Business
CBN Issues 30-Day Compliance Deadline For PSPs On POS Transaction Routing
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has mandated payment service providers (PSPs) to route all point of sale (POS) transactions through its licensed Payment Terminal Service Aggregators (PTSAs) to standardize operations across the industry.
The directive, issued in a circular dated September 11, 2024, and made public on Thursday, is aimed at ensuring consistent technical and operational standards for POS devices used at merchant and agent locations.
Read Also: JUST IN: Armed Bandits Block Major Highway In Zamfara, Abduct Travelers
According to the CBN, PTSAs play a crucial role in certifying POS terminals, ensuring their functionality and availability.
As part of the new regulation, PSPs are required to integrate their systems with the CBN-approved PTSAs, which include the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS) and Unified Payment Services Limited (UPSL).
The apex bank has given PSPs 30 days to comply with the new directive and report their compliance to the CBN within that period.
The circular reads, “In order to achieve the objective of tracking electronic transactions in Nigeria, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in August 2011, granted a Payment Terminal Service Aggregator (PTSA) licence to Nigeria Interbank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS),” the apex bank said.
“As part of efforts to mitigate the concerns regarding channelling Point of Sale (PoS) transactions through a single aggregator, the CBN on April 19, 2024, granted a second PTSA licence to Unified Payment Services Limited (UPSL).
“In furtherance of the above, the CBN hereby directs as follows: acquirers are henceforth required to route all transactions from PoS terminals at merchant and agent locations, whether on physical or electronic PoS terminals, through any CBN-licensed Payment Terminal Service Aggregator (PTSA).
“PTSAs are required to send PoS transactions to only Processors certified by the relevant Payment Scheme, nominated by the Acquirer and licensed by CBN.
“All licensed Processors must be integrated with both PTSAS, thereby allowing Acquirers the flexibility to choose which Processor(s) and PTSA to utilize
“All Payment Terminal Service Providers (PTSPs) must ensure that their PoS devices. Applications are configured to route transactions through any PTSA, as directed by the Acquirer.
“All PTSPs shall submit monthly returns to the CBN, detailing the number of merchants and agents they manage, along with the PTSA services used to route the corresponding transactions.
It added “Each PTSA is required to submit monthly returns to the CBN, detailing all transactions processed through their platforms.”
In addition, the financial regulator announced that all PSPs and PTSAs must submit their monthly reports to the CBN’s Director of the Payments System Management Department within seven days after the end of each month.
The CBN has advised PSPs and aggregators to adhere to this requirement, warning that failure to comply will result in appropriate sanctions.
Business
Nigeria Can Achieve 5.5% GDP Growth – NESG
The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has projected that the country has the potential to achieve a 5.5% growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) if critical policy reforms are sustained.
This was disclosed on Thursday during the launch of the NESG’s 2025 Macroeconomic Outlook report.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Economist and Director of Research & Development at NESG, Dr. Olusegun Omisakin, highlighted the need for more efficient policy implementation to unlock Nigeria’s economic potential.
READ MORE: Davido Is Richer Than His Billionaire Father – Ibrahim Chatta Claims
“We believe at the optimal level, if we embark on more efficient policy reforms, the Nigerian economy has the potential, the GDP to end up at 5.5 per cent, and we believe that this is achievable,” Omisakin stated.
More to follow……….
Business
CBN Approves Release Of Nigerian FX Code
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced the release of the Nigerian Foreign Exchange (FX) Code, a set of guidelines designed to promote ethical conduct among authorized dealers in the country’s FX market.
In a statement, the apex bank disclosed that the official launch of the Code would take place on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at the CBN Head Office Auditorium in Abuja.
READ MORE: Dangote Denies Culpability In Pumping Up Petrol Price
“The Central Bank of Nigeria has approved the release of the Nigerian Foreign Exchange (FX) Code as a guideline to the banking industry to promote the ethical conduct of authorised dealers in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market,” the statement read.
The introduction of the FX Code is expected to enhance transparency, accountability, and professionalism within Nigeria’s foreign exchange ecosystem, aligning it with global best practices.
The event is anticipated to attract key stakeholders in the financial and banking sectors, as well as representatives from authorized FX-dealing institutions across the country.
Business
How Trump Plans To Grow American Economy By $1 Trillion Daily
The 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump attracted up 3 trillion dollars in investments into the country’s economy in his first full day at work.
This was gleaned from the verified handle of the POTUS on micro-blogging site, X, on Wednesday.
Biztellers reports that the POTUS is focused ensuring at least $1 trillion investment daily for the first seven days of his return to the White House, which would be driven by key clearly identified areas, including artificial intelligence.
ALSO READ: WHO Expresses Regret Over US’ Withdrawal
President Trump wrote, “In total, before the end of my first full business day in Washington and the White House, we’ve already secured nearly $3 trillion of new investments in the United States.
“And probably, that’s going to be six or seven by the end of the week.”
In a short video clip accompanying the statement, President Trump assured that the surge in investments would likely hit $7 trillion within his first seven days as the 47th POTUS.
He highlighted that artificial intelligence had proven to be an area lots of willing entrepreneurs had shown much appetite for.