Send money from United Kingdom to Ghana(GBP → GHS)

Based on our latest comparison data, Wise and Sendwave consistently deliver the most Ghanaian cedis per pound on the GBP to GHS corridor. Wise uses the real mid-market exchange rate with a transparent fee of around 0.4%–0.7%, making it one of the cheapest options for this route. Sendwave (now part of WorldRemit) charges zero transfer fees and offers a competitive exchange rate, making it popular among the Ghanaian diaspora in the UK. WorldRemit also performs well, particularly for MTN MoMo delivery. On a £500 transfer, the difference between the cheapest and most expensive provider can exceed GHS 150–300, which is significant purchasing power in Ghana. Funding via Faster Payments from your UK bank account is instant and free, so there is no reason to use slower or costlier funding methods. Compare all providers at the time of sending, as the cedi can be volatile.

Yes, MTN Mobile Money (MoMo) is the most widely supported delivery method for transfers from the UK to Ghana. Sendwave, WorldRemit, Remitly, Western Union, and several other providers offer direct MTN MoMo delivery. Funds typically arrive within minutes of the provider processing the transaction. MTN MoMo is Ghana's dominant mobile money platform with over 20 million active wallets, used by a large majority of the adult population for everyday transactions. Recipients can use their MoMo balance for purchases, bill payments, airtime top-ups, and bank transfers, or withdraw cash at any of the hundreds of thousands of MTN MoMo agent points across the country. To send, you need the recipient's MTN mobile number registered with MoMo. Vodafone Cash and AirtelTigo Money are alternative mobile money platforms in Ghana, supported by fewer international providers.

MTN MoMo delivery is the fastest option — funds arrive in the recipient's mobile wallet within minutes, making it the most popular delivery method for this corridor. Cash pickup through Western Union and MoneyGram is also near-instant, available at agent locations across Accra, Kumasi, Tamale, and other cities and towns. Bank deposits to Ghanaian banks like GCB Bank, Ecobank, Stanbic Bank, and Fidelity Bank take 1–2 business days. Funding from a UK bank account via Faster Payments is processed in seconds by most providers. This means the total end-to-end time for a Faster Payments-funded MTN MoMo delivery can be under one hour. Debit card funding is also instant. Transfers initiated on weekends or Ghanaian public holidays may experience slight delays for bank deposit delivery, but mobile money and cash pickup remain available.

The Ghanaian cedi has experienced dramatic depreciation, losing over 60% of its value against the British pound between 2020 and 2024. Multiple factors have driven this decline, including Ghana's debt crisis (the country defaulted on external debt and entered an IMF programme in 2023), high inflation exceeding 50% at its peak, large fiscal deficits, and global factors like rising US interest rates. The Bank of Ghana has implemented monetary tightening and the government has pursued fiscal consolidation under its IMF programme, which has helped stabilise the cedi more recently. For UK senders, the depreciation means every pound now buys significantly more cedis — a £500 transfer delivers roughly two to three times as many cedis as it did in 2020. However, this also means exchange rate markups cost recipients much more in absolute terms, making provider comparison essential.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates all payment institutions and electronic money institutions operating in the UK, including money transfer providers like Wise, Remitly, WorldRemit, Sendwave, Western Union, and MoneyGram. FCA authorisation means the provider must meet strict capital adequacy requirements, safeguard customer funds in segregated accounts (so your money is protected even if the company fails), implement robust AML/KYC procedures, and provide clear fee and exchange rate disclosure before you confirm a transaction. If something goes wrong — such as a delayed or failed transfer — you have recourse through the provider's complaints procedure and, if unresolved, through the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). You can verify any provider's FCA registration on the FCA Register at register.fca.org.uk. Always use FCA-authorised providers rather than informal channels, which offer no regulatory protection and may be illegal.