Globacom and Airtel have resumed airtime lending services in Nigeria after the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) suspended enforcement of its digital lending regulations following an interim court order.
The resumption restores services such as Globacom’s “Borrow Me Credit” and Airtel’s airtime advance platform used by subscribers for emergency airtime needs.
In a public notice issued last Friday, the FCCPC said it suspended enforcement of the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations (DEON Regulations) 2025 after an interim order by Justice A.L. Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos restrained the commission from implementing the rules.
The order followed a lawsuit filed by the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN).
WASPAN chairman Ayo Stuffman confirmed that the services had resumed.
“As we speak, the services in question are already active on Airtel and Glo. On MTN, I can speak that we are confident of the resumption of services given the recent developments from the FCCPC,” he said.
The dispute began after the FCCPC expanded the scope of its DEON Regulations to include telecom airtime and data credit services, classifying them as digital lending.
Under the regulations, telecom operators offering deferred-payment airtime or data services would be required to comply with registration, disclosure and consumer protection rules, with penalties of up to N100 million or one percent of annual turnover for non-compliance.
WASPAN challenged the classification in court, arguing that airtime credit is a telecom value-added service already regulated by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and should not be treated as a loan.
“What WASPAN has advocated for through the courts is that the DEON Regulations should not apply to airtime credit, which cannot really be classified as a loan in the actual sense,” Stuffman said.
The disagreement had earlier forced MTN, Airtel and Globacom to suspend airtime credit services in April to avoid possible sanctions.
The FCCPC introduced the DEON Regulations in July 2025 to address complaints involving digital loan applications, including debtor harassment and unclear lending terms.
NCC executive vice chairman Aminu Maida had also said airtime credit falls under telecom value-added services governed by the Communications Act and not consumer lending.
Despite suspending enforcement, 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 commission said.
