Today on KWIQ: 1 USDT = ₦1,333.36

KWIQ Naira Crypto Report · March 2020

Covid-19 hit markets in March 2020: Bitcoin fell 24.6% and the CBN moved its rate to ₦360.5

Bitcoin fell 24.6% in March 2020, from $8,523 to $6,424, and ether fell 38.8%. USDT traded at a median of ₦400 on Quidax, 22.3% above the CBN’s official rate, which averaged ₦327.06.

Based on public market data: Coinbase prices, the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate and Quidax’s naira markets. KWIQ’s own figures start in May 2021. How we measure

Bitcoin at the end of the month

$6,424

Down 24.6% on the month

CBN official rate, end of month

₦360.5

Averaged ₦327.06 per dollar

USDT on Quidax, median day

₦400

22.3% above the official rate

Bitcoin in naira on Quidax

₦2,667,000

At the end of the month

Bitcoin and ether in dollars

Bitcoin fell 24.6% in March 2020, from $8,523 to $6,424, with a high of $9,215 and a low of $3,858. Ether fell 38.8%, to $133.

$6,424
Apr 19May 19Jun 19Jul 19Aug 19Sep 19Oct 19Nov 19Dec 19Jan 20Feb 20Mar 20

Bitcoin’s price at the end of each of the last 12 months, in US dollars.

View as a table
MonthBitcoinEther
Apr 2019$5,271$160
May 2019$8,554$268
Jun 2019$10,761$290
Jul 2019$10,087$219
Aug 2019$9,601$172
Sep 2019$8,305$181
Oct 2019$9,159$182
Nov 2019$7,556$152
Dec 2019$7,166$129
Jan 2020$9,335$180
Feb 2020$8,525$217
Mar 2020$6,424$133

The naira: official and market rates

The CBN’s official rate went from ₦306.5 to ₦360.5 per dollar, averaging ₦327.06. On Quidax, USDT traded between ₦358 and ₦425 a day, with a median of ₦400, 22.3% above the official rate.

₦400
Apr 19May 19Jun 19Jul 19Aug 19Sep 19Oct 19Nov 19Dec 19Jan 20Feb 20Mar 20

Naira per dollar on Quidax, the median day of each month.

View as a table
MonthOfficialMarketGap
Apr 2019₦306.46₦362.55+18.3%
May 2019₦306.45₦359.86+17.4%
Jun 2019₦306.45₦358.82+17.1%
Jul 2019₦306.44₦356.76+16.4%
Aug 2019₦306.43₦356.72+16.4%
Sep 2019₦306.42₦355.17+15.9%
Oct 2019₦306.46₦356.6+16.4%
Nov 2019₦306.45₦357.43+16.6%
Dec 2019₦306.45₦360.01+17.5%
Jan 2020₦306.46₦360.98+17.8%
Feb 2020₦306.45₦360+17.5%
Mar 2020₦327.06₦400+22.3%

What happened in March 2020

The month’s main events in crypto, and in Nigeria.

  • On 12 March markets crashed around the world as Covid-19 spread, and Bitcoin lost about half its value in two days before starting to recover.
  • Oil prices collapsed during the month. Oil earns most of Nigeria’s foreign exchange.
  • The CBN moved its official rate from ₦306.5 to ₦360.5 per dollar.
  • Lagos, Ogun and Abuja went into lockdown from 30 March.

What it meant in naira

Two examples at Quidax’s prices, to show how the month’s moves added up for someone holding crypto in Nigeria. They aren’t the rates KWIQ paid.

  • $100 in USDT was worth about ₦36,000 on the first day of the month and ₦41,100 on the last.
  • 0.01 BTC was worth about ₦26,670 at the end of March 2020, against ₦30,553 a month earlier.

How we measure

  • Bitcoin and ether prices are Coinbase’s daily prices in US dollars (UTC days): the first day’s opening price, the last day’s closing price and the month’s high and low.
  • The official rate is the Central Bank of Nigeria’s central rate for the US dollar, on the days the CBN published one.
  • The market rate is the naira price of USDT on Quidax, which provides KWIQ’s wallets: the median of its daily closing prices, counting only days with trades.
  • Events are as reported at the time. They’re listed for context, not as the cause of any price move.

Use this report

Journalists, bloggers and researchers are welcome to quote this report and its figures, with a credit to KWIQ and a link to this page. For interviews or more detail, email admin@kwiq.app. For today’s rates, see crypto to naira rates.

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