The naira remained relatively stable against the United States dollar on Friday, August 14, 2026, across both the official Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) and the parallel market, as traders continued to monitor foreign-exchange liquidity and demand.
According to data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the official NFEM exchange rate stood at ₦1,364.83 per dollar, serving as the benchmark for official foreign-exchange transactions. The CBN says the NFEM rate is determined using a volume-weighted average of completed market transactions.
In the parallel market, commonly known as the black market, the dollar traded at around ₦1,405, according to rates compiled from Bureau de Change operators and open-market dealers in Lagos and other major cities.
The difference between the official and parallel-market rates was therefore about ₦40 per dollar, suggesting that the gap between the two markets remains relatively moderate compared with the much wider differentials recorded during periods of heightened foreign-exchange volatility in 2024 and 2025.
Currency dealers said trading opened cautiously, with demand from importers and individuals seeking foreign currency largely balanced by available supply from exporters, remittances and other autonomous sources.
Recent market trends also indicate that the naira has traded within a relatively narrow range in recent sessions. Official rates have remained around the mid-₦1,360s, while parallel-market rates have hovered near ₦1,400.
For individuals exchanging foreign currency, $100 at the official NFEM rate would yield approximately ₦136,483, while the same amount exchanged at the parallel-market rate would return about ₦140,500.
Analysts said the naira’s near-term performance will depend largely on foreign-exchange inflows, crude-oil earnings, diaspora remittances and the CBN’s liquidity-management measures. Sustained stability in the official market, they added, could help reduce speculative pressure in the parallel market.
As of Friday morning, trading remained relatively calm, with no significant intraday swings reported by major currency dealers.
