- Akuna Wallet has joined the Bank of Ghana’s VASP sandbox to test a Stellar-based cross-border payment tool for creators and freelancers.
- The platform targets payment costs in sub-Saharan Africa, where cross-border remittance rates average 8.8%, higher than the UN target of 3%.
Acuna wallet added Bank of Ghana’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Sandbox. Review new payment tools for digital asset services. Built on the Stellar network, Akuna focuses on creators, freelancers, and digital entrepreneurs earning income from global platforms.
This move makes Akuna Wallet one of the first participants selected after the enactment of the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act of 2025 (Act 1154). The Sandbox provides companies with a controlled environment to test their products, compliance measures and operational systems under the supervision of the Bank of Ghana.
Payment systems have not kept up with African creators. @AkunaWallet. I’m proud to be building this with Idris Elba and the entire team. https://t.co/ZVzcLuD9u9
— Denelle Dixon (@DenelleDixon) March 12, 2026
Akuna Wallet is a collaboration between Akuna Group, founded by Hollywood megastar Idris Elba, and Stella Development Foundation. It aims to cut high fees and eliminate frequent delays faced by Africans who earn income from offshore companies.
Many Africans who earn income on international platforms lose a significant portion of their income during cross-border remittances. According to World Bank data, payments to sub-Saharan Africa cost an average of 8.8% of the remittance amount, three times the UN Sustainable Development Goal of 3%.
This week we covered Stellar has launched x402 support to enable AI agents and apps to pay for APIs and digital services with stablecoins. x402 turns HTTP 402 into a valid payment flow, allowing machine-to-machine transactions to be resolved in a single request cycle.
Stellar supports Ghana Sandbox for creator payments test
Akuna Wallet said its entry into the sandbox supports a model based on regulatory oversight rather than operating outside formal rules.
Denel Dixon, executive director of Stellar Development Foundation, commented: “Payment systems have not kept up with the pace of African creators, and Acuna Wallet does that. We are proud to be building this with Idris Elba and the entire team.”
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 our mission to change this and improve access to the tools creators need to earn, keep, and move money with confidence. Moments like this represent real progress towards building a financial system that works for Africa’s next generation of talent.
Acuna Wallet will work closely with the Bank of Ghana as the regulatory process continues. Sandboxes help test virtual asset infrastructures in a structured setting, allowing regulators to assess safety measures before granting broader market access.
In February, Stellar released an open source proof of concept for private payments on its network. CNF reported The system uses Groth16 zero-knowledge proofs, allowing private deposits, transfers, and withdrawals while keeping transaction details private.
