- Akuna Wallet entered the Bank of Ghana’s VASP sandbox to test Stellar-based cross-border payment tools for creators and freelancers.
- The platform focuses on payment costs in Sub-Saharan Africa, where cross-border remittances average 8.8%, above the UN target of 3%.
Akuna Wallet has become a member the Bank of Ghana’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Sandbox, which assesses new payment instruments for digital asset services. Built on the Stellar network, Akuna focuses on creators, freelancers and digital entrepreneurs who receive income from global platforms.
With this move, Akuna Wallet is among the first participants selected following the enactment of the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, 2025 (Act 1154). The sandbox provides companies with a controlled environment to test products, compliance measures and operational systems under the supervision of the Bank of Ghana.
The payment system has not kept pace with African creators. @AkunaWallet is. Proud to be building this together with Idris Elba and the entire team. https://t.co/ZVzcLuD9u9
— Denelle Dixon (@DenelleDixon) March 12, 2026
Akuna Wallet was born from a partnership between the Akuna Group, founded by Hollywood megastar Idris Elba, and the Stellar Development Foundation. The aim is to reduce high fees and eliminate the frequent delays Africans face in earning income from offshore companies.
Many Africans who earn income on international platforms lose a significant portion of their income 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 transactions can be handled from machine to machine in a single request cycle.
Stellar supports Ghana Sandbox for testing creator payments
Akuna Wallet said joining the sandbox supports a model based on regulatory oversight rather than operating outside formal rules.
“The payment system has not kept pace with African creators. Akuna Wallet has. Proud to build this with Idris Elba and the entire team,” said Denelle Dixon, Executive Director of the Stellar Development Foundation.
Idris Elba, co-founder of Akuna Wallet, said the project aims to give creators better tools to move money with more confidence. He added:
What excites me about Akuna Wallet is its mission to change that, giving creators better access to the tools they need to earn, hold, and move their money with confidence. Moments like these represent real progress towards building a financial system that works for the next generation of African talent.
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 environment and allow regulators to assess safeguards before granting broader 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, allowing private deposits, transfers and withdrawals while keeping transaction details out of public view.