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The Wake-Up Call for the POS Industry

The Wake-Up Call for the POS Industry

12/21/2025
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO POS HARDWARE MANUFACTURERS AND BUYERS
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POS Hardware Without an SD Card Slot Will Be Excluded From the European Market

This is a direct and critical notice to all POS hardware manufacturers, distributors, resellers, and enterprise buyers.

Any point-of-sale (POS) hardware manufactured without a built-in SD card slot is now at serious risk of being non-compliant and unsellable in Germany, and increasingly across Europe and other global markets.

This is no longer a future consideration.
It is a current regulatory reality.


Why This Matters Immediately

Germany has introduced strict TSA (Technical Security Requirements) for POS systems, particularly focused on offline transaction integrity.

A core requirement of these regulations is:

  • Raw transaction data must be written locally

  • Stored on tamper-resistant, removable media

  • Non-editable and non-erasable

  • Available for audit at any time

In practical hardware terms, this means:

A built-in SD card slot is mandatory

Without it, the hardware cannot meet compliance, regardless of how good the software may be.


This Is Becoming a European and Global Standard

While Germany is leading enforcement, the regulatory direction is clear:

  • Europe is standardising around local, offline, immutable transaction storage

  • Other jurisdictions are already mirroring these requirements

  • Tax authorities increasingly do not accept cloud-only storage

  • Offline auditability is now considered critical infrastructure

POS hardware designed without removable local storage is obsolete by design.


A Clear Warning to Hardware Manufacturers

Any manufacturer producing POS hardware without an SD card reader built into the device:

  • Will be excluded from the German market

  • Will face rapid exclusion across the EU

  • Will be rejected by regulated payment providers, EMIs, and banks

  • Will force merchants to replace hardware entirely

This is not a software issue.
This is a hardware design failure.

Manufacturers who do not understand this requirement today will not understand why their devices cannot be sold tomorrow.


A Clear Warning to Buyers and Merchants

If you are purchasing POS hardware today that does not include a built-in SD card slot:

  • You risk immediate non-compliance

  • You risk failing audits

  • You risk forced hardware replacement

  • You risk business interruption

Do not rely on future workarounds.
Do not assume cloud storage is sufficient.
Do not assume compliance can be “added later”.

If the SD slot is not physically present, compliance is impossible.


The Wake-Up Call for the POS Industry

The POS industry must recognise that POS is now regulated financial infrastructure, not just retail hardware.

  • Hardware design must start with regulatory requirements

  • SD card support is now a baseline feature

  • Anything less is not fit for international markets

This announcement should be treated with the highest priority by:

  • POS hardware manufacturers

  • OEM designers

  • Importers and distributors

  • Merchants planning new deployments

  • Banks, EMIs, and payment providers approving POS hardware


Bottom Line

No SD card slot = No European market access

Manufacturers that act now will remain viable.
Those that ignore this requirement will be forced out of regulated markets with immediate effect.

This is not optional.
This is the new standard.

 

重要公告:致所有 POS 硬件制造商与采购方

未内置 SD 卡槽的 POS 设备将被排除在欧洲市场之外

这是一则严肃且紧急的行业公告,面向所有 POS 硬件制造商、OEM 工厂、分销商、系统集成商以及企业客户

任何 未内置 SD 卡槽的 POS 硬件设备,目前都已面临 无法在德国销售 的重大合规风险,并且正在 迅速被整个欧洲市场排除。这一趋势同样正在向全球其他国家扩散。

这不是未来的问题。
这是已经发生的现实


为什么这项要求至关重要

德国已正式实施新的 TSA(技术安全要求),该法规针对 POS 离线交易的合规性与数据完整性 提出了明确且不可妥协的要求。

其中最核心的一项硬件要求是:

  • 所有交易的原始数据必须本地保存

  • 数据必须写入可移动的存储介质

  • 存储介质必须防篡改、不可修改、不可删除

  • 在税务或监管审计时可随时导出检查

在硬件层面,这意味着:

POS 设备必须内置 SD 卡槽

如果硬件本身没有 SD 卡槽,
无论软件多先进,都无法实现合规


这正在成为欧洲乃至全球的标准

虽然德国是目前执行最严格的国家,但方向已经非常明确:

  • 欧洲正在统一 本地、离线、不可篡改的数据存储标准

  • 其他国家和地区正在快速跟进

  • 税务机关不再接受仅依赖云端存储的 POS 系统

  • 离线审计能力已被视为关键金融基础设施的一部分

不支持可拆卸本地存储的 POS 硬件,正在被监管体系淘汰。


对 POS 硬件制造商的明确警告

任何仍在生产 不含 SD 卡槽的 POS 硬件 的制造商:

  • 将被直接排除在德国市场之外

  • 将迅速失去整个欧盟市场的准入资格

  • 将无法通过 银行、EMI、支付机构的设备审核

  • 将迫使客户在未来 整体更换硬件

这不是软件问题。
这是一个硬件设计层面的根本性错误

如果制造商现在还未理解这一点,
他们很快就会发现——
自己的产品已经无法在国际市场销售。


对采购方与商户的明确警告

如果您现在仍在采购 未内置 SD 卡槽的 POS 设备,那么:

  • 您将面临无法通过合规审计的风险

  • 您将被迫在未来提前更换硬件

  • 您可能面临业务中断和监管处罚

  • 您的投资将迅速贬值

请注意:

  • 云端存储 不能替代本地合规存储

  • 合规 无法通过软件升级来补救

  • 没有 SD 卡槽,就不存在合规的可能性


这是整个 POS 行业的警钟

POS 不再只是零售设备。
POS 已经成为受监管的金融与税务基础设施。

  • 硬件设计必须以法规为第一优先级

  • SD 卡槽已成为最基本的合规配置

  • 不符合这一要求的设备,不具备国际市场资格


结论(非常重要)

没有 SD 卡槽 = 无法进入欧洲市场

能够立即调整设计的制造商,仍然具备机会。
忽视这一现实的制造商,将被迅速淘汰出受监管市场

这不是建议。
这是正在执行的标准。


  • VIA
  • HowToPay



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