Nigeria’s currency maintained a stable outlook against the United States Dollar during Friday morning trading on February 13, 2026, as the market entered the final session of the week. The naira’s resilience reflects a consistent policy environment and a series of interventions by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) aimed at boosting retail dollar supply.
In the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM), the naira opened at around 1,356.33 per dollar and experienced minor intraday fluctuations, settling at a mid-morning average of 1,355.58. The slight appreciation signals continued consolidation within the 1,350 to 1,360 range, a zone that market participants view as a sign of relative stability.
Analysts attributed the steady performance to the effective functioning of the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS), which has helped align demand with available dollar supply. Additionally, the CBN’s renewed engagement with Bureau De Change (BDC) operators to facilitate retail transactions has been credited with improving market liquidity and curbing abrupt price movements.
In the parallel market, also known as the “black market,” the naira mirrored the official window’s stability. In key commercial centers such as Lagos and Abuja, the dollar traded within a range of 1,425 to 1,440.
Traders noted that the typical “weekend effect,” which can drive heightened demand and sudden price spikes, was muted on Friday. The improved availability of dollars through official BDC channels has reduced speculative buying, helping to keep informal rates in check. Consequently, the gap between the official and parallel market rates remained relatively narrow, providing greater predictability for small-scale importers and retail buyers.
As the week draws to a close, the naira appears poised to sustain its momentum into the mid-month period. Market watchers will be closely monitoring the closing figures later today to gauge the currency’s strength ahead of Monday’s trading open.