MTN suspends borrowing services: Is this the end of an era?

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MTN Nigeria, the leading telecommunications company in the country, has explained that the suspension of its airtime and data borrowing services was a result of new regulatory requirements introduced by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).

Uto Ukpanah, the company’s secretary, made this announcement on Thursday during a briefing at the Nigerian Exchange Limited.

The telecom firm stated that the suspension was largely due to the enforcement of the FCCPC’s regulations under the Digital, Electronic, Online, or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations 2025.

“This relates to the implementation of processes under the Digital, Electronic, Online, or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025, which introduced a new compliance and licensing framework for entities providing digital or non-traditional consumer credit services,” the company explained.

Despite this, MTN reassured its customers that alternative digital channels for purchasing airtime and data remain fully available during the suspension.

“Given the scale within the revenue mix, we do not expect the temporary suspension to have a material impact,” the company added.

It’s worth noting that the FCCPC, building upon its limited interim regulatory/registration framework and guidelines for digital lending introduced in 2022, rolled out the Digital, Electronic, Online, or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025, last year.

As part of the new guidelines, all digital lenders operating in Nigeria are now required to register with the commission. This now includes airtime credit services, placing telecom operators like MTN under a more stringent regulatory framework.

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