The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has assured that the e-Naira, its digital currency, poses no threat to financial stability in the country.
Responding to reports in some media outlets claiming that the e-Naira would jeopardise the nation's financial stability, CBN's Director of Corporate Communications, Dr. Isa AbdulMumin, yesterday, said there seems to be a lack of understanding of portions of the Foreword, and some articles, in the bank's recently released 'Economics of Digital Currencies: A Book of Readings'.
He stated further: "A recurring theme in the book is the interest of regulators, such as the CBN, in the role of cryptocurrencies as speculative investments, and the potential threat they harbour for financial stability.
"Pursuant to that, the articles in the book provide an in-depth understanding of CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currency) generally and the workings of the eNaira in particular, highlighting issues and challenges in implementation and adoption.
"One of the media reports speaks of 'concerns about Nigeria's central bank digital currency, eNaira, indicating potential risks to financial stability despite its success in narrowing the country's financial inclusion gap.' The nexus implied is unconvincing.
"In the ordinary course of things, the CBN does not join issues on news commentary; however, we are constrained to clarify the reports to ensure that misunderstandings are not fostered.
"The eNaira structure continues to evolve and undergo modifications targeted at improving the user experience across all interfaces. We encourage Nigerians to embrace the technology for, amongst other things, greater financial inclusion."
