Airtel, Glo restore airtime lending after FCCPC pause

Airtel Nigeria and Globacom have restored airtime lending services after weeks of disruption caused by a regulatory dispute.

Nigeria’s consumer protection regulator suspended enforcement of controversial digital lending rules that had affected telecom operators.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) announced the suspension on May 22. The move followed an interim order from the Federal High Court in Lagos.

Justice A.L. Allagoa issued the order on April 15 after a lawsuit filed by the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN).

The restoration reopens access to services such as Globacom’s “Borrow Me Credit” and other airtime advance products. Millions of subscribers rely on those services during emergencies or temporary cash shortages.

“As we speak, the services in question are already active on Airtel and Glo,” Ayo Stuffman, chairman of WASPAN, told TechCabal on Monday.

“On MTN, I can speak that we are confident of the resumption of services given the recent developments from the FCCPC,” he added.

TechCabal independently confirmed that Airtel and Globacom had relisted airtime lending services on their platforms.

The dispute started after the FCCPC expanded its Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations (DEON Regulations) 2025.

The regulator included telecom airtime and data credit services under digital lending rules. Under the framework, telecom operators offering deferred-payment airtime or data bundles would be treated as lenders.

They would also need to comply with registration, disclosure, and consumer protection requirements.

That decision triggered tensions between telecom operators, regulators, and value-added service providers.

WASPAN argued that airtime credit is not a conventional loan product. Instead, the group said it operates as a telecom value-added service already regulated by the Nigerian Communications Commission.

“What WASPAN has advocated for through the courts is that the DEON Regulations shouldn’t apply to airtime credit,” Stuffman said.

The uncertainty forced operators, including MTN Nigeria, Airtel, and Globacom, to suspend the services in April. Operators wanted to avoid potential sanctions under the FCCPC framework.

Industry stakeholders said the disruption affected millions of low-income users. The suspension also temporarily froze a market estimated to process hundreds of billions of naira yearly.

The DEON Regulations were first introduced in July 2025. The FCCPC said the rules were designed to curb abusive practices by digital loan apps.

Those practices included debtor harassment, public shaming, and hidden lending terms.

However, operators argued that applying the same rules to telecom services would create regulatory overlap.

Earlier in April, NCC Executive Vice Chairman Aminu Maida said airtime credit falls under telecom regulation, not consumer lending.

Despite the temporary suspension, uncertainty remains around the long-term treatment of airtime lending. The FCCPC said it plans to challenge the court order.

“The Commission has also given its solicitors firm instructions to challenge the Order and the competence of the suit,” the FCCPC said.

For now, the restoration offers relief to millions of subscribers across Nigeria.

“Our members trust that the rule of law supersedes at the end of the day despite the revenue loss over six weeks,” Stuffman said.