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WhiteBIT, Europe’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by traffic, has joined a regulatory sandbox launched by the Ghana Securities and Exchange Commission to test digital asset services under the country’s emerging crypto regulatory framework.
According to the regulator, 11 companies have been admitted to the sandbox, which operates under the provisions of Ghana’s Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, 2025. The program allows selected firms to test crypto-related products in a supervised environment while regulators monitor risk, compliance standards, and operational performance
The initiative is part of Ghana’s early efforts to establish oversight for the digital asset sector as crypto adoption continues to expand across the country.
The sandbox program is scheduled to run for 12 months, during which participating companies can operate their services while regulators collect data and assess potential risks.
Firms whose products are considered market-ready and that meet regulatory standards may transition to a full operating license after six months of participation. Companies that require additional time to refine their products can remain in the sandbox until the end of the pilot period.
Alongside WhiteBIT, the first cohort includes several companies focused on tokenization and crypto infrastructure, including Africoin, Blu Penguin, Vaulta, XChain, and Goldbod.
“WhiteBIT’s mission has always been to deliver secure, compliant, and accessible crypto services,” said Volodymyr Nosov, Founder and President of W Group, which WhiteBIT is a part of. “Being selected for Ghana’s regulatory sandbox not only underscores our commitment to responsible market expansion but also reflects our confidence in Africa’s potential to lead in digital finance.”
The SEC said insights gathered from the program will help shape the country’s future regulatory framework for digital asset companies.
Building framework for crypto regulation
The sandbox is designed to provide regulators with real-world data on how different crypto services operate. The findings will contribute to the development of licensing guidelines for virtual asset service providers, including exchanges, payment platforms, and tokenization projects.
Regulators intend to use the information collected during the pilot to define rules related to investor protection, market integrity, and anti-money laundering measures.
Once the sandbox program concludes, the SEC plans to publish finalized regulatory guidelines and open the licensing process to a broader range of companies operating in the digital asset industry.
Ghana’s move to regulate the sector reflects the rapid growth of cryptocurrency usage within the country. Estimates suggest that around 3 million Ghanaians, roughly 17% of the adult population, are involved in some form of digital asset activity.
The increase in crypto usage has raised concerns among policymakers about the effects on monetary management and economic measurement, particularly regarding capital flows and the calculation of gross domestic product.
In response, Ghana’s lawmakers approved legislation in December to create a legal framework for digital asset oversight. At the time, Johnson Asiama, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, said the goal of the legislation was to ensure that emerging crypto activity operates within transparent and accountable regulatory boundaries.
WhiteBIT’s ecosystem expands with new WBT listing
The sandbox announcement follows another recent development for WhiteBIT’s ecosystem. The exchange’s native token, WhiteBIT Coin (WBT), was recently listed on Kraken, one of the industry’s long-established cryptocurrency trading platforms.
The listing introduced new trading pairs for the token against the euro and the U.S. dollar, expanding access to WBT for a broader group of global traders.
Exchange-native tokens like WBT typically provide utility within their respective platforms. They can offer benefits such as reduced trading fees, loyalty rewards, or access to additional services within the exchange ecosystem.
Launched in 2022, WhiteBIT Coin reached a market capitalization of approximately $10.7 billion at its peak, placing it among the larger digital assets tracked by market analytics platforms.
Dan Burgin
Vladislav Sopov
