Ghana Opens Crypto Sandbox as Blockchain.com Targets Mobile Money Payments

Ghana’s Securities and Exchange Commission admitted 11 crypto trading platforms to its first regulatory sandbox after the VASP law passed in December, with firms eligible to seek full licenses following a six-month review.

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Summary

Ghana is advancing formal oversight of digital assets after the Securities and Exchange Commission admitted 11 cryptocurrency trading platforms to its new regulatory sandbox, the country’s first practical framework for supervising the sector. The sandbox follows approval of the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act in December, which gave the regulator authority over digital asset activity. According to the new update, firms in the program may seek full licenses after a six-month review, refining earlier reporting that the broader sandbox period runs for 12 months. The firms admitted are Africoin, Blu Penguin, Goldbod, Hanypay, Hyro Exchange, HSB Global, KoinKoin, Whitebits, Vaulta, XChain, and Bsystem. The earlier development also coincided with Blockchain.com’s plan to enter Ghana with crypto payment services linked to the country’s mobile money infrastructure.

Terms & Concepts
  • Regulatory sandbox: A supervised testing environment where companies can offer financial or crypto products under regulator oversight before obtaining full authorization.
  • Virtual Asset Service Provider: A business that offers crypto-related services such as trading, custody, or payments and is generally subject to licensing and compliance requirements.