The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has partnered with the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) to pilot innovative financial products, including gold-backed securities and tokenised gold assets, as part of efforts to deepen Ghana’s capital market.

The initiative forms part of the SEC’s broader strategy to promote financial innovation and strengthen the regulatory framework for emerging financial technologies.

As part of the programme, the SEC has admitted 11 firms into its regulatory sandbox to test virtual asset and financial technology products under the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, 2025.

The firms participating in the sandbox include Africoin, Blu Penguin, HanyPay, Hyro Exchange GH Ltd, HSB Global, KoinKoin, Whitebit, Vaulta, XChain and BSystem Ltd, alongside GoldBod.

The regulatory sandbox programme will run for 12 months, allowing participating firms to test their products and services within a controlled environment while regulators assess potential risks and develop appropriate licensing rules for the emerging sector.

Under the arrangement, GoldBod will pilot a gold tokenisation project through a special purpose vehicle, enabling regulators to evaluate the concept and establish guidelines for the issuance and trading of tokenised gold assets.

According to the SEC, the initiative is aimed at promoting transparency, strengthening investor protection and ensuring compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards.

Lessons from the pilot programme will also guide the development of future policy frameworks and licensing requirements for virtual asset service providers in Ghana.