Ghana opens crypto trading sandbox with 11 firms under new VASP law

Policy Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Ghana opens crypto trading sandbox with 11 firms under new VASP law The companies will be able to run their products in a controlled environment while regulators monitor risks and compliance. By Francisco Rodrigues | Edited by Sheldon Reback Mar 11, 2026, 1:21 p.m. Make us preferred on Google (Planet Volumes/Unsplash+/Modified by ConDesk) What to know : Ghana's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) started a 12-month regulatory sandbox for virtual asset service providers. The companies will be able to run their products in a controlled environment while regulators monitor risks and compliance. The results of the pilot program will be used to guide the final licensing rules under the new Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, 2025. Ghana’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said 11 companies have been granted access to a regulatory sandbox to test cryptocurrency and digital asset services under the country’s Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, 2025. The program allows companies to run their products in a controlled environment while regulators monitor risks and compliance. The sandbox will run for 12 months and sits at the center of Ghana’s early efforts to bring oversight to the crypto sector, according to a press release . Companies in the first cohort include asset tokenization firms like Africoin, Blu Penguin, Vaulta, XChain and Goldbod as well as cryptocurrency exchanges like Hyro Exchange, HanyPay and WhiteBit. The commission said firms whose products are market-ready and meet regulatory requirements could transition to a full license after six months. Others may remain in the sandbox for the remaining period to refine their services. The SEC said the exercise will also help it shape detailed licensing guidelines for different types of crypto businesses. Data gathered during the pilot will inform rules covering areas such as investor protection, market integrity and anti-money laundering controls. Once the sandbox closes, the regulator plans to publish the final guidelines and open the licensing process to a broader set of virtual asset service providers. Ghana Regulations More For You Pudgy Penguins: Challenging the Pokemon and Disney Legacy in the Global IP Race By CoinDesk Research Feb 27, 2026 Commissioned by Pudgy Penguins CoinDesk Research looks into how Pudgy Penguins disrupts traditional toys market via a phygital model. With 2M+ units sold, they scale via global partnerships and events. What to know : Disrupting a Stagnant Market : Pudgy Penguins is utilizing a "Negative CAC" model to challenge the traditional $31.7B licensed toy industry by treating physical merchandise as a profitable user acquisition tool rather than just a final product. View Full Report More For You Senate Democrats push ban on prediction market bets tied to war and death By Sam Reynolds | Edited by Omkar Godbole 6 hours ago Senate Democrats' bill would write the prohibition into federal law even as the CFTC shifts toward a more permissive stance on event contracts. What to know : Senator Adam Schiff has introduced the DEATH BETS Act, which would explicitly ban prediction market contracts tied to terrorism, war, assassination and individual deaths. The bill would remove the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's discretion over such contracts by prohibiting any CFTC-registered exchange from listing them, including those closely correlated with a person's death. Schiff's proposal, backed by forthcoming companion legislation in the House, directly challenges CFTC Chair Mike Selig's move toward looser regulation of prediction markets after the agency scrapped a broad ban on political betting. Read full story Latest Crypto News Mining giant Foundry to introduce institutional zcash mining pool 26 minutes ago U.S. February CPI matches forecasts, reinforcing expectations for no near-term rate cuts 50 minutes ago Binance sues Wall Street Journal as newspaper says U.S. Dept. of Justice is investigating Iran transactions 57 minutes ago Binance, PayPal and Ripple join Mastercard’s massive new push into blockchain payments 1 hour ago Bitcoin stuck under $70,000 as investors play it safe before U.S. inflation report 2 hours ago Bitcoin drops on Iran war uncertainty, AI tokens jump 2 hours ago Top Stories Coinbase-backed AI payments protocol wants to fix micropayment but demand is just not there yet 5 hours ago Bitcoin traders bet on a rally above $80,000 8 hours ago Next week could spice things up for bitcoin as seven central banks face an inflation test 6 hours ago Elon Musk announces X Money launch date for April 8 hours ago Oracle jumps 11% premarket as AI demand challenges 'SaaS apocalypse' fears 3 hours ago XRP Ledger transactions jump to 2.7M as price stays rangebound 8 hours ago