dLocal Ghana gets new licence to handle payments locally
If an international company wants to collect payments from customers in Ghana, it needs a way to connect to the country's banks, mobile-money networks and other payment systems.
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If an international company wants to collect payments from customers in Ghana, it needs a way to connect to the country's banks, mobile-money networks and other payment systems. That is the problem dLocal has been solving since it entered Ghana in 2020. Now its Ghana business has received an Enhanced Payment Service Provider (EPSP) licence from the Bank of Ghana, giving it permission to handle more of those payments directly.
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If an international company wants to collect payments from customers in Ghana, it needs a way to connect to the country's banks, mobile-money networks and other payment systems. That is the problem dLocal has been solving since it entered Ghana in 2020. Now its Ghana business has received an Enhanced Payment Service Provider (EPSP) licence from the Bank of Ghana, giving it permission to handle more of those payments directly. The licence covers local payment collections, merchant acquiring, mobile-money acceptance, bank-transfer collections and payouts to bank accounts and mobile-money wallets. Previously, dLocal could facilitate Ghana related payments through its global platform and regulated third-party partners. The new licence puts more of that business under its Ghana operation.
Ghana is already a busy payments market
There is a lot of money moving through Ghana's digital payment systems. Mobile-money transactions reached GH¢4.54 trillion ($397 billion) in 2025, according to the Bank of Ghana. That was 50.8% higher than the previous year. Internet banking transactions also increased from 26 million in 2024 to 47 million in 2025. For dLocal, this is the market its international customers want to reach. The company is not trying to persuade Ghanaians to start using mobile money or online banking. Those services are already widely used. Its job is to connect international businesses to the payment methods their Ghanaian customers already use.
“The new licence means dLocal can handle more of its Ghana payments business locally, rather than relying on third-party partners.”
How dLocal makes money
dLocal connects international merchants to local payment systems. A merchant integrates with dLocal through an API. From there, dLocal connects the merchant to payment methods such as cards, mobile-money wallets and bank transfers. It also handles payouts. So an international business can use dLocal to collect money from a customer in Ghana and, where supported, send money to a Ghanaian bank account or mobile-money wallet. dLocal charges merchants for processing payments, payouts and settlement. The fee depends on things such as the payment method, transaction type and volume. The new licence gives its Ghana business more control over these transactions.
The licence also changes who dLocal deals with
One practical benefit is that dLocal can now build more of its Ghana business directly with local financial institutions. That includes banks, mobile-money operators and other payment companies. Previously, some of the work depended on regulated third-party partners. That does not disappear overnight. dLocal says it will roll out the services covered by the licence based on its operational readiness, connections with partners and regulatory requirements. So the licence gives the company permission to do more. It still has to put the necessary connections and operations in place.
dLocal is one of several payments companies doing this
dLocal is entering a group of payments companies that have obtained enhanced licences in Ghana. Paystack and Flutterwave already hold enhanced payment licences from the Bank of Ghana. Fincra received an enhanced Payment Service Provider licence in May. This is becoming an important part of operating a payments business across Africa. A company cannot simply take a licence from one country and use it everywhere else. The payment systems and rules are different in each market.
Ghana fits into dLocal's wider African business
The licence comes as dLocal continues to expand its business across Africa. In February, the company completed a $23.7 million deal involving assets from AZA Finance, a Kenya-based cross-border payments company. The original plan was for dLocal to acquire AZA Finance, but regulatory issues changed the transaction. Instead, dLocal acquired three assets: Mint Code Solutions, a payments entity in Cameroon; intellectual property connected to the AZA Finance brand; and customer relationships from AZA Finance's African payments business.
The deal gave dLocal more customers and operations in African markets. Ghana is now another market where the company has a locally licensed operation. For the Ghana business, the immediate job is to make use of the licence, connect with more local payment providers and give international merchants more ways to collect and send money in the country. The company is also looking at other West African markets, but each one will require its own regulatory approval.
