[Ghana Passes Bill to Legalize Cryptocurrency Trading and Plans to Explore Gold-Backed Stablecoins] The Ghanaian Parliament has passed the Virtual Asset Service Providers Bill, officially legalizing cryptocurrency trading and related digital asset activities. The bill requires individuals and entities engaged in digital asset activities to register with the Bank of Ghana or the Securities and Exchange Commission, depending on the nature of their business. Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Asiama stated that the bill provides a foundation for licensing and supervising the industry, ensuring transparency and regulation of activities, and clarifying that no one will be arrested for cryptocurrency trading after the bill's passage. Ghana plans to explore payment, trade financing, and market infrastructure by 2026, including research into digital settlement tools such as gold-backed stablecoins. According to Web3 Africa Group estimates, Ghana is expected to process approximately $3 billion in cryptocurrency transactions from July 2023 to June 2024.