Nigeria denies freezing over 300 P2P accounts on extra crypto exchanges amid foreign exchange issues

Nigerian authorities are gearing up for the subsequent section of their crackdown on crypto buying and selling, focusing on peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms like OKX, Binance, KuCoin, and Bybit, in keeping with a trending round on social media platform X.

In the meantime, the Central Financial institution of Nigeria (CBN) said the knowledge contained within the round didn’t originate from it, claiming it’s “faux content material.” Individuals accustomed to the matter said that backtracking on unpopular insurance policies was not unusual within the area.

The memo

Per the trending round, the CBN ordered monetary establishments within the nation to determine people or entities transacting with these exchanges and implement a six-month Publish No Debit (PND) instruction on their accounts.

In keeping with the financial institution, the talked about platforms should not licensed to function in Nigeria and are presently underneath investigation. It added that defaulters of this directive could be confronted with extreme regulatory sanctions.

The financial institution additionally warned that any dealer “shopping for and promoting USDT illegally” could be arrested.

The CBN additional reminded regulated monetary entities within the nation that they have been barred from dealing in cryptocurrencies or facilitating funds for crypto exchanges.

Olumide Adesina, a enterprise journalist, defined that the CBN’s official stance was that solely entities regulated by the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) within the crypto market may cope with banks.

Over 300 P2P accounts frozen

In a current press briefing, Ola Olukayode, the chairman of the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFFC), famous that transactions on P2P platforms like KuCoin have been exacerbating the nation’s international alternate challenges.

He mentioned the anti-graft company had frozen about 300 suspected unlawful foreign exchange accounts buying and selling on P2P platforms. Notably, over $15 billion handed via considered one of these platforms within the final 12 months.

This growth comes because the Nigerian authorities has adopted a stringent stance in the direction of crypto to stabilize the international alternate market. Initially, the authorities attributed the Nigerian Naira’s weak worth towards the US Greenback to foreign money merchants’ speculative activities on the crypto alternate Binance.

The alternate has denied these allegations however remains to be dealing with trial, alongside two of its executives, for tax evasion and cash laundering.

Binance mentioned it’s cooperating with the authorities and referred to as for the discharge of its detained staff.

April 24 Replace: Up to date to incorporate info from the Central Financial institution of Nigeria.