Quantcast

Economist Hanke: 'Crypto speculation is NOT the source of' Nigeria's economic crisis

JPMorgan Warns of Further Bitcoin Decline Despite Recent Correction
Greens’ push to end German cryptocurrency tax exemption sparks debate
French Energy Giant EDF Subsidiary Becomes Chiliz Blockchain Validator
N26 Launches New Cryptocurrency Trading Product, N26 Crypto
Rise in crypto fund launches predicted as digital gains “acceptance”
EU threatens US hegemony of stablecoins and $140 billion market
Giggle Academy: Changpeng Zhao (CZ) presents his new entrepreneurial project
Crypto: France becomes one of the leaders in adoption!
Mintos Expands Its Reach And Officially Debuts In France And The Netherlands
Millionero wins Best Start Up Exchange Award at Crypto Expo Europe 2024, Romania
Galaxy Digital to launch new ETPs in Europe
Binance Launches Internal Investigation Following Reports of BOME Insider Trading
The bull run is just beginning according to Binance CEO
Binance offers $5M reward for insider trading tip-offs
Tether's USDT Gets Delisted on Crypto Exchange OKX for EU Users
Crypto.com's CEO believes bitcoin price in December 2020 phase of cycle
AI is worsening a €16bn tsunami of fake goods. The EU wants blockchain to help
EU publishes draft rules for stablecoin issuer complaint procedures
Steven Cohen's Point72 Ventures backs European crypto exchange D2X in $10m funding
France's Request Finance acquires crypto accounting fintech Consola Finance - FinTech Futures: Fintech news
OpenAI swoops up French and Spanish news partners for AI chatbot training
Javier García de la Torre: "2024 will be a year of cautious optimism in the crypto sector"
ECB Executive pens November 2025 rollout for digital Euro CBDC
Cryptocurrencies: The Eu Will Crack Down More Severely On Sanctions Violations
EU Parliament Passes Sanctions Law Including Crypto, Aiming To Seal Loopholes Across 27 States
Global crypto investment products saw $2.7 billion record inflows last week
Can the digital euro actually find traction in Europe?
Binance exit sparks fears and opportunities in Nigeria’s crypto community
Portugal elections: Is the country’s crypto-friendly status at stake?
European countries roll out crypto laws in race toward MiCA
Economist Hanke: 'Crypto speculation is NOT the source of' Nigeria's economic crisis
Webp hanke
Steve Hanke, professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University | independent.org

Steve Hanke, a professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University, has attributed Nigeria's economic instability to the policies implemented by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), including significant increases in the country's money supply. Contrary to some perspectives, Hanke insists that cryptocurrency is not responsible for Nigeria's economic challenges.

"With the naira PLUNGING & inflation SURGING, NGA has hit the PANIC BUTTON – recently forcing Binance to halt its operations," said Hanke, according to X. "Crypto speculation is NOT the source of NGA's problems."

According to Johns Hopkins University's website, Hanke is the founder and co-director of its Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise. He also holds senior fellow positions at both the Cato Institute and the Independent Institute. His previous roles include serving as a senior economist on President Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisers and as a senior adviser to the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress.

Get the Newsletter
Sign-up to receive weekly round up of news from Crypto Republique
By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By providing your phone number you are opting in and consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from our short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Nigerians grappling with soaring inflation and a devalued currency have increasingly turned to cryptocurrency as a means to safeguard their savings. However, in February, access to several crypto platforms was restricted by the Nigerian government. This included Binance, recognised as the world's largest crypto exchange. Following this action, two Binance executives were detained during their visit to meet with government officials in Nigeria. These executives - American citizen Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla who holds UK and Kenyan nationality - remain in detention without any formal charges against them. They are reportedly being held under guard with limited access to their phones. Gambaryan's wife has stated that she has been able to maintain minimal communication with her husband.

Binance's website indicates that Gambaryan joined their team in 2021 as vice president of Global Intelligence and Investigations. Prior to this role, he spent ten years serving as a special agent for the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Cyber Crimes Unit based in Washington D.C., where he led several multi-billion dollar cyber investigations.

While details regarding the detention of these two executives have not been openly discussed by the Nigerian government, Bayo Onanuga, an adviser to the Nigerian president, told the Wall Street Journal that Binance has been cooperating with government officials. Discussions regarding "compensation" to Nigeria have reportedly taken place. A spokesperson for Binance stated, "We are working collaboratively with Nigerian authorities to bring Nadeem and Tigran back home safely to their families. We trust there will be a swift resolution to this matter."

Economist Shedrach Israel expressed his belief that banning Binance will not resolve the issue of Nigeria's currency devaluation, as reported by Punch. Israel stated, "I don’t know why the cryptocurrency is being seen as sabotage on the exchange rate because the cryptocurrency is not the major means by which the dollar is flowing in Nigeria." It is estimated that 10.3% of Nigeria's population, equating to over 22 million people, currently hold crypto.

More News

Binance customer support has clarified that the exchange does not sell or "dump" large amounts of tokens.

Feb 26, 2025

The European Union (EU) is intensifying its regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies with measures such as the Transfer of Funds Regulation (TFR), Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), and the Travel Rule, according to Georg Brameshuber, a...

Feb 25, 2025

Simon Dixon, a crypto investor and influencer, has described the Bybit exchange hack as the "largest exchange hack" in history, underscoring the significance of self-custody for Bitcoin.

Feb 25, 2025

The Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV) has announced a list of warnings from international supervisors concerning unregistered entities providing financial and/or cryptocurrency services.

Feb 25, 2025

Bybit has announced that a sophisticated attack manipulated an Ethereum cold wallet transaction, resulting in significant losses.

Feb 24, 2025

The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) has issued a warning against the website amgfinancialeu.com, citing its provision of financial, investment, and crypto-security services without proper authorization.

Feb 24, 2025