The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has ordered that all Point of Sale (PoS) terminals in Nigeria must be geo-tagged within the next 60 days.
In a statement dated August 26, 2025, the apex bank said the new policy is aimed at fighting fraud in digital payments and improving the security of financial transactions.
According to CBN, the plan is part of a wider effort to modernise Nigeria’s payment system, protect consumers, and make sure every transaction can be tracked.
“This initiative is designed to ensure that all PoS terminals are traceable and that transactions are secure. Terminals operating outside their registered location will be flagged, and non-compliant devices will be deactivated,” the bank stated.
The CBN explained that the measure will help wipe out ghost or cloned PoS machines while also enabling real-time monitoring of payments.
Going forward, newly deployed PoS machines will be equipped with geolocation features and dual-frequency GPS receivers to allow accurate tracking.
The deadline for compliance is October 20, 2025. After this date, any PoS device that is not properly registered and geo-tagged will be blocked from operating.
As part of the new rule, every PoS machine must send its exact location at the start of each transaction. If the device is used more than 10 meters away from its registered business address, the system will automatically flag it.
Licensed operators — including banks and popular fintech companies like Moniepoint, OPay, and PalmPay — are now required to register each PoS terminal with a payment aggregator and provide the precise GPS coordinates of merchants.
