The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued a directive requiring all financial institutions, acquirers, and payment service providers to implement mandatory dual connectivity for Point of Sale (PoS) transactions within one month, signaling a major regulatory push to stabilise the country’s electronic payment infrastructure.
The directive, outlined in a circular dated December 11, 2025, and signed by Rakiya Yusuf, Director of the Payments System Supervision Department, upgrades an earlier policy issued in September 2024. According to the CBN, the move is designed to address the recurring PoS downtime caused by overreliance on a single transaction channel.
Under the new regulation, all acquirers, processors, and Payment Terminal Service Providers are required to maintain active connections with both the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) and Unified Payment Services Limited (UPSL). This dual connectivity framework is intended to reduce dependence on any single aggregator, ensuring smoother transaction processing and greater reliability for businesses and consumers alike.
The CBN noted that persistent downtime at PoS terminals has hindered retail transactions, disrupted payments for goods and services, and affected merchant confidence in electronic payments. By enforcing dual connectivity, the central bank aims to strengthen the resilience of the payments ecosystem, minimise operational interruptions, and support the broader adoption of digital payments across Nigeria.
Industry analysts view the directive as a timely intervention that could stabilise the country’s payment infrastructure while encouraging innovation and competition among PoS service providers. Compliance with the new requirement is expected to be closely monitored by the regulator, with financial institutions and service providers required to implement the changes within the stipulated one-month period.
