The naira appreciated against the United States dollar at the official foreign exchange market on Friday, marking a positive start to the first trading day of 2026.

Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed that the local currency strengthened to N1,430.85 per dollar on Friday, compared with N1,435.76 recorded on Wednesday, December 31, ahead of the New Year break.

This reflects a N4.91 gain for the naira against the dollar when compared with the previous trading session.

At the parallel market, however, the naira remained unchanged, exchanging at N1,475 per dollar on Friday, the same rate recorded before the holidays.

The naira ended 2025 with a nearly N100 appreciation against the dollar, supported by an increase in Nigeria’s external reserves, which rose to $45.5 billion as of December 30, 2025.