The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has ordered all acquirers, processors and Payment Terminal Service Providers (PTSPs) to implement dual connectivity for point-of-sale (PoS) transactions within one month, in a move aimed at improving transaction reliability and minimising service disruptions.
In a circular dated December 11, 2025, and signed by Rakiya Yusuf, Director of the Payments System Supervision Department, the apex bank made it mandatory for operators to maintain active connections with the two licensed Payment Terminal Service Aggregators (PTSAs) — the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) and Unified Payment Services Limited (UPSL).
According to the directive, all transaction routing systems must be integrated with both aggregators to guarantee continuous processing and automatic failover whenever one platform experiences downtime. The CBN stressed that systems should be capable of switching seamlessly between the two providers to avoid transaction failures during disruptions.
To ensure the effectiveness of the redundancy framework, the bank also mandated regular testing. It noted that NIBSS and UPSL, working with regulated financial institutions, are required to carry out periodic tests to confirm redundancy, failover performance and overall system resilience.
In addition, the CBN directed both aggregators to promptly notify the regulator of any service disruption. They are required to report any system downtime to the Director of the Payments System Supervision Department within 24 hours, detailing the nature of the incident, its causes and the corrective actions taken.
The apex bank emphasised that compliance is compulsory, stating that all regulated financial institutions must fully implement the directive within one month from the date of the circular.
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