On February 9, the American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C., the Washington Nationals, announced the team has partnered with Terra, the open-source blockchain platform and decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). The Washington Nationals detail that the team is a “leading innovator” and is “consistently introducing new technologies to enhance the fan experience.” Washington Nationals Ink Long-Term Deal With Terra Major League Baseball (MLB) team the Washington Nationals has partnered with the blockchain platform and DAO Terra, according to an announcement published by the team on Wednesday. The deal with Terra follows a slew of sports-related deals with crypto firms, but the MLB team will be the first to partner with an open-source blockchain project. In addition to the partnership, the algorithmic stablecoin UST that’s issued on the Terra blockchain will be “accepted as a payment method at Nationals Park as early as next season.” “The Nationals continue t...
In a possible policy shift, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently allowed the local naira currency to briefly drop to a new low of USD$1 for 419.75 nairas on May 14, 2021. However, by close of business the naira had recovered and was trading around 411.25. Before the latest adjustment, the naira had fluctuated between 380 and 381 to the dollar since July last year.
Unifying Multiple Exchange Rates
Meanwhile, a report in the Nigerian media has speculated that the seeming devaluation of the naira indicates that the CBN is now working towards “unifying multiple exchange rates.” According to the report, Nigeria operates multiple currency regimes and this often frustrates businesses. Consequently, some institutions including the World Bank have called for the unification of rates in order to attract investment into the West African state.
In the meantime, the Nigerian apex had (in addition to allowing markets to determine the exchange rate) already stopped availing data on the naira’s official rate since May 11, 2021. It is these moves that have prompted some Nigerian economic experts to speculate on the CBN’s next possible moves. In the report, one currency trader is quoted saying:
What the central bank is saying is that the (OTC) spot rate will be the official rate because that’s where the largest volumes trade.
Black Market Exchange Rate Unchanged
Besides the OTC spot rate, the Nigerian government has reportedly been using an exchange rate of 410 “for its business as it tries to boost earnings from crude sales.” On the other hand, the CBN recently revised the futures rate on the naira upwards to 435.81 for a 150-day futures contract.
In the meantime, it remains to be seen if the naira exchange rate adjustment will finally result in the black-market exchange rate dropping. At the time of writing, the naira exchange rate on the black market largely unchanged at 480 nairas for every dollar.
Do you think the official naira exchange rate adjustment will end the parallel market for this resource? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.
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