Connect with us

E-Financial

FXTM: Why Education is Essential in Nigerian Fx Space

Published

on

Forex Time.jpg
Kindly share this post

Nigeria has entered its worst recession in over 29 years. According to the Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics’ (NBS) GDP report, the economy contracted by 2.06 percent in the 2nd quarter of 2016. This translates into its lowest growth rate in three decades.

While economic woes are affecting the outlook of the country, individuals are trying to insulate themselves from the effects of high interest rates, unemployment and an inflation rate of over 18%. Saving in this environment can be extremely challenging, even Nigerians who are able to save, are not getting traction.

A lack of savings capital is not just a Nigerian issue however; a report issued by the OECD last year, revealed that there is a global pension crisis. It states that people retiring today can expect half the income of those who became pensioners at the start of the millennium.

A person buying an annuity today, who saved 10 percent of their income into a pension for 40 years, will receive just over half the earnings of someone who saved the same amount but retired 15 years ago. Consequently, it can come as no surprise that an increasing number of Nigerians are looking at alternatives to build up their wealth and Forex trading has become an interesting and accessible option.

The appeal of Forex trading, especially if you live in a country that is hamstrung by inflation and economic uncertainty, is that it offers investment opportunities in foreign instruments that deliver real returns in strong markets. In addition to Forex trading, products such as CFDs also offer the trader benefits because they can capitalise on opportunities regardless of whether the market is moving up or down given that they take the correct side of the trade.

A CFD is a “Contract for Difference”, it is a contract to exchange the difference in value of a financial instrument (the underlying market) between the time at which the contract is opened and the time it is closed. Traders also don’t need to own the underlying asset, meaning they can make investments with significantly lower capital commitments.

At first glance, Nigeria would not be your usual suspect if you had to speculate which nation would embrace Forex trading, but if you dig deeper, it makes perfect sense.

Nigeria has been under the spotlight for some time as the economy has experienced some major disruptions. Notably, taking the title of Africa’s largest economy away from South Africa and enduring the consequences of unpegging the Naira from the USD in 2016, as well as dealing with a massive debt burden.

From my experience, when teaching students how to trade the financial markets throughout different regions, I am often asked about global events and how they are impacting the markets.

The media landscape is becoming more sophisticated and access to news via multiple devices is sensitising Nigerians to global issues and how they affect their economy. Increased coverage of global financial developments and awareness around market volatility, has helped to focus attention towards market movements and increased Nigerians’ desire to learn more about the financial markets.

Infrastructure has also played a pivotal role in the uptake of Forex trading, as Nigeria has made significant improvements in their internet connectivity and especially, mobile services. Statista, a Data and Statistics Portal estimated that Nigeria is likely to have about 15.5 million new smartphone users in 2017 and mobile internet has reached over 90 million users.

This means that there are more people taking advantage of mobile solutions and the huge array of applications that have been developed for smartphones.

The rise of mobile trading apps and on-the-go solutions, have created the prime conditions for online trading – a trend we have seen confirmed in the extremely high demand for our ForexTime Trading App. An impressive one third of the downloads on active devices come from Nigeria.

While the ability to access a vibrant Forex trading market is good news for Nigerians, it comes with a caveat. Investing in Forex, or any other financial instrument for that matter, requires a degree of education.

Even investing in a basic bank product needs research because different savings products offer a variety of returns and flexibility.

As you move up the scale of investment products – the higher the returns, the higher the risks, so jumping into the Forex market “green” may have less than favourable results.

Forex trading is now available to, and being considered by, a much wider audience with more varied backgrounds. Potential investors may have no experience in finance or economics, so taking the time to learn about the technical and fundamental aspects of the trading environment, is crucial to the success of the investor.

FXTM is acutely aware of this fact and has invested heavily in online tutorials, workshops and videos to make sure investors enter the market with confidence.

While Nigerian clients have shown a strong appetite for Forex trading, they have also acknowledged the need for education, and this has been confirmed by the fact that the FXTM workshops have been particularly well attended.

We have also witnessed a strong interest in FXTM Invest- our investment and copy trading program. In fact, over one third of the users of FXTM Invest are Nigerian. This trend shows that people are interested in trading but don’t necessarily have the time necessary to trade effectively, so they prefer to invest instead.

This is a correlation that we are also spotting outside of Nigeria and I believe that there is still room for further growth in social trading on a global level.  At present, clients from Nigeria account for 36% of our active investors and we saw a growth of 114% in registered accounts in 2016.

The most popular currency pairs traded by our Nigerian clients are EURUSD, GBPUSD, USDJPY, as well as Gold and not surprisingly Oil, which is Nigeria’s primary export. As a result of the strong growth in this African market, we have expanded our operations to South Africa and recently secured a license to operate from the Financial Services Board.

Like all investments, currency trading carries risks that have to be managed. As brokers, it is our responsibility to ensure our traders have access to all the tools and information that will help them safely navigate the markets.

Helping to build our traders’ skills in fundamental and technical analysis, and assisting them to get a solid understanding of the markets, ensures that investors will have rewarding trading careers.

As Nigeria makes its transition from a purely commodity-based to a more diversified economy, we see a bright future for currency derivatives and intend to continue investing and growing our presence in this country.

We strongly believe that our focus on education is the key to a sustainable and successful relationship with traders.

 


Kindly share this post

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek believes that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. So since 2007, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and how they affect lives.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Comments

E-Financial

NRS Accredits Afri Invoice as Access Point Provider to Drive Nigeria’s Mandatory e-invoicing

Published

on

Kindly share this post

Ahead of the July deadline, the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) has accredited Afri Invoice as an official Access Point Provider (APP) in a major move for digital tax compliance across Nigeria.

This sovereign endorsement thrusts the emerging fintech leader into an elite tier of technology firms trusted to handle the nation’s fiscal data infrastructure.

With the July deadline looming, this offers an opportunity for Nigerian Businesses to get adequate onboarding support.

Crucially, this landmark certification comes on the heels of Afri Invoice also recently being licensed as an official Systems Integrator by the NRS—granting the company rare dual-licensed status within the national ecosystem.

BAs Nigeria rapidly transitions to a transparent, real-time fiscal economy, Afri Invoice now serves as a fully unified, secure gateway.

With this double mandate, the platform is uniquely positioned to both seamlessly integrate legacy corporate networks and directly validate, digitally sign, and transmit automated electronic invoices straight into the central NRS Merchant Buyer Solution (MBS) infrastructure.

The NRS launched the MBS platform to combat tax evasion, boost state revenues, and mandate transaction transparency across Africas largest economy.

Operating as a centralised real-time ledger, the platform intercepts and logs B2B and B2G transactions right at the point of sale.

Speaking on this milestone, Mark Odenore, Founder of Afri Invoice, said: “This accreditation represents one of the most significant moments in Afri Invoice’s journey.

“For years, we have believed that compliance should not be a financial burden that only large corporations can afford.

“The NRS has handed us the opportunity to be the bridge connecting Nigeria’s entire business community to this new era. We view e-invoicing as a launchpad for modern corporate efficiency, transparency, and growth.”

Large taxpayers transitioned during the initial rollout phase, and the NRS is actively expanding the mandate to medium and small enterprises. Because direct connection to government servers demands rigid compliance, APPs serve as the vital intermediaries.

To earn this license from NITDA, Afri Invoice underwent extensive evaluation, proving its technical resilience, software architecture quality, OAuth 2.0 security protocols, and strict alignment with the international PEPPOL interoperability framework.

A Sovereign Endorsement for Afri Invoice is not merely a commercial credential; it is a profound operational responsibility. Inclusion in the official NRS Solutions Provider Directory means businesses can confidently deploy Afri Invoice to shield themselves from compliance risks.

For Nigerian enterprises navigating these shifting tax laws, Afri Invoice eliminates technical friction by automating the full invoice lifecycle.

The platform seamlessly handles Native ERP Integration, synchronises data across international standard formats like JSON, manages real-time data submission, digital signing, and certificate lifecycles, and provides clear audit trails and dashboards for CFOs to eliminate manual human error and speed up close cycles.

Crucially, the platform supports all NRS-mandated tax categories, quantity codes, and payment statuses, future-proofing businesses as global cross-border invoice interoperability rolls out.

Ms. Fatimata Niang, the Director of Strategy &Operations, noted: “Our architecture was engineered to the highest global standards for security, interoperability, and scale.

“Every invoice running through our system is cryptographically secured and fully traceable from the millisecond it is generated. As the mandate expands to millions of taxpayers, our infrastructure is primed to handle massive volume without compromising on speed or security.”

Afri Invoice is a premier Nigerian financial technology company building modern digital invoicing and fiscal infrastructure.

Through robust API-driven solutions aligned with NRS, NITDA, and international PEPPOL protocols, the company empowers enterprises and SMEs to achieve effortless compliance with minimal technical overhead.

 


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

E-Financial

Reps Committee Recovers N521m Unremitted VAT from CBN

Published

on

Kindly share this post

House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) says it has recovered over ₦521 million in unremitted Value Added Tax (VAT) from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Reps Committee Recovers N521m Unremitted VAT from CBN

This is part of an ongoing investigation into revenue leakages and outstanding funds owed to the federal government.

Bamidele Salam, chairman of the Committee, disclosed this while providing an update on the probe into transactions conducted through the Remita platform.

According to Salam, the investigation was initiated following a resolution of the House of Representatives to examine alleged revenue leakages, non-compliance with standard operating procedures and breaches of service level agreements linked to the Remita payment platform.

He said the committee had uncovered several outstanding liabilities and led to multiple recoveries.

Salam revealed that the committee discovered that the CBN failed to remit VAT amounting to ₦521,765,134.17, representing tax deductions on fees earned from Remita transactions.

He described the recovery as evidence of the effectiveness of legislative oversight in promoting accountability and safeguarding public resources.

The lawmaker maintained that the committee would recover all outstanding funds due to the Federal Government and blocking avenues for revenue leakages across public institutions.

It added that the CBN has been directed to remit the outstanding amount into the Federal Government Treasury and provide evidence of compliance.

The Public Accounts Committee is expected to continue its hearing on the matter on Monday, June 8, 2026, at the National Assembly in Abuja.

 

 

 

 


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

E-Financial

CBN Imposes N100m Penalty on Dealing Bank Inadequate Processing of Forex Documents

Published

on

Kindly share this post

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said that any authorised dealer bank the processes foreign exchange (forex) transactions without proper documentation will be fined N100 million.

CBN Imposes N100m Penalty on Dealing Bank Inadequate Processing of Forex Documents

In addition, the bank will pay N10 million for each transaction involved.

The sanctions are contained in the fourth edition of the Foreign Exchange Manual, which serves as a guide for participants in Nigeria’s forex market.

According to the CBN, the updated manual aims to improve compliance, increase transparency, and strengthen confidence in the foreign exchange system.

Banks are now required to obtain, verify, and keep all necessary documents before releasing foreign currency to customers.

Similar documentation requirements apply to forward and swap transactions, where proof of the underlying trade or obligation must be provided before settlement.

For import transactions, importers must continue to provide documents such as Form M, invoices, certificates of origin, packing lists, and shipping documents.

They must also submit Exchange Control Documents within 90 days after negotiating shipping documents through overseas correspondent banks.

The CBN warned that failure to meet documentation requirements will attract escalating sanctions.

A first violation will result in a 90-day suspension from forex transactions, a second violation will attract a 180-day suspension, and a third offence will lead to a one-year suspension.

A fourth violation could result in a complete ban from participating in forex transactions.

Banks that fail to report cases of default to the CBN will also face sanctions.

The apex bank further tightened reporting requirements. Institutions that submit required daily or monthly returns late will be fined N500,000, while those that fail to submit returns at all will pay a minimum of N5 million, plus an additional N500,000 daily until compliance is achieved.Afternoon Paper Subscription

The revised manual also strengthens oversight of banks’ foreign currency exposure.

Financial institutions that exceed approved Net Open Position limits will receive a warning for the first offence, a 10-working-day suspension from the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market for the second offence, and a 90-day suspension for the third violation.

The CBN also imposed sanctions on unauthorised reallocation of foreign exchange funds. Any bank found engaging in such practices will be fined N10 million per transaction and may face additional disciplinary action under the Bankers’ Committee ethics framework.

According to the CBN, the new measures are aimed at promoting transparency, strengthening market discipline, reducing abuses, and improving investor confidence in Nigeria’s foreign exchange market.

 


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

Trending