Google clamps down on unlawful mortgage apps in Kenya, Nigeria • TechCrunch

Google is requiring mortgage apps in Kenya to submit proof of license to function within the nation by its apex financial institution, failure to which they danger elimination from Play Retailer, its digital distribution service. Those who have utilized for licensing, and may produce proof of the identical, might also be spared.

Google’s motion has, nonetheless, been sluggish, coming two months after the Digital Credit score Suppliers Laws took impact to guard debtors from rogue apps, lots of which had predatory lending practices and used debt-shaming techniques to get better their cash.

New and previous mortgage apps in Kenya are actually anticipated to submit the requisite paperwork and data, or danger being locked out on the finish of January subsequent 12 months, following comparable actions in India, Indonesia and Philippines.

“Builders with private mortgage apps focusing on Kenyan customers should full [a] declaration kind and submit the mandatory documentation earlier than publishing their private mortgage app … Private mortgage apps working in Kenya with out correct declaration and license attribution will likely be faraway from the Play Retailer,” stated Google in a coverage replace that additionally requires apps in Nigeria to get a “verifiable approval letter” from the Federal Competitors and Client Safety Fee (FCCPC).

Whereas much less stringent than Kenya’s new regulation, the FCCPC guidelines, which got here into impact in August this 12 months to guard debtors, expects lending apps to declare their charges and show how they obtain suggestions and clear up complaints, amongst different necessities.

Kenya and Nigeria are main tech hubs in Africa, and have witnessed the proliferation of mortgage apps, providing fast unsecured private loans of as much as $500. Nonetheless, the dearth of stringent rules has attracted rogue operators necessitating authorities to take apt measures to guard residents.

In Kenya, Solely 10 of the 288 mortgage apps that utilized for licenses from the nation’s Central Financial institution have been permitted. Among the standard ones, like Zenka and silicon-valley backed Tala are but to be licensed.

The digital lenders in Kenya are anticipated to keep away from using threats or debt-shaming actions, together with posting of non-public info on on-line boards, unauthorized calls and messages to clients, and entry to their contacts lists for functions of contacting them in case of default.

Mortgage apps gather debtors’ cellphone information, together with contacts, and demand entry to messages to verify the historical past of cellular cash transactions — for credit score scoring and as situations for disbursing loans. Rogue lenders have been sharing a number of the contact info collected with third-party debt collectors.

Already, 40 loan apps in Kenya are under investigation by the workplace of the information safety commissioner over information breach, following complaints from customers.

The brand new regulation requires mortgage apps to additionally reveal their pricing mannequin, phrases and situations to customers prematurely, in contrast to prior to now once they had been unsupervised.

The apps are additionally anticipated to inform the regulator earlier than introducing new merchandise or making adjustments to current ones, along with disclosing and offering proof of their sources of funds.