The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) are finalizing a new regulatory framework to fix one of the biggest headaches for mobile users: failed airtime and data purchases.
Driving the news
Starting March 1, 2026, banks and telecom operators must provide near-real-time refunds when a customer’s account is debited but no service is delivered.
Why it matters
Failed transactions consistently rank as one of the top three consumer complaints in Nigeria’s massive telecoms ecosystem. For millions of users, “lost” money in the digital void has become a major source of financial frustration.
How it works
The new framework removes the “blame game” between banks and telcos by mandating strict timelines:
- 30 Seconds: The target window for automatic refunds if a transaction fails instantly.
- 24 Hours: The maximum limit for resolving “pending” transactions that require further verification.
- Notification: Operators must send an SMS confirmation for every single transaction, whether it succeeds or fails.
The Big Picture
This isn’t just a policy update; it’s a technological overhaul of the payment pipe.
- Unified Monitoring: The NCC and CBN will launch a central dashboard to track transaction failures and refund speeds in real-time.
- Accountability: New Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) will legally define which party (bank or telco) is responsible for a failure, making it easier to levy penalties.
- Edge Cases: The rules also cover tricky scenarios like recharges sent to ported numbers or human errors in dialing.
By the numbers:
- ₦10 billion+: The amount already refunded to customers by banks and telcos during the pilot and consultation phase.
- Top 3: The ranking of failed recharges among all telecom-related complaints in Nigeria.
Between the lines
By forcing banks and telcos to sync their ledgers in real-time, regulators are pushing for a more “frictionless” digital economy. If successful, this could significantly boost consumer confidence in mobile banking and USSD platforms.
What’s next
Regulators are currently performing final technical tests. Expect a formal public rollout of the monitoring dashboard just before the March 1 deadline.
