Invest in the Future: Blockchain.com arrives in Ghana, Ghanaians New Path to Wealth

Hey guys, welcome back to the Sound of Accra podcast, our Fintech Friday series.

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It is the first time listing this series where we spotlight global guardian excellence and

unpack the financial ideas shaping Ghana's future.

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I'm your host Adrian.

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If you've been listening to our Fintech Friday series and past conversations on

cryptocurrency and the blockchain, you know we've been talking about these types of topics

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for quite a while.

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Some of you may be familiar with the Fintech Friday series we did with Binance Africa

about a year or so ago.

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And we had people like Yamdi Nomvete who is a business manager of Binance Africa.

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And we had other people from Binance Africa come on that series and discuss the landscape

of cryptocurrency and blockchain currently, not just shaping Africa, but also Ghana as a

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whole.

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and we dived into topics where we shared how crypto could support Ghana's economic

recovery.

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Today, this month, that future got a lot more real because one of the world's biggest

crypto companies, yes blockchain.com, has officially launched in Ghana.

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And they're not just dipping their toes in, they're calling Ghana the next major African

hub after Nigeria and part of a long-term plan.

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to build digital asset infrastructure across Africa as Africa is the fastest growing, one

of the fastest growing economies out there.

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Let's have a quick look at the article so we can go straight into this episode.

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So this is the Forbes article and this is the head headline as you can see, and it says,

three days after Ghana celebrated its 69th Independence Day.

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If you haven't listened to our Ghana independence episode, I'll link it in the description

below.

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whether you're listening on YouTube or on the podcast platforms.

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I continue.

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blockchain.com announced its formal expansion into the country.

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CEO Peter Smith marked the moment on X.

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We are now live in Ghana.

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Let's go.

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He called it an important step in strengthening the company's presence across Africa.

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The company's general manager for Africa, Owenize Odia a Nigerian financial industry

veteran, hired in May 2025.

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with a clear mandate to engage regulators and to pursue licensing, echo that commitment in

the company's press release, citing plans for new infrastructure, local talent and

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region-specific products.

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The language signals intent, but Ghana is not a market waiting to be built.

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Ghana has been strengthening its own financial infrastructure for decades, from mobile

money to the ECD pilot, to the passage of the Virtual Asset Providers Act.

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Each

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step was built on the one before it, each was done on Ghana's own terms to question the

arrival of the company like blockchain.com raises it straightforward or foreign investment

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strengthen what guardians have built or extract from it.

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And this is this is really what it is.

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He understands.

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So let's let's go straight into it.

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But before we kind of go diver deep into this episode, let's have a look at that Twitter

announcement.

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So looks something like this.

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So blockchain.com have announced with an image blockchain.com is officially live in Ghana.

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So they had a nice little illustration to announce the launch in Ghana.

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And you can even see here it says Nigeria is one of the blockchain.com fastest growing

global markets in 2025, over 700 % since launch.

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So their bets are if our Nigerian brothers and sisters can perform that well.

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Of course, Ghana can do something similar as well.

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So let's go deeper into what this is all about.

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So essentially, with blockchain.com, now for those of you who don't know who is

blockchain.com and why Garnet, so let's start with the basics.

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So blockchain.com is one of the oldest and biggest names in crypto globally.

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They've processed over a trillion dollars in crypto.

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Transactions since 2011 and they support over tens of millions of users worldwide now over

the year They focus on the Nigeria as their first African retail market and the results

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were absolutely insane over 700 % growth as I mentioned earlier before uh They launched

with stable coins like USDT Bitcoin and Tron if you if you guys aren't really aware of uh

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stable coins cryptocurrency, etc.

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Don't worry I will

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link down below the Fintech Friday series that we did of Binance so that you guys can

learn some of the basics and learn a bit more about the landscape of cryptocurrency in the

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blockchain and also maybe some interviews I've done with past crypto and fintech experts

as well.

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So why Ghana?

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Why now?

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This is the question, right?

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So Blocklink.com basically is read, they're reading the same script as other blockchain

providers.

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So they see Ghana as a country where people want better tools.

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to save money and to protect value.

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But where their traditional banking system doesn't always serve everyone, especially SMEs

and the informal sector.

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So Ghana would always become that logical next step after Nigeria because it strong

demand, Ghana's a tech savvy population, and just importantly, regulators who are choosing

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to regulate crypto instead of just banning it as well.

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as I mentioned in previous episodes, Ghana is a country where it wants

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its own government to be even based on the blockchain.

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So that's how forward thinking Ghana is when it comes to things like the blockchain and

cryptocurrency.

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So, why are actually bringing to Ghana?

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So they're gonna bring out a crypto brokerage platform.

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So think of it as a gateway where Ghanaians can buy and sell and hold assets like USDT,

know, Bitcoin and other coins using a secure compliant interface instead of shady back

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channels.

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So this is not just a one, this is a full brokerage service built around these three core

services.

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So if we have a look at blockchain.com's website, you can kind of get a flavour of what

they're all about.

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So a little bit similar to Binance, a little bit similar to maybe uh Coinbase.

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Crypto platforms out there, that's kind of how they operate, but they just operate a

little bit more differently than all of the ones out there.

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Probably a bit more...

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a bit more corporate, my opinion, if I was to say the least.

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So that just gives you a of like a feeling in terms of how they operate and what they look

like in terms of from a platform and a website perspective.

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Now in terms of cross border payments and remittances, I think this is gonna be massive.

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This is another benefit.

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So sending or receiving value is gonna be quicker.

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Whether you're from London, New York or Lagos.

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blockchain.com also wants a piece of the remittance pie as they've seen people like World

Remit, know, Sendwave, Tap Tap Send you know, even Nala get into this market and really

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benefit from this market.

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They want a piece of the pie as well, which makes sense.

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All right.

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Now access to major crypto assets for people who want exposure to Bitcoin and other large

cap coins as part of the financial strategy.

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That's also going to be possible as well.

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Right.

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Now going back to earlier FinTech Friday series, I talked about how tools like Binance Pay

was helping gardening businesses and tourists transact more easily and how SMEs could use

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crypto rails to reach global markets and hedge against inflation.

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Now blockchain.com is another major player stepping into that same space but with a

slightly different focus.

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They're really positioning themselves as a long-term infrastructure provider, not just a

trading app.

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So they're putting teams on the ground.

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mean, they're going to have operations team in Ghana, partnerships, regulatory engagement,

and signaling that this is not a quick land grab.

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I mean, they're actually hiring right now.

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So you can probably go out and apply for a role if you're in Ghana or you're moving there,

et cetera.

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It's a long-term bet on Ghana and on Africa.

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If Nigeria performed so well, Ghana is also going to perform really well.

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And that is literally what it is.

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Now here's where Ghana...

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quietly did something very smart which I have to applaud Ghana for what they did right.

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Blockchain.com didn't just wake up and decide to launch in Ghana randomly, their timing

was immaculate.

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Now Ghana's Securities and Exchange Commission has finalized its Virtual Asset Service

Providers Act, that's the VASP Act 2025.

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and they launched a regulatory sandbox that emitted 11 crypto and blockchain firms into a

12 month pilot.

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I mean, this is massive.

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essentially if things don't play out the way that the government wants it to play out,

then, you know, these crypto blockchain companies, you know, they're not really going to

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be penalized that much.

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And if it does work out, then perfect.

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It's going to be great for Ghana and it's going to be great for these companies as well.

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If I was just to show you a link, which I'll link in the description below.

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So this website here on the Bank of Ghana will explain a bit more about what virtual

assets are all about.

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And it tells you more about the framework for virtual assets services in Ghana as well.

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So you can go head over to the Bank of Ghana website and that's where you're going to

learn a little bit more about what that looks like and what that is all about.

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But essentially what this means in plain English is that

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Ghana has moved from we're not sure what to do with crypto to here are the rules, here is

a sandbox where you can test your model under supervision before you go full scale.

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So think of it as some kind of startup MVP, okay?

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The sandbox sets expectations around things like anti-money laundering, consumer

protection, disclosures, and how these platforms should handle customer funds on the

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ground.

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So when blockchain...

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blockchain.com says it's offering Ghanaians as a secure compliant platform.

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They actually mean it.

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It's not just a gimmick.

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The firm is aligning itself with this sandbox regime and its position itself as a

compliant VASP, right?

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Once again, as a virtual asset service provider that wants to work with regulators and not

around them.

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All right.

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Now, if you listen to earlier episodes in Ghana's economic recovery and blockchain's role

in the government,

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and elections on the Santa Clara.

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You may remember that we asked, can Ghana become a model for regulated innovation in

Africa?

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This sandbox is one of the clearest answers we've seen so far.

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Instead of outright bans, Ghana is saying, come in, come through the front door, we'll

watch what you can do, we'll learn, and then we'll set long-term rules together.

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This is very different from what you see in other African markets where crypto has even

been left in the grey zone.

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or push into the shadows.

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So this is really vital.

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Now, let's bring this down to your level.

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What does this actually mean for you as a listener?

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Whether you're listening in Accra, Comasi, London, New York, Japan, you know, we've got

listeners all over the world.

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For everyday Ghanaians, blockchain.com's entry means easier, more mainstream access to

major crypto assets and stablecoins via a platform with a long global track record.

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You're to have more options to move money across the borders quickly.

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especially if you're dealing with remittances or business payments between Ghana, Nigeria

and the West.

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There's also gonna be more structured rules around identity, transaction monitoring and

fraud, which can feel like a hassle, but also means better protection consumer wise than

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using unregulated platforms.

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Now for entrepreneurs and startups, what does this mean?

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So especially as we've had on the The Sound of Accra a number of entrepreneurs who are

building in fintech.

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blockchain.com could become a key on and off ramp partner.

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You could plug into the infrastructure, into your wallets, neo banks, or your remittance

apps.

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And instead of trying to build everything from scratch and relying on unregulated

exchanges, this is what you can do.

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Now this aligns with something we've heard repeatedly on this podcast.

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We've got Ghanaian founders who don't lack ideas.

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they lack reliable, scalable infrastructure and clarity from regulators.

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Now this launch takes both boxes, more infrastructure, more regulatory clarity for the

diaspora particularly those sending money back home or investing in gunning businesses.

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This could actually be another tool in your toolkit.

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Now stable coin rails via the regulated.

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player like blockchain.com can in theory lower the cost remittance, is what I was saying

earlier on, speed up settlement and make it easier to support family or fund projects on

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the ground.

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Now there are obviously risks.

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Now crypto is still volatile.

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Regulation can still change.

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All right.

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But the difference now is that Ghana is not passively watching the crypto story happen

elsewhere.

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It's actively shaping it.

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All right.

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uh If we look at this article here, it says

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growing crypto adoption rates prompt Ghana's authority to pursue regulation.

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And when you read this article, it just shows you how far Ghana has come in this sector.

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So it says, cryptos quickly gain a foothold in Ghana, just over 17 % of the population.

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Approximately three million people are regular users of crypto in Ghana, with transactions

registering almost three billion.

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And then it goes into say that Ghana has emerged in the past year as one of the top five

crypto adopters in sub-Saharan

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alongside Kenya and Ethiopia.

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is massive.

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This was September 2025 by the way, this article, just to show you how massive crypto is

in Ghana.

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This gives you a picture of where we are today.

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So I think it's really, really important for us to be aware of that.

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All right.

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Now, when we continue on with this episode,

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As always, you've heard today,

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is a really important day in terms of where Ghana is in terms of crypto and blockchain but

I also want to let you know this is not financial advice it's just some information to

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help you make better decisions.

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If you've enjoyed this episode please feel free to share with friends in Ghana or in the

diaspora or someone that needs to understand what's happening in Ghana and in Africa as

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usual feel free to tag us or mention us on social media search for at the sound of a cry

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and let us know.

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Do you see blockchain.com's move a positive step for Ghana or are you more cautious about

big cryptocurrency brands coming in even more?

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Let us know.

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I'm Adrian Daniels, you guys have been great.

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I'll catch you in the next one.

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God bless and take care.

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Bye.