The Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) has fined six companies K361 million for unfair trading practices and other violations under the Competition and Fair Trading Act.
The affected companies include Standard Bank Malawi, FDH Bank, Nitro Phos Limited, CTS Courier, Modern Dry Cleaners and Urban Realtors Limited.
The commission made the decisions during its 75th meeting held on May 8, 2026. It considered 14 cases involving anti-competitive business practices and unfair trading conduct.
In a statement issued Monday, CFTC said the companies violated consumer protection provisions in cases involving banks, fertilizer supply, courier services, dry cleaning and real estate.
“The Commission has ordered six companies to pay administrative monetary fines totaling MK361 million for different violations as provided under the Competition and Fair Trading Act,” reads the statement.
The commission has also ordered the six companies to refund consumers more than K126 million, saying three cases were closed at the preliminary stage due to lack of merit and early resolution of the issues.
According to CFTC, the cases involved misleading conduct, failure to disclose material information, defective goods, defective services and unfair consumer contracts.
Standard Bank Malawi has been fined K100 million over a loan dispute.
CFTC has also ordered the bank to write off the loan and refund deductions made from the complainant’s account from November 2024 to date.
“The Commission found that the Respondent failed to disclose material information relating to changes in the loan term and repayment arrangements. The Commission, therefore, determined that the Respondent contravened Sections 51(g), 51(p), and 52 of the CFTA,” reads the statement.
FDH Bank received the highest penalty of K200 million, and has also been ordered to refund K200,000 and reverse a K120 million deduction, including accrued interest and overdraft charges.
Nitro Phos Limited was fined K50 million over defective fertilizer, and CFTC also ordered the company to refund purchase prices and compensate farmers for potential losses linked to the affected fertilizer.
CTS Courier has been fined K5 million and ordered to refund the full market value of lost or damaged items, plus courier charges.
Modern Dry Cleaners has been fined K3 million and ordered to refund K1,459,166 for damaged clothes and K18,000 for defective cleaning services.
Urban Realtors Limited has also been fined K3 million and ordered to refund K3.8 million to a complainant who had bought two plots in Lilongwe but did not receive them as agreed.
The commission said the decisions form part of its mandate to protect consumers and promote fair trading.
The affected companies are expected to comply with the orders issued by CFTC.