According to the February 2026 economic report from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the nation’s net foreign exchange inflow saw a 24 percent monthly drop, falling to $6.92 billion from $9.22 billion in January. The decrease was primarily caused by a 22.9 percent reduction in total foreign exchange inflows, which outweighed a 16.9 percent decline in outflows.
Data indicates that total foreign exchange inflows dropped from $12.23 billion in January to $9.43 billion in February. Specifically, inflows through the CBN decreased to $3.09 billion from $4.66 billion, while autonomous inflows fell from $7.57 billion to $6.34 billion.
Regarding outflows, the total amount decreased from $3.01 billion to $2.50 billion. Although outflows specifically through the CBN rose to $1.75 billion from $1.57 billion, autonomous outflows dropped significantly to $0.75 billion from $1.44 billion. The resulting net inflows for February were $1.34 billion through the CBN and $5.58 billion from autonomous sources, both lower than the figures reported for January. The CBN noted that these numbers signal a cooling phase for foreign capital activity.
