Is crypto legal in Ghana? Regulation & rules (2026)

Parliament passed the Virtual Asset Service Providers Bill on 19 December 2025; President Mahama signed it as Act 1154 on 29 December 2025, formally legalising crypto trading and creating a licensing regime for all virtual asset service providers.

The Bank of Ghana (via its newly established Virtual Assets Regulatory Office, VARO) is the primary licensing authority for most VASPs; SEC Ghana oversees exchanges, custodial wallets, token issuance, and investment-related virtual asset services.

SEC Ghana admitted 11 firms into a 12-month regulatory sandbox to pilot virtual asset trading under live supervision; firms demonstrating full compliance may transition to an activity-based licence after six months.

The Act requires all VASPs to implement FATF-aligned anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing controls, including application of the Travel Rule for digital asset transfers, coordinated through the Financial Intelligence Centre.

Bank of Ghana Governor Asiama announced targeted exploration of gold-backed digital settlement instruments, leveraging Ghana's domestic gold reserves (65+ tonnes accumulated since 2021) and existing blockchain gold-tracking infrastructure; no draft legislation has been issued.

The VASP Act extends licensing/registration requirements to public figures and online promoters of virtual assets; SEC Ghana has formally warned that unlicensed celebrities and influencers promoting crypto will face strict sanctions.