Nigeria’s portfolio investment inflows rose by 17.6 per cent to $7.09 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up from $6.03 billion in the preceding quarter, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The increase of $1.06 billion was driven by higher inflows into long-term general government debt securities, the CBN said in its Q2 2026 Economic Report published on Monday.
The report showed that portfolio investment remained the largest component of new financial liabilities recorded during the quarter, significantly exceeding direct investment liabilities.
Portfolio investment inflows increased by 17.6 per cent between January and March and April and June, while direct investment liabilities rose by 11.7 per cent to $1.15 billion from $1.03 billion.
The CBN attributed the increase in direct investment liabilities to higher reinvested earnings.
Other investment liabilities also increased, rising to $2.75 billion in the second quarter from $1.36 billion in the first quarter.
The growth reflected higher loan drawdowns by the government and other sectors, as well as increased currency and deposit liabilities of deposit-taking corporations.
Consequently, the net incurrence of financial liabilities rose to $10.84 billion from $8.36 billion in the preceding quarter.
Portfolio investment inflows were about six times direct investment liabilities in the second quarter. They accounted for about 65 per cent of total net financial liabilities incurred during the period, compared with roughly 72 per cent in the first quarter, as other investment liabilities recorded stronger growth.
However, the portfolio investment rose amid a decline in Nigeria’s aggregate foreign exchange inflows.