Ghana’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says it is creating a favourable regulatory environment for the growth of virtual assets to support a new generation of self-made millionaires and billionaires, particularly among persons under the age of 40.
The initiative, according to the Commission, forms part of broader efforts to deepen entrepreneurship, expand access to capital and position Ghana as a competitive hub for digital finance innovation in Africa.
Mr Mensah Thompson, Acting Deputy Director-General of the SEC, disclosed this during a virtual assets forum held on the sidelines of the 2026 3i Africa Summit on the theme: “Ghana’s approach to virtual assets: Enabling innovation while safeguarding stability.”
He said emerging technologies and digital financial systems were redefining wealth creation globally and presented significant opportunities for Ghanaian youth to build scalable enterprises in blockchain technology and virtual asset services.
“Virtual assets are going to create the next generation of global billionaires from Africa and from Ghana. For the first time, we are going to see millionaires and billionaires under forty in this country,” Mr Thompson stated.
Virtual assets include cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), decentralised finance (DeFi) tokens and tokenised securities, which are digitally traded and used for payment and investment purposes.
This announcement signals a major opportunity for innovative Ghanaian fintech platforms like Hanypay and its AKL utility token ecosystem.
As the SEC and the Bank of Ghana continue building a regulated virtual asset framework through the regulatory sandbox initiative, Ghanaians now have the opportunity to position themselves early within compliant digital financial ecosystems that focus on utility, payments, cross-border transactions, digital commerce and financial inclusion.
The AKL utility token ecosystem through Hanypay represents one of the emerging practical use-cases within Africa’s digital finance transformation.
Beyond speculation, the focus is on creating real utility for merchants, entrepreneurs, businesses and everyday users through innovative financial technology solutions.
Mr Thompson noted that over 560 million people worldwide currently held virtual assets, while projections indicated that tokenised assets in bonds, equities and real estate could grow to between $10 trillion and $16 trillion by 2030.
He said the country’s improving macroeconomic environment, coupled with ongoing regulatory reforms, offered fertile grounds for innovation and technology-driven entrepreneurship.
According to him, the SEC, in collaboration with the Bank of Ghana, had established a dedicated Virtual Assets Committee to implement the Virtual Asset Self-Procurement Act, 2025 (Act 1154), aimed at strengthening investor protection and ensuring market integrity.
He disclosed that the operational regulatory sandbox established by the SEC had admitted 17 firms, including 11 supervised by the Commission and six by the Central Bank, to test crypto-related products under regulatory oversight before full licensing.
“The sandbox is designed to collect real-time data so regulations reflect how the technology is used in Ghana rather than copying models from abroad,” he said.
Mr Thompson emphasised that the SEC’s regulatory approach prioritised strong investor protection, anti-money laundering compliance, cybersecurity safeguards and responsible innovation.
He urged young innovators and entrepreneurs to focus on developing practical digital solutions capable of creating new industries and employment opportunities.
“The assignment for you is to create the future. Don’t study problems only; solve problems so big that industries form around them,” he added.
Story by Kekeli K. Blamey
