The largest telecommunications operator in Nigeria, MTN, has temporarily suspended its airtime and data lending services known as “Extratime”, citing the new regulation released by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) as the reason.
The company disclosed this in a corporate disclosure to the NGX released on Thursday.
According to the company, the FCCPC’s Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025, introduced a fresh compliance and licensing framework for companies offering digital or non-traditional consumer credit services in Nigeria.
In the disclosure signed by its Company Secretary, Uto Ukpanah, MTN noted Xtratime allows eligible subscribers to borrow airtime or data and repay on their next recharge, making it one of the widely used value-added services among prepaid users.
MTN said customers will continue to have access to other digital channels for purchasing airtime and data while the service remains suspended.
The company also assured investors that the temporary halt is not expected to significantly affect earnings.
MTN added that it is monitoring customer behaviour and usage trends and will provide further details on any measurable impact in its first quarter 2026 results.
Building on its Limited Interim Regulatory/Registration Framework and Guidelines for Digital Lending, 2022, the FCCPC last year introduced the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025.
Under the guidelines, all digital lenders in the country are expected to register with the FCCPC. This also includes airtime or dental lenders, which brings MTN and other telecom operators offering the services under a new set of regulations.
Operators provisionally designated as eligible under transitional arrangements were recently given a new deadline of April 2026 to complete their registration under the DEON Regulations.
The FCCPC had earlier fixed October 31, 2025, as the deadline for all digital lenders in the country to get registered or face a fine of N100 million.
Naijaonpoint reported that the race to beat the deadline had led to a surge in the number of registered digital lenders in the country, with the number jumping to 492 in October.
However, the Commission later announced the extension of the deadline to January 5, 2026, to allow full compliance.
