MTN to Relaunch Xtratime Airtime Lending After FCCPC Suspends New Rules

Millions of Nigerians rely on airtime advances to stay connected. For six weeks, MTN’s Xtratime service was offline due to a regulatory standoff. Now MTN plans to reinstate the product. The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has paused enforcement of its 2025 digital lending regulations. This follows an interim court order from the Federal High Court in Lagos. Airtel and Globacom have already restored their own lending services. Xtratime generates about 3% of MTN’s revenue and drives a significant share of data use. MTN’s CEO said customers adapted by self-funding. But the swift move to bring back the service shows how critical it is in a market of nearly 90 million subscribers. Banks are also filling the gap. GTBank, Access Bank, UBA, Zenith Bank, FirstBank and FCMB now offer USSD-based airtime loans. The final outcome depends on the court’s ruling on the DEON regulations. For now, subscribers are getting their service back.

Use The App To Win ₦1m

Stories are shared by community members. This article does not represent the official view of NaijaWorld — the author is solely responsible for its content.