NAFEM rate lower than BDCs’ as CBN reintroduces Retail Dutch Auction System

The naira at the NAFEM Window recorded a significant depreciation against the dollar when compared with the rates at the alternative market windows at the foreign exchange market to end the week on a negative note amid the ongoing hardship protest by Nigerians.

FMDQ data showed that the naira depreciated to N1,617.08 per dollar on Friday from N1,570.00 exchange on Thursday, losing N47.08.

Similarly, on the black market, the naira weakened to N1,610 per dollar on Friday from N1,600 exchanged the previous day while the recognized Bureau De Change (BDC) rates closed at N1,598 to the dollar.

This is just as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced that it will undertake a Retail Dutch Auction System (rDAS) on Wednesday, August 7, that will see it selling foreign exchange to end users through authorised dealer banks.

In a circular titled, ‘Notice of Retail FX sale to end users through authorised dealer banks,’ the CBN consequently directed authorised dealer banks to provide it with a “legitimate list of all outstanding FX demand by FX users,” which should contain information such as the customer’s name, address, contact information, including email, telephone number and Bank Verification Number (BVN), account number, Tax Identification Number (TIN), purpose for which the FX is required, Form A or Form M and Letter of Credit number.

The apex bank also directed all authorised dealers to provide it with the foregoing information on or before Tuesday, August 6.

The circular, however, stated: “The account of the prospective customer should be naira-backed as a prerequisite to participate in the auction for immediate settlement upon confirmation of bid acceptance by the CBN.”

According to the CBN, it reintroduced the rDAS, having noticed “growing unmet FX demand from end users with banks,” which it said, “has continued to increase the demand pressure in the FX market with adverse impact of the exchange rate of the naira.

Analysts note that despite the CBN stepping up in its interventions in the FX market in recent weeks, the naira has been struggling on both the official and parallel markets.

The CBN adopted the rDAS the Wholesale Dutch Auction System (rDAS) and Interbank Rate System Regime between 2002 and 2015. The rDAS and wDAS entailed forex auctions twice a week, with the rDAS intervention being directly to the customers while the WDAS was to the banks to be sold to the customers.

However, in its bid to tackle the pressure on the naira, the CBN had in February 2015, announced the closure of the retail/wholesale Dutch Auction Systems (rDAS and wDAS).

In its statement announcing the closure of the two windows, the CBN said it observed the widening margin in both segments of the market had engendered undesirable practices such as round-tripping, speculative demand, rent-seeking, spurious demand and inefficient use of foreign exchange resources by economic agents.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has warned Authorised Dealer Banks (ADB) that it would not entertain requests on behalf of their customers for waivers or concessions for contraventions of extant forex regulations and guidelines.

Meanwhile, the official foreign exchange (forex) market recorded $142.32 million turnover at the end of trading on Thursday, August 1. This was a decline of 47.45 percent from $270.81 million recorded on Wednesday.

Many banks and other businesses had closed operations as the 10-day #Endbadgovernance protest, which was held across the country began on Thursday.

Lives and properties were lost in states including Abuja, Niger, Kano, Borno, Kaduna, as the law enforcement agencies tried to restore orderliness in different quarters.

But amid the crisis, $142.32 million turnover was recorded, figures obtained by Nigerian Tribune from the FMDQ revealed.

READ ALSO: Oyo LG chairmen dissociate from ALGON, to operate under new association