The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed all acquirers, processors, and payment terminal service providers (PTSPs) to implement mandatory dual connectivity with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) and Unified Payment Services Limited (UPSL) for point of sale (PoS) transactions within one month.
The apex bank announced the directive in a circular dated
December 11, 2025, signed by Rakiya Yusuf, CBN’s director of the payments
system supervision department, and released on Friday.
“Mandatory Dual Connectivity –All Acquirers, Processors, and
Payment Terminal Service Providers (PTSPs) shall establish and maintain active
connectivity with both licensed Payments Terminal Service Aggregators (PTSAs),
namely the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) and Unified Payment
Services Limited (UPSL),” the circular reads.
CBN also mandated that all transaction routing systems be
integrated with the two PTSAs to ensure uninterrupted, automatic failover in
the event of downtime or service disruptions.
“Testing & Validation – NIBSS and UPSL, in collaboration
with regulated Financial institutions, shall conduct periodic tests to validate
redundancy, failover effectiveness, and overall system resilience,” the
financial regulator said.
The apex bank also directed NIBSS and UPSL to notify the
banks in real-time about any system downtime or disruption.
“NIBSS and UPSL are required to notify Director, Payments
System Supervision Department, of any system downtime or service disruption
affecting its platforms and services within 24 hours of the occurrence, stating
the nature, causes and remedied actions,” CBN said.
The bank added that all regulated financial institutions are
required to “comply with this directive within one (1) month from the date of
this circular”.
On September 11, the apex bank directed payment service
providers (PSPs) to route all transactions from PoS terminals at merchant and
agent locations through NIBSS and UPSL.
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