CBN Mandates GPS Geo-Tagging for All PoS Terminals Within 60 Days
The directive, contained in a circular dated August 25 and addressed to deposit money banks, mobile money operators and payment service providers
Abuja, August 27, 2025 — The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed all banks, fintech firms and payment service providers to geo-tag Point of Sale (PoS) terminals within the next 60 days, warning that non-compliant devices will be deactivated.
The directive, contained in a circular dated August 25 and addressed to deposit money banks, mobile money operators and payment service providers, requires that PoS machines must capture and transmit location data each time a transaction is initiated. Terminals found operating outside a 10-metre radius of their registered location will be flagged.
According to the CBN, newly deployed devices must be geo-tagged before activation, while existing terminals are to comply by October 20, 2025. Payment Terminal Service Aggregators have also been instructed to update their systems to support the new requirements.
The apex bank explained that the measure was introduced to combat the rising cases of fraud linked to cloned and untraceable PoS devices. By enforcing geo-tagging, regulators will be able to monitor merchant locations in real time and track suspicious transactions more effectively.
Nigeria currently has over 1.5 million registered PoS agents, making the terminals a critical part of the country’s financial system. Analysts say the new policy could tighten oversight but may also place additional costs on operators who must upgrade hardware and software to meet the standard.
The CBN further noted that all terminals must operate on Android 10 or higher and support the ISO 20022 messaging standard by the end of October.
