Foreign portfolio investment into Nigeria surged 45% quarter-on-quarter to reach $6.51 billion in the second quarter of 2026, driven primarily by sustained foreign appetite for fixed-income paper.
Official data released in the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Q2 2026 statistical bulletin shows total inflows expanded by $2.03 billion from the $4.49 billion registered in the preceding quarter.
On an annual basis, portfolio capital inflows expanded by 26.4% compared to the $5.15 billion recorded during the corresponding second quarter of 2025, highlighting improved offshore participation in local capital markets.
Debt securities accounted for the dominant share of total portfolio investment, surging 16.1% from $4.28 billion in March to $4.97 billion by June.
The $690 million quarter-on-quarter increase in debt instruments meant fixed-income assets represented roughly 76% of overall portfolio capital entering the country over the three-month period.
In contrast, foreign investment in equity and investment fund shares remained broadly muted, edging up under one% from $1.53 billion in Q1 to $1.54 billion in Q2.
The sustained influx of short-term portfolio flows comes as the apex bank maintains elevated benchmark interest rates to anchor inflation and stabilize the naira exchange rate across domestic trading windows.
The foreign capital expansion complemented broader macroeconomic gains, with Nigeria’s external reserves climbing past $51 billion and the country recording a current account surplus of $7.54 billion in Q2 2026.
