Telecommunications companies in Nigeria have obtained permission from the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) to suspend unstructured additional service data services (USSD) to the country's depository banks (DMB). This is what they announced on Friday, May 12, 2023.

Mobile operators had already threatened to withdraw USSD services from banks in 2021 for non-payment of a debt that amounted to N48 billion. But finally this problem was solved by the regulator, the Minister of Telecoms and the Central Bank who intervened. In reality, the deposit banks (DMB) in Nigeria refuse to pay the bill for services rendered, which now amounts to 120 billion naira (259.4

According to the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), “the DMBs continued to take on more and more debt, without making the corresponding payments. Each time progress is made, the DMBs find reasons to take stakeholders several steps back in this matter.” The withdrawal of USSD services to banks could significantly affect the quality and availability of financial services provided to Nigerian populations at all levels. This could also slow the cashless economy ambitions of the CBN and the Nigerian government in a context of