{"id":15713,"date":"2026-01-07T12:51:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T15:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/?p=15713"},"modified":"2026-04-19T10:17:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T13:17:37","slug":"ghana-brings-crypto-under-regulation-opens-door-for-betting-payments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/ghana-brings-crypto-under-regulation-opens-door-for-betting-payments","title":{"rendered":"Ghana brings crypto under regulation, opens door for betting payments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The development could help everyday bettors in places like Accra, where mobile betting is common, by offering quicker transfers and lower fees than traditional bank methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>Ghana.- The <strong>Virtual Asset Service Providers Bill <\/strong>legalising cryptocurrency in <strong>Ghana<\/strong> was signed into law by <strong>President John Dramani Mahama<\/strong> on <strong>December 30 2025<\/strong>, following its approval by parliament on <strong>December 22<\/strong>. The measure allows individuals and businesses to buy, sell and hold cryptocurrencies legally for the first time, under oversight from the <strong>Bank of Ghana<\/strong> and the <strong>Securities and Exchange Commission<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The law sets up a licensing system for virtual asset service providers, such as exchanges and digital wallets. These entities must register with the central bank, follow anti-money laundering rules and implement know-your-customer checks to verify users. The Bank of Ghana will monitor operations to cut down on fraud and illegal flows, while also aiming to protect people from risks like volatile prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, <strong>Johnson Asiama<\/strong>, &#8220;the framework will bring emerging crypto activity within accountable governance structures while supporting banks, small businesses and traders through clearer operating rules&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Officials say the move addresses more than <strong>$3bn<\/strong> (\u20ac2.76bn) in informal crypto dealings that had gone unregulated, helping to build trust and draw in more users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the gambling industry, which falls under the separate <strong>Gaming Act of 2006<\/strong> and the <strong>Gaming Commission of Ghana<\/strong>, the change means easier access to crypto for payments in sports betting and online games. Licensed operators can now integrate digital assets without fear of legal issues, as long as they use registered providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The development could help everyday bettors in places like <strong>Accra<\/strong>, where mobile betting is common, by offering quicker transfers and lower fees than traditional bank methods. However, all transactions must meet the new anti-money laundering standards, which apply equally to gambling and other sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The VASP Bill doesn&#8217;t include specific restrictions on using crypto for betting, keeping it in line with Ghana&#8217;s existing support for regulated gaming as a source of jobs and tax revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Experts predict that Ghana&#8217;s betting market, already valued at millions through licensed sites and apps, could get a boost from crypto. It will likely attract younger users who prefer digital options, similar to trends in neighbouring countries like <strong>Nigeria<\/strong> and <strong>Kenya<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"see-also-container\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"see-also-label\">See also:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"related-article\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"related-article__thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/12\/photo-1610034445557-ee92504a1321-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"related-article__text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"see-also-label-strong\">See also:<\/span> <a href='https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/senegals-0-5-mobile-money-tax-becomes-official-hits-online-gamblers'>Senegal\u2019s 0.5\u202f% mobile money tax becomes official, hits online gamblers<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The development could help everyday bettors in places like Accra, where mobile betting is common, by offering quicker transfers and lower fees than traditional bank methods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2395,"featured_media":7271,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"Ghana has enacted the Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) Bill, legalizing cryptocurrency and establishing a regulatory framework under the Bank of Ghana and SEC, effective December 30, 2025. This legislation mandates licensing for VASPs, alongside stringent AML and KYC compliance. For the iGaming sector, this development facilitates the integration of digital assets for payments by licensed operators, potentially boosting market growth and attracting a younger demographic through more efficient transaction methods.","focusai_entities":"President John Dramani Mahama, Bank of Ghana, Securities and Exchange Commission, Johnson Asiama, Gaming Commission of Ghana","focusai_location":"Ghana, Accra, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (1.0), operator_casino (0.9), affiliate_publisher (0.7), product_ux (0.8), tech_data (0.85), marketing_crm (0.8), payments_fraud_aml (1.0), investor_analyst (0.9), supplier_vendor (0.85), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"VASP Bill Impact","query":"What specific governance frameworks and technical integrations will be required for existing licensed iGaming operators in Ghana to incorporate virtual asset payment rails under the new VASP Bill?"},{"label":"Regulatory Harmonization","query":"How will the Bank of Ghana and SEC coordinate oversight of VASPs, particularly concerning cross-border transactions and potential conflicts with existing Gaming Commission of Ghana regulations for licensed operators?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[60022,60012],"tags":[226,60033,78],"class_list":["post-15713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance-news","category-west-africa","tag-anti-money-laundering","tag-regulation","tag-sports-betting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2395"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15713"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15724,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15713\/revisions\/15724"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}