THE Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has said the number of delisted loan apps from the Google Play store has risen to 37.
The FCCPC disclosed this on its official website, and checks by The ICIR on Tuesday, September 12, showed the number of fully approved loan apps is 164, loan apps with conditional approval are 38, loan apps on the watchlist are 56, and four apps under waivers or licenced by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
On July 21, 2023, The ICIR reported that the FCCPC delisted two digital money lenders for violating customer privacy.
The chief executive officer of the FCCPC, Babatunde Irukera, had said some loan apps resorted to unethical, obnoxious, and unscrupulously exploitative practices in the industry.
The FCCPC had in August requested Google, the owner of the Play Store, to remove illegal apps operating without regulatory approval.
The commission had flagged many loan apps for violating the Limited Interim Regulatory/Registration Framework and Guidelines for Digital Lending, 2022, and initiated efforts to shake up the digital money lending space following harassment of Nigerians by loan app lenders.
“In furtherance of the investigation by the Joint Regulatory and Enforcement Task Force (JRETF) into possible violation of privacy and other rights by Digital Money Lenders (DMLs), the FCCPC has resumed the registration of digital money lending Apps under the Limited Interim Regulatory Framework and Guidelines for Digital Lending 2022,” the FCCPC stated.
According to the commission, delisted loan apps were permanently deleted by Google from the Play Store, the Punch reported.
The ICIR has made several reports on the illegal activities of the loan app operators who collected customers’ data, images and other vital information and secretly used them to harass, intimidate and shame customers.
In a report on Monday, April 10, the spokesperson of FCCPC, Ondaje Ijagwu, told The ICIR that the Federal government was putting measures in place to enforce the latest policy by Google.
The commission requested Google to prohibit loan apps from accessing contacts and images of their customers.
The FCCPC’s chairman, Irukera, also promised that the commission’s renewed drive would protect Nigerians’ privacy, thereby tackling the violation of customers’ privacy by loan app operators.
The ICIR recalls that Google had established a policy to remove illegal loan apps from the Play Store in Nigeria, effective January 31, 2023.
Online loan fintech companies sometimes send WhatsApp and text messages to every contact on their customer’s phones, claiming they are debtors and fraudsters.
In August 2021, The ICIR reported how Nigerian fintech companies shamed and threatened customers for late payment of loans.
While many experts in the technology ecosystem have raised concerns over the breach of personal data, the resources manager at the Fintech Association of Nigeria, Seun Folorunso, had told The ICIR in a report that scammers would likely succeed unless the online loan companies introduced a high-level multi-factor authentication like pictures and fingerprints.
Below is the lists of the 37 delisted loan apps:
1. Swiftkash App
2. Hen Credit Loan App
3. Cash Door App
4. Joy Cash-Loan Up To 1,000,000 App
5. Eaglecash App
6. Luckyloan Personal Loan App
7. Getloan App
8. Easeloan Apps
9. Naira Naija
10. Cashlawn App
11. Easynaira App
12. Crediting App
13. Yoyi App
14. Nut Loan App
14. Cashpal App
15. Nairaeasy Gist Loan App
16. Camelloan App
17. Nairaloan App
18. Moneytreefinance Made Easy App
19. Cashme App
20. Secucash App
21. Creditbox App
22. Cashmama App
23. Crimson Credit App
24. Galaxy Credit App
25. Ease Cash App
26. Xcredit
27. Imoney
28. Naira Naija
29. Imoneyplus-Instant
30. Nairanaija-Instant
31. Nownowmoney
32. Naija Cash
33. Eagle Cash
34. Firstnell App
35. Flypay
36. Spark Credit
37. Luckyloan Personal Loan App
Thank you for this reportage. I can reliably inform you that Swift Money is still on Google play Store because they still run ads on some Digital Mining apps. In less than 30 minutes ago, they still run this ads. On Saturday, I still downloaded the Swift cash app. Though I didn’t open it till I read this report. Also, NNMoney & Flypay still run ads on Phoenix Newd. Please verify. Even the existing loap ap still ask permission to access contact, messages, photos on customers phone before granting them loan.
Thank you