The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has announced new rules making the Ghana Card the main form of identification required for most banking and digital financial transactions across the country.
The directive, released on January 11, 2026, replaces earlier guidance from June 2022 and takes effect immediately.
Officials say the move is designed to strengthen fraud prevention and improve compliance with anti money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations.
Under the new rules, all financial institutions regulated by the central bank must require the Ghana Card when opening accounts.
This applies to Ghanaian citizens, permanent residents, ECOWAS nationals living in Ghana, and foreign business stakeholders connected to accounts.
Banks must also perform biometric verification, including fingerprint or facial checks, using data from the National Identity Authority (NIA) database.
If key personal details such as name, birth date, or nationality do not match records, customers must correct the information directly with the NIA before transactions can proceed.
The guidance also introduces stricter controls for online banking and mobile money services.
Financial institutions must now conduct full biometric checks for customers signing up digitally, including identity confirmation and liveness verification to confirm the person is physically present.
For remote or third party transactions, biometric verification is also required, and institutions must keep detailed records of both the person verifying the identity and the transaction itself.
Existing customers are not exempt.
While banks may apply a risk based review process, they are expected to gradually update customer records to match NIA data.
Customers without a Ghana Card or an approved alternative ID for non citizens may face restrictions and could be unable to complete financial transactions.
Foreign visitors staying in Ghana for less than 90 days may still perform limited transactions such as remittances or card payments using passports and additional verification checks.
Diplomats and their families remain exempt from the Ghana Card requirement.
The BoG says the updated policy aims to create a more secure financial system, reduce identity fraud, and improve regulatory oversight.
Officials believe centralizing identity verification through the Ghana Card will help standardize customer identification across banks and financial platforms.
The directive marks a major step toward deeper integration between Ghana’s national ID system and its financial services sector, reflecting a broader global trend toward digital identity verification in banking.