The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has released new directives to commercial banks regarding the deposit of foreign currency cash with the apex bank.
News About Nigeria reports that the foreign currency deposits are limited to Abuja and Lagos CBN branches.
In a circular COD/DIR/INT/CIR/001/016 published on the bank’s website, the Director of Currency Operations, Mr. Mohammed Solaja, instructed Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to submit a written notification to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at least three working days before depositing foreign currency notes, indicating their intention to make such a deposit.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has specified that deposits of foreign currency can only be made at its branches in Abuja and Lagos.
It further directed that each bank would be allowed a maximum deposit threshold of $10 million for USD 100 notes and USD 50 notes daily.
The CBN said that smaller denominations of $ 20 notes and below would be at a maximum of $1 million daily.
“British Pound and Euro were also pegged at GBP 1 million and Euro 1 Million per day per DMB,” the CBN said.
According to the circular, each denomination would be in separate boxes, with two representatives of a DMB wanting to make deposits present to witness the counting and confirm the amount.
It added that only CBN-registered CIT companies for the deposit of foreign currency notes would be allowed to represent the DMBs in the exercise.
The CBN directed that the deposits would take place between 8 am and noon and that the selected branches must confirm the deposits the same day.
The handling charge, it said, would be at 0.30 percent and would be received from the current accounts of DMBs with the CBN.
The bank said that the new guidelines superseded the June 17, 2017 circular referenced: COD/DIR/GEN/CMF/11/094.
