Free Reads Airtime Lending Turf War Rocks South African Fintech Quietly Dominant In Nigeria By Staff Reporter  |  September 25, 2026 A regulatory turf war between two Nigerian agencies briefly cut off airtime credit for an estimated 40 million mobile subscribers in April, exposing how a single South African fintech had quietly become critical infrastructure for Nigeria’s poorest phone users. The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) extended its Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending (DEON) regulations to cover airtime credit services in April 2026. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which licenses value-added service providers, was not consulted. Caught between the two regulators, MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom and 9mobile suspended their airtime lending products on April 15. The Federal High Court in Abuja issued an interim injunction on April 24 restraining the operators from cutting off access to Nairtime Nigeria Limited, Optasia’s local…