During the first quarter of 2026, Nigeria saw its net foreign exchange (forex) inflow reach $20.33 billion. This figure marks a 33.8 percent climb from the $15.19 billion documented in the final quarter of 2025.
Data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in its quarterly economic report indicates that increased autonomous inflows were the primary driver of this growth. Total forex inflows reached $31.34 billion, up 13.26 percent from the previous quarter’s $27.67 billion. Meanwhile, total outflows decreased by 11.78 percent, dropping to $11.01 billion from $12.48 billion.
A breakdown of the numbers shows that inflows directly through the CBN dipped by 3.77 percent to $10.20 billion. Conversely, autonomous inflows jumped 23.90 percent, rising to $21.15 billion. Regarding outflows, the CBN saw a 4.08 percent increase to $7.40 billion, whereas autonomous outflows fell by 32.77 percent to $3.61 billion.
Ultimately, autonomous sources yielded a net inflow of $17.53 billion for the quarter, significantly higher than the $11.71 billion noted in the prior quarter. The CBN’s own net inflow was $2.80 billion, down from $3.48 billion in the preceding period.
