E-Money in Ghana: A Case Study

The usage of electronic money (e-money) for transactions has grown across Ghana and has the potential to revolutionise the cash-dominant economy to become cashless. Propelling this growth are mobile money operators (MMOs), which have developed to offer a specific type of e-money, termed mobile money (MM). With the increased use of mobile-money services and growth in the payment systems sector each day, it is imperative for Ghana to design a holistic approach to the use of e-money as well as consider its operationalisation of the coverage by the deposit insurer. The Ghana Payment Systems Act, 2019 (Act 987) sets out the rules for the issuance of e-money within Ghana and the supervision of the business of e-money institutions (EMIs), which includes MMOs. There are growing concerns about safeguarding client funds held by EMIs worldwide. In Ghana, client funds held by EMIs must be placed in custodial accounts at banks. As a result, it has become necessary for Ghana's deposit insurance system to consider how to protect these funds. Funds backing the electronic value belonging to customers of MMOs are kept in a custodian account which resides with banks and hence the need for these funds to be protected in case of a bank failure is being discussed. This brief describes the distinctions between deposits and e-money and provides a description of the key features of e-money in the Ghanaian context. It discusses the factors influencing the protection of e-money wallets and the float (defined as the cash equivalent of outstanding electronic money liabilities of an electronic money issuer with partner banks) kept with commercial banks. Finally, options to be considered for the possible protection of these wallets in case of bank liquidation are presented.