Ebenezer Ghanney’s emergence as a defining figure in Africa’s fintech space is no accident. He is a visionary entrepreneur whose journey reflects both deep industry insight and a relentless drive to solve one of the continent’s most persistent challenges—cross-border payments. Ghanney is the founder and CEO of WeWire, a rapidly expanding fintech company streamlining international B2B payments.
Before founding WeWire, Ghanney cut his teeth in the fintech space at Yellowcard, one of Africa’s earliest crypto exchanges. He was the company’s first hire in Ghana and eventually became head of business operations. That experience proved formative. He witnessed first-hand the frustrations of businesses trying to navigate costly, slow, and often opaque international transfers. Many businesses were locked out of the global economy not because they lacked ideas or ambition, but because the payment rails they needed were riddled with difficulty. That reality inspired Ghanney to step away from a stable, rising career at Yellowcard and build something bolder.
In April 2022, he launched WeWire with a clear mission: to simplify and democratize cross-border payments for African businesses. It wasn’t just about making transfers faster or cheaper—it was about creating a system that finally worked for the continent. His solution is a digital platform that enables multi-currency payments and foreign exchange transactions at competitive rates.
WeWire operates with a Money Services Business (MSB) license from Canada, giving it regulatory credibility and the compliance muscle to operate across borders. Its footprint now extends far beyond Ghana, touching markets in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. That expansion reflects not only strategic foresight but also strong operational execution.
WeWire’s offerings are designed with business flexibility in mind. The platform supports virtual accounts that allow users to receive, hold, and pay in multiple currencies — be it US dollars, euros, or African currencies. For expense management, clients have access to virtual cards that streamline internal transactions and help companies control costs more efficiently. These features are especially powerful for SMEs, which often struggle with access to reliable foreign exchange services and affordable international transfer options.
However, WeWire’s real edge lies in its ability to make international transactions fast, transparent, and cost-effective. Traditional bank transfers can take days, sometimes even weeks, to process. WeWire has cut that time dramatically. In many cases, transfers clear within hours. At worst, they hit recipients in under 24 hours depending on the market. The company also stands out for its transparency—users know exactly what fees they’re paying, with no hidden charges buried in small print. It’s a refreshingly straightforward approach that’s winning trust.
The numbers back up the vision. In just under two years, WeWire has processed over $1.1 billion in cross-border payments, scaling from $400 million in initial volume to more than double that by March 2024. Transactions have touched over 80 countries, with clients spanning sectors from fintech and manufacturing to oil and gas, importation, and exportation.
Ghanney’s leadership was further validated in March 2024 when he was named Young Fintech Leader of the Year at the Ghana Fintech Awards, edging out top contenders in what was one of the event’s most competitive categories. The award, presented at the Labadi Beach Hotel, confirmed what many in the industry already knew: Ebenezer Ghanney is reimagining what financial connectivity looks like for African businesses.
Under his guidance, WeWire was also selected to participate in the Bank of Ghana’s Innovation Sandbox — a program reserved for promising fintech startups looking to test financial products in a controlled, compliant environment. This inclusion not only signals regulatory confidence but also opens the door to more innovation around blockchain integration and digital currencies, which are central to Ghanney’s long-term vision.
At the heart of his approach is a clear belief in financial inclusion. Ghanney is deeply aware of how skewed the current global financial system is—how easy it is for money to flow into Africa, yet how difficult it is for African businesses to send money out. WeWire was designed to level that imbalance. By making outbound payments easier, faster, and cheaper, he is effectively increasing Africa’s economic mobility.
His vision is both practical and ambitious: a world where local businesses, whether large or small, can transact internationally without barriers; where African entrepreneurs no longer see international trade as a headache, but as an opportunity; where digital and fiat currencies work side-by-side, enabling seamless growth across borders.
In Ghanney, Africa has a fintech leader who not only understands the technical and operational side of payments but also sees the bigger picture. The story of WeWire is still unfolding, but if its first two years are any indication, this is only the beginning of a much larger movement—one led by a man who believes the future of African trade starts with the freedom to wire money, anywhere, anytime.