Ghana Establishes Five-Agency Committee to Coordinate Virtual Asset Regulation
Key Takeaways
- •Ghana's new Virtual Assets Coordinating Committee comprises the Bank of Ghana, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Finance Ministry, the Cyber Security Authority, and the Financial Intelligence Centre.
- •Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Pandit Asiama chairs the committee, which will address money laundering, terrorist financing, cybersecurity, consumer protection, and financial stability risks.
- •Parliament passed the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act in December 2025, requiring virtual asset businesses to be licensed or registered, with responsibilities split between the central bank and the securities regulator.
- •The SEC launched a 12-month regulatory sandbox in 2026 covering exchanges, brokerage, asset tokenization, and trading platforms to help shape licensing rules.
- •Ghana's approach reflects a regional African trend, with South Africa and Nigeria also moving toward formal licensing of digital asset operators.
Ghana has established a five-agency committee to coordinate oversight of the country's growing virtual asset sector, as regulators work toward fully implementing a new crypto law by 2027.
The Virtual Assets Coordinating Committee brings together the Bank of Ghana, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Finance Ministry, the Cyber Security Authority, and the Financial Intelligence Centre.
Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Pandit Asiama, who chairs the committee, said regulators were developing operational guidelines and running policy sandboxes ahead of the full implementation of the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, 2025.
The committee will focus on regulatory coordination, information sharing, and risks including money laundering, terrorist financing, cybersecurity, consumer protection, and financial stability.
Ghana's parliament passed the virtual asset legislation in December 2025, creating a framework under which virtual asset businesses must be licensed or registered by the relevant regulator. The law divides responsibilities between the central bank and the securities regulator depending on the activity. REGULATION | Bank of Ghana Says Crypto Still Risky Even With New Regulations REGULATION | Ghana Passes the Virtual Asset Service Providers Bill Officially Legalizing Cryptocurrencies
The SEC began a 12-month regulatory sandbox in 2026, with participants testing services ranging from exchanges and brokerage to asset tokenization and trading platforms. The regulator said the sandbox would help shape activity-specific licensing rules. REGULATION | Ghana Expands Crypto Regulatory Sandbox to 20 Firms
Ghana's coordinated, multi-agency approach follows a broader shift across African markets from blanket restrictions toward licensing regimes. South Africa's Financial Sector Conduct Authority began licensing crypto asset service providers in 2024, and Nigeria's Securities and Exchange Commission has also moved to license digital asset operators, reflecting regional efforts to bring virtual asset activity within formal oversight while addressing money laundering and investor-protection concerns.
The move puts Ghana closer to a formal licensing regime for crypto businesses, but the key milestone remains the publication of the operational rules and the transition from sandbox testing to full licensing. PRESS RELEASE | Bank of Ghana Warns Against Public Advertising of Cryptocurrencies and Stablecoin Products
