The Central Bank of Nigeria has issued a directive compelling all financial institutions, acquirers, and payment service providers to implement mandatory dual connectivity for Point of Sale transactions.
This crucial infrastructure upgrade must be completed within one month of the order.
The circular, which updates an earlier policy from September 2024, was signed by Rakiya Yusuf, the Director of the Payments System Supervision Department, and is dated December 11, 2025.
The CBN stated that the purpose of this order is to mitigate operational failures. “It aims to address frequent PoS downtime caused by reliance on a single transaction channel.”
In detail, the new regulation imposes a clear requirement on service providers. “Under the new rule, all acquirers, processors, and payment terminal service providers must maintain active links with both the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) and Unified Payment Services Limited (UPSL).”
The goal of this dual connection is to enhance the resilience of the nation’s payment systems. “This dual connectivity is intended to reduce dependence on any single aggregator and stabilise the country’s payment infrastructure.”
To confirm the readiness of the systems, the apex bank has mandated regular testing. “To ensure readiness, the apex bank has mandated periodic redundancy and failover tests. NIBSS and UPSL must work with regulated institutions to confirm that systems can support uninterrupted service, with results forming part of CBN’s ongoing oversight,” the statement read.
Furthermore, the CBN’s circular establishes more stringent protocols for reporting system failures. The central bank introduced stricter reporting obligations.
These new reporting requirements detail immediate notification and prompt submission of post-incident analysis. “NIBSS and UPSL must notify banks immediately during any downtime and submit a detailed incident report to the Payments System Supervision Department within 24 hours, outlining the cause, impact, and corrective actions taken,” the statement added.
