MTN Nigeria is working to restore its Xtratime airtime lending service after the country’s consumer protection regulator suspended enforcement of new digital lending rules.
A company insider told TechCabal that MTN “will reinstate the service” now that the regulator has paused the rules. Rivals Airtel and Globacom have already resumed airtime lending.
Xtratime lets prepaid subscribers borrow airtime or data and repay on their next recharge. It generates fees and sits at the meeting point of MTN’s telecom and fintech businesses.
MTN suspended Xtratime in April to comply with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (FCCPC) Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025 (DEON). The commission suspended enforcement of those rules on 22 May, after a 15 April interim order by the Federal High Court in Lagos in a suit brought by the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN).
The move marks a shift from MTN’s stance on its 4 May earnings call, where executives said they would resume the service only if a court set aside the regulations or a clear directive ordered reinstatement, neither of which, they said, had happened.
MTN said Xtratime’s absence had only a brief effect on consumption, with customers shifting to self-funded usage. Fees from the product make up roughly 3 percent of revenue, while related airtime and data account for a low-20-percent share of airtime distribution. The company said it expected no material hit to full-year results.
MTN Nigeria reported 5.2 trillion naira, about 3.77 billion dollars, in 2025 revenue and projects at least 6.24 trillion naira, around 4.52 billion dollars, for 2026. It says it is onboarding approved providers and will resume Xtratime once that is complete.
