Economy September 23, 2026

CBN Cuts Benchmark Interest Rate to 23%

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Favour Owonibi
Search Media Reporter

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reduced its benchmark interest rate from 26.5% to 23%.
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‎CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, revealed this on Tuesday at the end of the Monetary Policy Committee’s 307th meeting in Abuja
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‎He noted that the committee examined recent trends in the global and domestic economic environment, considered emerging risks to the outlook and evaluated their potential for monetary policy.
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‎The latest reduction comes after the MPC kept the rate unchanged at its two preceding meetings, following a 50-basis-point cut in February 2026.
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‎The CBN governor said the Committee also recalibrated the standing facility corridor to +50 and -300 basis points around the MPR,
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‎This was done while retaining the Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) at 45% for deposit money banks, 16% for merchant banks, and 75% for non-TSA public sector deposits.
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‎According to him, the decision came as an important operational realignment aimed at strengthening monetary policy transmission and enforcing the primacy of the rate.

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Favour Owonibi
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Written by Favour Owonibi

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