CBN Orders Geo-Tagging of All POS Terminals Within 60 Days

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has rolled out a new directive that could reshape the country’s digital payment space: every Point of Sale (PoS) terminal must be geo-tagged within 60 days.

The move, announced in a circular dated August 26, 2025, is aimed at fighting fraud, enhancing security, and bringing greater transparency to the fast-growing PoS sector.

According to the CBN, “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.”

From now on, newly deployed PoS machines must come with built-in geolocation features and dual-frequency GPS receivers for precise tracking. By October 20, 2025, any device that has not complied with the new requirement will be shut down.

In addition, every transaction must capture and transmit the device’s location, with any activity detected beyond a 10-meter radius of the registered merchant’s address automatically flagged for review.

Banks and fintech operators—including industry giants like Moniepoint, OPay, and PalmPay—have been tasked with registering all PoS machines under licensed payment aggregators and submitting accurate merchant coordinates.