Before you borrow from a loan app, check the company behind it on the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) register. The list of FCCPC approved loan apps is free to read on the FCCPC website. When TechCity went through it on 21 October 2026, it named 525 approved companies, plus separate lists of apps on a watchlist and apps that have been delisted.
The short version
You can check any loan app against the FCCPC register in a few minutes, and the rules behind that register are back in force after a court ruling in July 2026.
- Search the FCCPC register for the company name first, then the app name, because copycat apps borrow real app names.
- On 21 October 2026 the register listed 525 approved companies, 35 with conditional approval, 112 apps on a watchlist and 54 delisted apps.
- Google Play requires personal loan apps in Nigeria to have a verifiable FCCPC approval letter and bans them from reading your contacts and photos.
- A Federal High Court in Lagos dismissed the case against the FCCPC lending rules on 20 July 2026, and the FCCPC says the rules are enforceable again.
- If a lender is not on the list or treats you badly, report it on the FCCPC complaints portal and keep screenshots of every message.
What changes for you: the rules for digital lenders are working again. A Federal High Court order paused the FCCPC’s 2025 digital lending regulations in April 2026. On 20 July 2026 the court in Lagos dismissed the suit against them, and the FCCPC said the regulations were “once again fully operational and enforceable.” Borrowing from a lender on the approved list means there is a regulator you can complain to if things go wrong.
How to check FCCPC approved loan apps
- Find the company name, not just the app name. On Google Play, open the app page and scroll to App support or About the developer. The loan agreement inside the app should also name the company that lends you the money.
- Open the FCCPC register. Go to the FCCPC list of digital money lenders. Tap See DML Approval lists. Each list shows 25 names at a time, so type the company name into the Search box above the list rather than using your browser’s Find in page, which only checks the names on screen. Then search the app name too.
- Check which list it sits on. The page has several lists, and being on the wrong one matters. See the next section.
- Match the details. If the app name is on the list but the company name on Google Play is different, treat the app as not approved. Copycats pick names that sound like real lenders.
- Check the permissions before you sign up. Google Play’s rules for personal loan apps in Nigeria ban them from reading your contacts and photos. An app that asks for your contact list is not trying to be friendly.
What each list on the FCCPC page means
These counts come from TechCity’s own tally of the FCCPC page on 21 October 2026. The FCCPC adds and removes names, so check the page itself on the day you borrow.
- Approved (525 companies): companies the FCCPC lists as approved, many with several apps each.
- Conditional approval (35 companies): allowed to operate while they finish meeting the FCCPC’s conditions.
- Watchlist (112 apps): the FCCPC does not print a reason next to each name. Treat it as a reason to look much harder, not as proof of wrongdoing.
- Delisted (54 apps): removed from the register. Do not borrow from these.
- Licensed by the CBN (33 companies): lenders, including microfinance banks, marked “the company is licensed by the CBN”. They sit on a separate waiver list.
The FCCPC said after the July ruling that it would publish fresh compliance guidelines for digital lenders, so the layout of this page may change.
Not on the list? Here is what to do
- Do not hand over your BVN, card details or contact list to an app you cannot find on the register.
- If you already borrowed, keep your loan agreement and screenshot every message and call log. Then switch off the app’s access to contacts and photos in your phone’s settings, under Apps, then the app, then Permissions.
- Report the lender on the FCCPC complaints portal, or email contact@fccpc.gov.ng. The FCCPC also lists the toll-free line +234 800 000 2121.
- Be careful with any lender that asks you to pay a fee before it releases a loan. That is a common trick. A real lender’s charges should be set out in the loan agreement.
Watch out for fake approved lists
Lists of “newly approved loan apps” spread fast in WhatsApp groups. In June 2026, the FCCPC said a report that it had approved 48 more lenders, taking the total to 505, was “false, misleading and does not represent the position or actions of the Commission.” Only trust the list on the FCCPC’s own website, the same way you would check a bank alert before you ship the goods.
If a loan app has already been sending threats to your contacts, our investigation into how apps collect Nigerian users’ data explains why lenders want that access. And if you are tightening your phone’s security while you are at it, here is how to secure your online accounts.
Next step: before you tap Accept on any loan offer this month, spend two minutes on the FCCPC page. If the company is not there, close the app.
