By Francis Ntow
Accra, May 8, GNA – Ghana’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says it is creating the right regulatory atmosphere for virtual assets growth to produce the country’s first wave of self-made millionaires and billionaires under the age of 40.
The move, which would mark a shift in how wealth is created in the West African economy, is to serve as the main driver of entrepreneurship, particularly among the youth, providing the needed capital for business growth and sustainability.
Mr Mensah Thompson, the Acting Deputy Director-General, SEC, said this at a virtual assets’ forum on the sidelines of the 2026 3i Africa summit.
It is on the theme: “Ghana’s approach to virtual assets: Enabling innovation while safeguarding stability.”
Virtual assets, including cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), DeFi tokens, and tokenised securities are digital representations of value that could be digitally traded, transferred, and used for payment or investment.
“Virtual assets are going to create a next generation of global billionaires from Africa and from Ghana. Billionaires who created the wealth themselves. And for the first time we are going to see millionaires and billionaires under forty in this country,” Mr Thompson said.
The SEC Deputy Boss’ optimism was embedded in global trends with more than 560 million people worldwide holding virtual assets, and institutions projecting tokenised assets in bonds, equities, and real estate to grow to US$10 to 16 trillion by 2030.
He noted the shift from the traditional path to wealth of inheriting assets or established family businesses to technology-driven innovation as an opportunity for young Ghanaians to build scalable companies in digital finance, blockchain, and virtual asset services.
Mr Thompson described the country’s current macroeconomic stability as a fertile ground for young Ghanaians to build companies that could compete globally, as the sector regulator positioned itself as an enabler.
“These are not companies in construction or trading, but the next generation of employers are going to be technological builders, innovators in digital, and entrepreneurs – many of whom are here today,” he said.
He mentioned that SEC had set up a dedicated Virtual Assets Committee working with the Bank of Ghana to implement Virtual Asset Self-Procurement Act, 2025 (Act 1154) to protect investors and value chain players.
He noted that an operational regulatory sandbox has admitted 17 firms – 11 under the SEC and six under the Central Bank, allowing selected companies to test crypto-related products under supervision 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. The approach is pro-protection, balancing market integrity with growth,” Mr Thompson said.
He urged local innovators to build solutions in digital investment platforms and critical infrastructure, saying; “the assignment for you is to create the future. Don’t study problems only, solve problems so big that industries form around them.”
“We have a market to protect. Our approach is anchored on strong investor protection, robust anti-money laundering (AML) compliance, and sound custody and cybersecurity safeguards,” he assured.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Francis Ntow