The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced a minimum trade value of $100,000 for interbank foreign exchange (FX) trading via the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS).
The directive, issued on November 25, 2024, was signed by Dr. Omolara Duke, the CBN’s Director of the Financial Markets Department.
Dr. Duke explained that this move is part of the CBN’s efforts to enhance transparency, efficiency, and compliance within Nigeria’s FX market.
The EFEMS aims to streamline interbank FX trading, reduce counterparty risks, and ensure adherence to CBN regulations.
In addition, Bloomberg’s BMatch has been designated as the official order-matching platform for interbank transactions, with trading hours set from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm West Africa Time on business days.
The $100,000 minimum trade size comes with incremental clip sizes of $50,000.
The EFEMS will be limited to spot FX transactions involving the Nigerian naira and the US dollar, though the CBN retains the discretion to introduce additional currency pairs when necessary.
The guidelines document read, “All trades consummated on EFEMS are binding unless canceled by mutual agreement of both parties with written approval from the CBN.
“The minimum tradable amount is US$100,000.00, with incremental clip sizes of US$50,000.00.
“Participants must set credit and settlement limits for other counterparties in the system. Transactions exceeding these limits will not be executed.
“Participants must have adequate credit and settlement limits set for the CBN as its counterparty bank.
“Participants are required to comply with the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Code and other CBN regulations.”
Participation in the EFEMS is limited to authorised dealer banks licensed by the CBN, while other institutions wishing to join the platform must first obtain prior approval.
Participants in the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS) are required to sign agreements with the CBN-approved platform provider, maintain accurate profiles, and operate within set credit and settlement limits.
Withdrawals from the platform must be preceded by a 30-day notice and the resolution of any outstanding obligations.
Additionally, trades conducted via the platform will remain anonymous until they are matched. Counterparty details will only be disclosed once transactions are completed, in accordance with settlement protocols.
Any transactions that exceed the established limits or fall outside EFEMS parameters must be reported promptly and logged onto the FX blotter within 10 minutes.
The CBN stressed that it will closely monitor all transactions on the platform to uphold market integrity and transparency.
Participants must submit daily reports detailing trade volumes, settlement statuses, and counterparties.
The central bank also retains the right to publish aggregated or disaggregated trade data for market analysis, subject to confidentiality agreements.
Violations of EFEMS guidelines or related regulations will result in strict penalties, including the suspension or revocation of access rights.
Furthermore, the CBN stated it will periodically review the platform’s operations to ensure its efficiency and compliance with directives.
The Bloomberg BMatch system is scheduled to officially go live as the EFEMS for foreign exchange trading on December 2, 2024.