According to the 2025 Annual Report published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the total value of transactions processed through Automated Teller Machines (ATM) jumped significantly. The figure reached N89.12 trillion in 2025, representing a 208.4 percent increase from the N29.12 trillion recorded the previous year. The CBN attributed this trend to enhanced infrastructure, a growing e-commerce sector, and shifting consumer reliance on digital payment methods.
Retail payment data further highlights an overall growth in electronic transactions. The total volume climbed by 2.62 percent to 47.88 billion in 2025, up from 46.65 billion in 2024. Furthermore, the total monetary value of these electronic payments expanded by 26.07 percent, reaching N4,360.33 trillion compared to N3,458.77 trillion in the prior year.
Regarding specific channels, the CBN reported that ATM usage saw the most significant volume increase at 61.94 percent, totaling 1.66 billion transactions. This growth was followed by a 20.89 percent rise in USSD transactions, hitting 669.55 million, and a 19.78 percent boost in Point of Sale (PoS) usage, which reached 15.66 billion. Conversely, transaction volumes declined for mobile applications, internet banking, and direct debit services.
Despite the broader expansion in digital payments, the central bank cautioned that 2025 brought notable challenges to the sector. Key concerns include cybersecurity threats, fraud-related losses, the presence of unlicensed operators, and systemic risks associated with the dominance of a small number of critical payment service providers.
