The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted Bureau de Change (BDC) operators temporary authorization to purchase up to $25,000 weekly in foreign exchange (FX) from the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM).

This new arrangement, effective from December 19, 2024, will remain in place until January 30, 2025, to cater to the increased retail demand for foreign currency during the holiday season.

The circular outlining the directive, signed by T.G. Allu on behalf of the Acting Director of the CBN’s Trade and Exchange Department, stated that BDCs are permitted to buy FX from a single Authorized Dealer of their choice, provided they fully fund their accounts before accessing the market. The transactions will occur at the prevailing NFEM rate, and BDCs are required to maintain a maximum 1% spread when pricing FX for retail customers.

All transactions carried out under this scheme must be reported to the CBN’s Trade and Exchange Department to ensure transparency. The CBN also reassured the public that Personal Travel Allowance (PTA) and Business Travel Allowance (BTA) would remain available through banks for legitimate travel and business purposes.

The CBN emphasized that all transactions will be conducted at “market-determined exchange rates” in line with the NFEM framework.