant and unclaimed accounts. The bank has said that about N500 billion had been left by their owners in abandoned bank accounts as of January 2021.

CBN makes adjustments as Naira exchanges at an all-time low against US dollar

It is possible that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reduced the official exchange rate of the Naira against the US dollar. Since April 1, 2023, the Naira has been trading at a historically low rate against the dollar, surpassing N463. This is a contrast to the previous month’s exchange rate, which was within the range of N461 to a dollar.

IMF Urges CBN to Sustain Anti-inflation Campaign Ahead of Tinubu’s Presidency, Makes Prediction

The IMF has recommended that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) continue its anti-inflation campaign as Nigeria prepares for the expected presidency of Bola Tinubu on May 29th, 2023. This a

dvice was given by Pierre-Oliver Gourinchas, the director of the IMF’s Research Department, during the release of the World Economic Outlook report at the ongoing IMF/World Bank Spring meetings in Washington DC. The report predicted that Nigeria’s economy would grow at 3.2%, but noted that the growth would fall to 3.0% in 2024 when the new administration fully kicks off.

The IMF advised the CBN to continue increasing interest rates to address Nigeria’s inflation rate, which remains at one of its highest levels in history. Despite the bank’s monetary policy interest rate hike from 16.5% to 18% in March 2023, the inflation rate reached 21.91% in February 2023. The IMF believes that further interest rate increases will help bring down inflation. Daniel Leigh, Division Chief of the Research Department, recommended tightening monetary policy to bring inflation down towards target levels.

Naira Redesign Was Done In The Interest Of Nigerians – CBN Declares

During the 34th Enugu International Trade Fair, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Dr. Abdulmumin Isa, stated that the naira redesign policy was implemented in the best interest of Nigerians and was a step in the right direction.

He also mentioned that the redesign led to stability in the exchange rate and supported security agencies in combating banditry and ransom-taking.

Mr. Esu Imoh, Assistant Director of Corporate Communications, represented the CBN Director and highlighted that the redesign adheres to international best practices. In response to the growing usage of online banking facilities by Nigerians, the CBN confirmed that the Nigerian payment system infrastructure is sufficiently robust to handle the increasing pressure.