Nigeria, April 20 -- The commission said the Digital Economy and Online Lending (DEON) regulations, introduced in July 2025, were designed to enforce transparency and ethical loan-recovery practices after a surge in consumer complaints about hidden charges and aggressive debt collection.

Although a final compliance deadline of January 5, 2026, was set, the FCCPC stressed that any current disruptions are the result of companies failing to regularize their operations within the stipulated timeline.

Contrary to speculation, the regulator clarified it has not banned airtime borrowing or data advance services, nor issued any directive restricting access to lawful telecom value-added offerings.

The intervention followed widespread reports o...