The central bank says fraud cases in Ghana’s digital space rose by 98% between 2022 and 2025, pointing to the growing risks linked to the rapid shift to digital transactions.
Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Matilda Asiedu, explains that the increase shows that fraudsters are increasingly targeting customers through digital platforms as electronic payments continue to grow.
She revealed that fraud cases across Ghana’s financial sector went up from 16,733 in 2024 to 24,778 in 2025, amounting to a 48 percent increase.
She added that the rise was mainly driven by digital transactions, while fraud incidents in traditional banking systems declined.
“It is not just a shift in the statistics or the data, buh its also a shift in the in the financial crime landscape itself”, she said
At the opening of a technical committee workshop of the Committee for Cooperation Between Law Enforcement Agencies and the Banking Community, COCLAB, at the Royal Senchi in the Eastern Region, Mrs Asante Asiedu indicated that the development calls for regulators, financial institutions and law enforcement agencies to reconsider their approach to tackling financial crime.
“Between 2022 and 2025, fraud incidents in the digital space increased by 98%, confirming again that criminal activity is also following the growth in digital transactions”. She stated
She pointed out that the concern goes beyond individual fintechs and paym ent service providers, as their operations are closely linked to banks and other parts of the financial sector.
“It’s not just a challenge for a PSP. Because think about it, a PSP’s account sits with a bank. And so if that fraud incident happens, it transcends one institution and it affects the entire financial ecosystem”
Matilda Asiedu said the growing threat from financial criminals makes early action essential, particularly as more people rely on electronic channels for everyday payments.
She called on COCLAB members to improve information sharing, investigations, prosecutions and public education, saying the ultimate goal should be to reduce financial offences and provide stronger protection for customers.
“We should be so efficient that when the fraudsters begins to think through their next move they’ll also think, gosh , what if these people arrest me?” She said.
