Sending money from the United Kingdom to Ghana: the payments stack
Sending GBP 120 from the United Kingdom to Ghana cost 4.24% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 37 services in the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide survey. Payouts in Ghana typically run over GhIPSS Instant Pay (GIP), Ghana Interbank Settlement (GIS) RTGS; between now and the end of 2027 there are 8 weekdays when banks in the United Kingdom are closed but Ghana keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 4.24% of GBP 120 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 4.23% across 35 services |
| Collect in United Kingdom | Faster Payments, CHAPS, Bacs (Direct Credit and Direct Debit) |
| Pay out in Ghana | GhIPSS Instant Pay (GIP), Ghana Interbank Settlement (GIS) RTGS |
What it costs to send GBP 120
The World Bank surveyed 37 services sending from the United Kingdom to Ghana from 8 August 2025 to 22 August 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 4.24% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 4.23%. source
Bank and operator averages are worked out from the survey's provider types.
The send side: the United Kingdom
- Money remittance and the execution of credit transfers and direct debits are payment services under the Payment Services Regulations 2017; a firm providing them must be an authorised payment institution or a small payment institution unless it is already another type of payment service provider or is exempt. Issuing e-money requires authorisation or registration under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011. source
- Initial capital for an authorised payment institution is 20,000 euros for money remittance only, 50,000 euros for payment initiation and 125,000 euros for the services in paragraphs 1(a) to (e) of Schedule 1, such as executing payment transactions (PSRs 2017, Schedule 3). source
- An authorised e-money institution needs initial capital of at least 350,000 euros; a small e-money institution with average outstanding e-money of 500,000 euros or more holds at least 2% of that amount (EMRs 2011, Schedule 2). source
Licences, sponsor banks, collections, ramps and KYC providers: sending from the United Kingdom.
The payout side: Ghana
| Payout partner | What it does in Ghana | Source |
|---|---|---|
| TerraPay · our guide | Its network page lists Ghana among its African receive markets. | source |
| dLocal · our guide | Payouts V3 sends GHS to bank accounts and to AirtelTigo, Vodafone, MTN and G-Money wallets, funded in GHS or USD. | source |
| Flutterwave · our guide | Sends GHS to AirtelTigo, MTN and Telecel (Vodafone) mobile money wallets from a Flutterwave balance. | source |
| Fincra | Payout API sends GHS to mobile money wallets and bank accounts. | source |
| Thunes · our guide | Pays out to Ghanaian mobile wallets identified by the recipient's 233 mobile number. | source |
| Onafriq | Its integration with the Yuno platform is live in Ghana, covering mobile money disbursements and collections and FX treasury services. | source |
Licensing, local banks, stablecoin ramps, FX and KYC in Ghana: launching payments in Ghana.
Payout rails in Ghana
| Rail | Operator | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| GhIPSS Instant Pay (GIP) | Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) | Real-time transfers across bank accounts and mobile money wallets with round-the-clock availability; the average transaction was GH¢3,510.36 in 2025. | source |
| Ghana Interbank Settlement (GIS) RTGS | Bank of Ghana | source |
Holiday gaps to plan for, to December 2027
Weekdays when one side of the corridor is closed. On the 8 dates when the United Kingdom is closed and Ghana is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 8 dates when Ghana is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | United Kingdom | Ghana | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 30 Nov 2026 | St Andrew's Day (Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Ghana the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 4 Dec 2026 | Open | Farmers' Day | Ghana banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | Christmas Day | Both closed |
| Mon 28 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Boxing Day (observed) | Both closed |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | New Year's Day | Both closed |
| Mon 4 Jan 2027 | 2nd January (substitute day, Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Ghana the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Thu 7 Jan 2027 | Open | Constitution Day | Ghana banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 8 Mar 2027 | Open | Independence Day (observed) | Ghana banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 9 Mar 2027 | Open | Eid-ul-Fitr | Ghana banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 10 Mar 2027 | Open | Shaqq Day (day after Eid-ul-Fitr) | Ghana banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 17 Mar 2027 | St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland only) | Open | Prefund Ghana the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Good Friday | Good Friday | Both closed |
| Mon 29 Mar 2027 | Easter Monday | Easter Monday | Both closed |
| Mon 3 May 2027 | Early May bank holiday | Labour Day (observed) | Both closed |
| Mon 31 May 2027 | Spring bank holiday | Open | Prefund Ghana the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Thu 1 Jul 2027 | Open | Republic Day | Ghana banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 12 Jul 2027 | Battle of the Boyne (Northern Ireland only) | Open | Prefund Ghana the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 2 Aug 2027 | Summer bank holiday (Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Ghana the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 30 Aug 2027 | Summer bank holiday | Open | Prefund Ghana the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Tue 21 Sep 2027 | Open | Founder's Day | Ghana banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 30 Nov 2027 | St Andrew's Day (Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Ghana the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 3 Dec 2027 | Open | Farmers' Day | Ghana banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 27 Dec 2027 | Christmas Day (substitute day) | Christmas and Boxing Day (observed) | Both closed |
| Tue 28 Dec 2027 | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Boxing Day substitute | Both closed |
Full calendars: United Kingdom and Ghana. Size the buffer with the corridor runway calculator.
Funding the corridor
- Faster Payments is available to customers 24/7, but net settlement between participants takes place in the Bank of England RTGS system three times each business day. source
- CHAPS does not run on weekends or England and Wales bank holidays, and the customer payment deadline is 17:40, so any same-day sterling funding of an overseas account must be instructed before then. source
- IMTOs must have remittance forex proceeds credited to their universal partner bank's nostro account for same-day conversion into the cedi settlement account, and settlement is in local currency. source
- The settlement bank credits the PSP's local settlement account with the cedi equivalent within 24 hours, and all terminated funds must be reconciled and matched within 72 hours. source
- The local settlement account is funded only by converting forex flows from the partner bank's nostro, unless the PSP has a funding arrangement with the settlement bank that is repaid from the account after conversion. source
Running the corridor
Polynopsis shows every balance on both sides of this corridor in one live position: the collection accounts in United Kingdom, the payout partners and banks in Ghana and any stablecoin in between. It warns before the Ghana balance runs dry, holidays included. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from the United Kingdom to Ghana?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending GBP 120 at 4.24% in Q3 2025, across 37 services. Money transfer operators averaged 4.23%.
Which rails pay out in Ghana?
Local payouts run over GhIPSS Instant Pay (GIP), Ghana Interbank Settlement (GIS) RTGS.
When do I need to prefund Ghana payouts ahead of holidays?
Between now and December 2027 there are 8 weekdays when the United Kingdom is closed and Ghana is open, the first on Mon 30 Nov 2026. The payout balance has to cover those days before they start.
Related corridors
Sources
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset · World Bank
- UK bank holidays (JSON feed) · GOV.UK
- UK bank holidays · GOV.UK
- Statutory public holidays and commemorative days in Ghana for 2026 · Ministry of the Interior, Ghana
- Statutory holidays and commemorative days for 2025 (Update 1) · Ministry of the Interior, Ghana
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.