Ghana’s Central Bank Tests Stellar-Based Akuna Wallet for Creator Economy Payments

• Akuna Wallet entered the Bank of Ghana’s VASP sandbox to test Stellar-based cross-border payment tools for creators and freelancers.
• The platform targets payment costs in Sub-Saharan Africa, where cross-border transfers average 8.8%, above the UN’s 3% goal.

Akuna Wallet has joined the Bank of Ghana’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Sandbox that reviews new payment tools for digital asset services. Built on the Stellar network, Akuna focuses on creators, freelancers, and digital entrepreneurs who receive income from global platforms. 

With the move, Akuna Wallet is among the first participants selected following the enactment of the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, 2025 (Act 1154). The sandbox gives firms a controlled environment to test products, compliance measures, and operational systems under the Bank of Ghana’s oversight. 

Akuna Wallet was formed through a partnership involving the Akuna Group, founded by Hollywood megastar Idris Elba, and the Stellar Development Foundation. It seeks to slash high fees and eliminate the frequent delays faced by Africans earning income from offshore companies.

Many Africans who earn income on international platforms lose a sizable portion of their earnings during cross-border transfers. World Bank data shows that payments to Sub-Saharan Africa cost an average of 8.8% of the amount sent, three times the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal target of 3%.

This week, we covered Stellar’s launch of x402 support to enable AI agents and apps to pay for APIs and digital services with stablecoins. x402 turns HTTP 402 into a working payment flow, so machine-to-machine transactions can settle in one request cycle.

Stellar Supports Ghana Sandbox for Creator Payment Testing

Akuna Wallet said its entry into the sandbox supports a model based on regulatory supervision rather than operating outside formal rules.

”The payments system hasn’t kept pace with African creators. Akuna Wallet is. Proud to be building this alongside Idris Elba and the whole team,” commented Denelle Dixon, executive director of the Stellar Development Foundation.

Idris Elba, co-founder of Akuna Wallet, said the project is intended to give creators better tools to move money with greater confidence. He added,

Akuna Wallet plans to work closely with the Bank of Ghana as the regulatory process continues. The sandbox will help test virtual asset infrastructure in a structured setting and allow regulators to assess safeguards before granting wider market access. 

In February, Stellar released an open-source proof of concept for private payments on its network. CNF reported that the system uses Groth16 zero-knowledge proofs, enabling private deposits, transfers, and withdrawals while keeping transaction details out of public view.