CBN Orders Geo-Tagging of All PoS Terminals Within 60 Days to Curb Fraud

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued a directive mandating that all Point of Sale (PoS) terminals across the country be geo-tagged within the next 60 days as part of a sweeping effort to combat fraud and tighten oversight of digital payments.

In a statement dated August 26, 2025, and obtained by our correspondent, the apex bank said the initiative is aimed at ensuring that every PoS machine is traceable and that transactions conducted through them are secure.

“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 CBN stated.

Under the new regulation, all existing and newly deployed devices must come equipped with native geolocation features and double-frequency GPS receivers to allow accurate tracking.

Terminals that fail to meet the requirement by October 20, 2025, will be barred from operating.

The apex bank explained that the measure is intended to eliminate “ghost” or cloned machines while enabling real-time monitoring of transaction activities.

Each PoS terminal will be required to capture and transmit its location at the start of every transaction, with any activity recorded beyond a 10-meter radius of the registered merchant address flagged automatically.

Licensed operators, including major banks and leading fintechs such as Moniepoint, OPay, and PalmPay, are to register each device with a payment aggregator and provide precise merchant coordinates.

According to the CBN, the measure is part of a broader regulatory crackdown and modernization drive within Nigeria’s payment ecosystem. It said the reforms are expected to improve consumer protection and ensure that digital transactions remain both secure and fully traceable.

Punch