The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) banned the sale of dollars to importers of telecom equipment, power generators and finished products at its foreign exchange auction, instead shifting demand to the inter-bank market, dealers told Reuters on Thursday.
The central bank also restricted lenders and discount houses from placing more than N7.5 billion naira ($44 million) each as deposits with the regulator, swelling interbank naira liquidity.
The naira hit a new intraday low of N170.5 against the dollar on Thursday, falling 1.87 percent as the stock market continued to slide.