• How GTCO plans to challenge fintechs with 200,000 PoS terminals

    How GTCO plans to challenge fintechs with 200,000 PoS terminals
    Image source: Squad by HabariPay

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    HabariPay, the fintech subsidiary of one of Nigeria’s largest financial services groups, processed ₦80.9 trillion ($59.04 billion) in payments in 2025, almost three times the value it handled in the previous year.

    Now, it wants to build on that growth by deploying 200,000 Point-of-Sale (PoS) terminals nationwide, increasing the value of transactions processed through its terminals tenfold in 2026, according to GTCO’s annual report

    The expansion comes as Nigeria’s largest banks race to build merchant infrastructure once dominated by fintechs such as Moniepoint, OPay, and PalmPay. After watching these fintechs turn their PoS networks into engines for payments and customer acquisition, lenders are now investing heavily in merchant businesses through their fintech subsidiaries to capture a larger share of merchant payments. 

    “We aim to deploy 200,000 POS terminals nationwide, expanding last-mile access and enabling financial inclusion for micro-businesses and SMEs,” GTCO said in its annual report.  

    The group did not disclose how many PoS terminals HabariPay currently operates. However, GTCO’s PoS terminals processed 41.4 million in 2025, while the value of those transactions jumped 168.34% to ₦1.2 trillion ($875.79 million). 

    The group categorises PoS services under HabariPay. 

    GTCO said HabariPay’s 2026 merchant acquisition strategy targets ₦1 trillion ($729.83 million) in monthly total payment value by deepening its reach among SMEs, corporates, fintech platforms, and institutions through embedded finance products and closer integration with the GTCO ecosystem.

    If achieved, annual transaction value processed through its terminals would rise to ₦12 trillion ($8.76 billion), a 900% increase from 2025’s total. 

    The rollout forms part of HabariPay’s 2026 strategy to deepen its presence among small businesses, expand across West Africa, and cement its position as a payments business, 

    GTCO launched Habari in 2018 as a super app before repositioning it in 2022 into HabariPay, a dedicated fintech subsidiary focused on digital payments. Through its flagship platform, Squad, the company combines payment gateways, e-commerce tools, and a PoS business.

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