Legal Protection for Mobile Money Borrowers in Ethiopia: Analyzing Predatory Lending Practice
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Date
2025-05-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The rapid expansion of mobile money lending in Ethiopia has significantly enhanced financial inclusion, offering unbanked populations access to digital credit. This thesis investigated, analyzed, and evaluated the legal protection available for mobile money borrowers in Ethiopia, by focusing on predatory lending practices. By employing a qualitative approach with doctrinal methods, the study evaluates and analyzes legal frameworks governing mobile money lending such as FSPD, NPSP, LAPIID, and Personal Data Protection Proclamation, alongside the practices of Telebirr and Kacha. The absence of robust legal protections, lack of digital lending-specific regulations, and weak enforcement, may expose to unfair lending practices, including exorbitant fees like 730% APR and unfair debt collection, trapping them in debt cycles. The thesis argues that Ethiopia’s legal framework is insufficient to counter predatory lending practices, necessitating reforms like clarifying the directive’s applicability, enacting digital lending legislation, capping fees, and enhancing transparency and enforcement
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Keywords
Mobile money loan, digital financial service, Fintech, predatory lending