By Peter Omopo
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has ordered the mandatory geo-tagging of all Point of Sale (PoS) terminals across the country within the next 60 days, as part of new measures to curb fraud and tighten regulation of digital payments.
In a directive issued on August 26, 2025, the apex bank said the initiative would make every PoS machine traceable, while ensuring that transactions are secure and transparent.
“All PoS terminals must have native geolocation features and double-frequency GPS receivers to enable accurate tracking. Any terminal operating outside its registered location will be flagged, while non-compliant devices will be deactivated,” the statement read.
The CBN set October 20, 2025, as the compliance deadline, warning that any device not meeting the requirements by then will no longer be allowed to operate.
According to the bank, each transaction must capture and transmit the device’s location, with any activity beyond a 10-meter radius of the registered merchant address automatically flagged. The move is aimed at eliminating cloned or “ghost” terminals and enabling real-time monitoring of payments.
Licensed operators, including major banks and fintechs such as Moniepoint, OPay, and PalmPay, have been directed to register all deployed terminals with a payment aggregator and provide precise merchant coordinates.
The CBN stressed that the policy forms part of its broader strategy to modernise Nigeria’s payment system, strengthen consumer protection, and ensure all digital financial transactions are fully traceable.
