Ghana has selected 11 crypto trading platforms to join a regulatory sandbox where they can test their products under the supervision of the Securities and Exchange Commission Ghana.
The program will run for 12 months under the country’s Virtual Asset Service Providers Act. During this period, the platforms will be able to operate in a controlled environment while regulators closely monitor their services.
The companies chosen for the pilot include Africoin, Blu Penguin, Goldbod, Hanypay, Hyro Exchange, HSB Global, KoinKoin, Whitebits, Vaulta, XChain, and Bsystem. The program officially began on March 10.
After the first six months, regulators will review the platforms. Those with market-ready products may be allowed to move toward full operating licenses, while others may stay in the sandbox for the remaining six months.
Regulators say the goal is to encourage innovation while protecting investors and ensuring strong rules around anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing.
Data collected during the pilot will also help the government develop clearer licensing rules and policies for crypto businesses in the future.
The move comes as Ghana works to catch up with the rapid growth of crypto use in the country. Johnson Asiama previously admitted that regulators were “late in the game,” noting that many Ghanaians were already using digital currencies even before a formal regulatory framework was introduced.
The country passed the Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) bill in December, allowing crypto companies to operate legally under the oversight of the Bank of Ghana and the SEC.
As one of Africa’s faster-growing crypto markets, Ghana could see more users move to regulated platforms as the government builds a clearer and more structured environment for digital asset services.
