Ghana, in an effort to match the current economic development, is working to make its digital currency, E-cedi, available offline.
The Bank of Ghana (BoG), this year announced the piloting of the E-Cedi in partnership with Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) and is working with all banking institutions in the country on that.
The e-cedi, seeks to facilitate transactions without the need for power or connectivity, according to Kwame Oppong, Head, Fintech and Innovations, BoG.
At the Ghana Economic Forum, Mr. Kwame Oppong said, “Financial inclusion is limited by the availability of connectivity and power,”. “What we hope to be able to do – and we’re one of the people pioneering this – is that the e-cedi would also be capable of being used in an offline environment through some smart cards.”
He added that said that the regulator is working on facilitating transactions without the need for power or connectivity.
Globally, more central banks are testing digital forms of their legal tender to enhance faster and cheaper money transfers across borders, without losing control over their monetary systems.
Ghana’s digital Cedi, or ‘e-Cedi’, is intended to complement and serve as a digital alternative to physical cash, thus driving the Ghanaian cashlite agenda through promotion of diverse digital payments, while ensuring a secure and robust payment infrastructure in Ghana.