Don’t Wait Till Last Minute, Link Your Ghana Card To Your Account Now – Banks Tell Customers

Banks are reminding Ghanaians of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) directive to link their Ghana Cards to their bank accounts before the deadline.

Customers who fail to link their cards to the accounts will not be able to engage in financial transactions, according to the Central bank.

Stanbic Bank in a message to all customers on Thursday April 14 said “Don’t wait till the last minute, link your Ghana Card to you account.”

The BoG on Wednesday January 19 directed that starting July 1, the Ghana Card shall be the only identification card to undertake transactions at all Bank of Ghana licensed and regulated financial institutions.

These include Banks;Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions; Non-Deposit-Taking Financial Institutions; Payment Service Providers and Dedicated Electronic Money Issuers; Forex Bureaus and Credit Reference Bureaus.

“In furtherance of its objective of ensuring the safety of the financial system, Bank of Ghana pursuant to Regulation 7 of the National Identity Register, 2012 (L.I.2111), hereby directs that with effect from 1st July, 2022, the Ghana Card shall be the only identification card that will be used to undertake transactions at all Bank of Ghana licensed and regulated financial institutions including: i. Banks; ii. Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions; iii. Non-Deposit-Taking Financial Institutions; iv. Payment Service Providers and Dedicated Electronic Money Issuers; v. Forex Bureaus and Credit Reference Bureaus.

“In line with this Notice, Section 30 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044) and Regulation 12 of the Anti-Money Laundering Regulations, 2011 (L.I. 1987), all financial institutions shall take steps to update customer records with
the Ghana Card.

“Customers of Bank of Ghana regulated financial institutions are therefore advised to update their records with their respective financial institutions with the Ghana Card in line with this Notice.

“For KYC purposes, the National Identification Authority verification transaction platform will be integrated into the Bank of Ghana’s financial monitoring platform. This is to ensure that all financial transactions performed within the ecosystem are linked to one identity and information, and unique codes for the transactions shared with the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to facilitate the identification
of initiators/beneficiaries for track and trace purposes. This will include but not limited to transactions by: i. Banks; ii. Non-bank Financial Institutions; and iii. Mobile Money Operators (MMOs).

“The Public is to note that no other form of identification will be accepted for financial transactions in Bank of Ghana after the effective date stated above,” a statement issued by the central bank said.