Treasury bills subscription hits ₦38.08tn in 2024 – CBN

Investors’ subscription to Nigerian Treasury Bills surged from N23.51 trillion in 2023 to N38.08 trillion in 2024, according to a report by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

This growth reflects increased demand for short-term government securities as the apex bank intensifies efforts to manage liquidity in the financial sector.

According to the CBN’s ‘Primary Market’ data, the N38.08 trillion subscription to Nigerian Treasury Bills in the review period was driven by investors seeking risk-free instruments and a hedge against rising inflation.

NTBs, typically issued by the CBN to meet the government’s short-term financing needs, are considered safe, low-risk investments.

During this period, the CBN aimed to raise N7.6 trillion from the NTBs market but ultimately secured N12.4 trillion.

In the previous year, the CBN recorded N6.66 trillion in successful NTBs subscriptions after offering N4.56 trillion to investors.

Findings show that the 91-day NTBs auction rate in December 2024 increased to 18%, up from 7% in December 2023.

Similarly, the 182-day NTBs rate rose from 10% in December 2023 to 18.5% in December 2024.

Additionally, the rate on the 364-day NTBs reached 22.8% by December 11, 2024, compared to 12.24% in December 2023.

Through its monetary policy of raising interest rates and conducting large NTBs auctions, the CBN aims to curb inflation, stabilize the foreign exchange rate, and create a more balanced economic environment.