The Chief Executive Officer of MobileMoney Fintech Limited (MMFL), Shaibu Haruna, has called on financial institutions and regulators to leverage Ghana’s mature mobile money infrastructure to accelerate the adoption of tokenised digital financial services, describing tokenisation as the next phase in the country’s digital finance evolution.
Speaking at a Fidelity Bank Ghana stakeholder workshop on digital assets, Mr. Haruna said Ghana’s years of investment in mobile money and interoperability have created a strong digital payments ecosystem that can now support the rollout of innovative financial products.
Addressing a panel discussion on “From Exploration to Adoption: How Banks and FinTechs Can Build the Digital Asset Ecosystem Together,” he said the country’s existing payment infrastructure provides a solid foundation for expanding access to regulated digital asset services.
“We have built a domestic highway and network for digital payments. Through interoperability and mobile money, we have created a strong domestic payment infrastructure. What we are now adding is an international gateway that addresses the friction that exists in cross-border payments,” he said.
Mr. Haruna stressed that tokenisation should complement, rather than replace, existing financial systems by making transactions more efficient, accessible and inclusive.
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He noted that consumers are already familiar with digital financial services through mobile money platforms, making it easier for financial institutions to introduce regulated digital asset products without requiring major behavioural changes.
“For me, this is about leveraging the infrastructure we have already built. Customers no longer need to visit physical branches to carry out transactions. They already use their mobile phones every day. Our responsibility is to build platforms that enable them to seamlessly access these new services while giving them greater choice,” he said.
He identified cross-border payments, remittances and tokenised investment products as some of the areas where digital assets could deliver immediate value, urging financial institutions to focus on practical use cases that solve customer challenges.
Mr. Haruna also underscored the importance of collaboration between banks, fintech companies and regulators in developing Ghana’s digital asset ecosystem.
“The question is not whether banks need mobile money operators or vice versa. The regulatory framework itself encourages partnerships. Every institution must determine where it has the expertise to build and where collaboration delivers greater value,” he said.
The panel discussion also featured Kofi Genfi, Chief Executive Officer of Vaulta Digital Assets, and Kwadwo Owusu-Agyemang, Country Manager of Akuna Wallet, who shared insights on regulation, digital asset infrastructure, cross-border payments and the partnerships needed to accelerate adoption.
Chief Risk Officer of Fidelity Bank Ghana, Dr. David Animante, said banks should embrace fintech firms as strategic partners rather than competitors.
According to him, fintech companies contribute innovation and agility, while banks offer governance, customer trust, capital and risk management capabilities, creating a complementary relationship that can strengthen Ghana’s emerging digital asset landscape.
The stakeholder workshop, organised by Fidelity Bank Ghana under the theme “Shaping Ghana’s Financial Future: Digital Assets, Virtual Assets, Tokenisation,” brought together regulators, banks, fintech companies and industry experts to explore the opportunities, regulatory framework and commercial potential of digital assets and tokenisation in Ghana’s financial sector.
