CBN Mandates Dual Connectivity for PoS Transactions to Enhance Payment Reliability

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued a fresh mandate requiring banks and financial institutions to implement compulsory dual connectivity for Point of Sale (PoS) transactions within the next month. This directive, contained in a circular dated December 11, 2025, signed by Rakiya Yusuf, Director of Payment System Supervision at the CBN, aims to address frequent PoS downtime caused by overreliance on a single transaction channel.

The new rule is designed to enhance payment reliability and strengthen the resilience of Nigeria's electronic payment ecosystem. Banks and fintechs are now required to maintain an active link with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) to ensure uninterrupted services.

The CBN will enforce stricter incident reporting requirements, including mandatory redundancy failover tests.