In a strategic move to curb rising food and fuel prices, the Central Bank of Nigeria has tightened its grip on the financial system, pushing the interbank deficit to N4.1tn. By vacuuming out excess liquidity through high-yield government bills, the CBN is betting that a short-term drought in the banking system is a necessary sacrifice to stabilise the naira and prevent inflation from spiralling out of control after its recent jump to 15.4 per cent.
According to the latest Afrinvest Weekly Market and Economic Analysis, the interbank system remains under immense pressure as the apex regulator prioritises the containment of resurgent inflation and exchange rate volatility.
The report reveals that system liquidity conditions, representing the volume of discretionary cash available for banks to lend to one another, remain deep in negative territory. While the average system deficit narrowed by 18.7 per cent to settle at N4.1tn, down from N5.0tn the previous week, the figures signal a deliberate drought orchestrated by the regulator to mop up excess money supply.
Analysts at Afrinvest noted that this persistent shortfall is not accidental but a core feature of the current fiscal defence strategy. “The persistent system liquidity shortfall reflects sustained monetary tightening by the CBN, driven by a combination of OMO-induced sterilisation and limited offsetting inflows,” the report stated.