Knowledge Centre — GoldPool

Resource Library

Research, insight,
and market context

Written by the PRC Group procurement and compliance teams. Figures reflect the Ghanaian gold market as at August 2026.

Gold Market Fundamentals

Understanding
Ghana's gold sector

What is the ASM sector?

Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) refers to gold mining operations that use manual methods or light mechanised equipment rather than industrial-scale machinery. Ghana's ASM sector accounts for approximately 40% of the country's total gold output — over $8 billion annually — and supports the livelihoods of an estimated 4.5 million people directly and indirectly.

ASM gold is typically higher-grade and more traceable than large-scale mining output — because each gram comes from a specific, identifiable small concession rather than a blended industrial operation. This traceability is what makes GoldPool's blockchain ownership model possible.

How is gold priced in Ghana?

GoldPool uses the GoldBod Bank of Ghana Reference Rate as its official pricing benchmark. This is the rate at which GoldBod purchases gold from licensed ASM operators, set daily by the Bank of Ghana based on the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) AM Fix adjusted for the prevailing USD/GHS exchange rate.

The BoG Reference Rate is typically 2–5% below the global spot price, reflecting the premium that international buyers pay for LBMA-certified, large-volume gold. As GoldPool pursues LBMA pathway certification, this gap is expected to narrow significantly for Premium Pool gold.

Regulatory Guides

The laws that
protect your investment

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GoldBod Act 1140 (2025) — What Investors Need to Know

The Ghana Gold Board Act 1140, signed April 2, 2025 and in force from May 1, 2025, dissolved the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) and established GoldBod as the sole authority for all ASM gold trading and export in Ghana. Every gold buyer must hold a GoldBod licence. Every gram of gold must be officially assayed and sealed by GoldBod before export or smelting. This law is what gives GoldPool's procurement chain its legal foundation — and what makes informal gold dealing illegal.

SEC

SEC Crowdfunding Guidelines 2024 — The Investor Pooling Framework

Ghana's Securities and Exchange Commission issued its Crowdfunding Guidelines on March 7, 2024 under the Securities Industry Act 929 (as amended by Act 1062). These guidelines require any platform that pools investor capital for a common investment purpose to hold a Crowdfunding Intermediary (CI) Licence. They mandate custodian bank escrow for all investor funds, set retail investor caps at 10% of annual income per 12 months, and require full disclosure documents before any public offering. GoldPool's CI licence application is filed and under SEC review.

AML

AML Act 1044 (2020) — Your KYC Rights and Obligations

Ghana's Anti-Money Laundering Act 1044 requires GoldPool to verify the identity of every investor before they can invest, and to conduct ongoing monitoring of their investment activity. As an investor, you have the right to know why information is collected, how it is stored, and how long it is retained. You also have the right to request deletion of your data under the Data Protection Act 843. GoldPool cannot share your information with third parties except regulators (FIC, SEC, GoldBod) as required by law.

Investment Concepts

Gold investment
explained simply

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Troy Ounce vs Gram

Gold is internationally priced in troy ounces (ozt), not standard ounces. One troy ounce = 31.1035 grams. When GoldPool refers to gold weight in pool documentation, we use grams for transparency — because grams are easier to understand and are the unit used by GoldBod in its assay certificates.

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Gold as an Asset Class

Gold has historically served as a store of value during periods of currency devaluation, inflation, and geopolitical uncertainty. The Ghana cedi depreciated significantly against the USD between 2021 and 2024 — but gold held its purchasing power. GoldPool allows investors to hold a real gold position denominated in USD terms, providing a natural hedge against cedi volatility.

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Fractional Ownership

GoldPool's fractional model means that a $50 investor and a $5,000 investor both own a proportional share of the same physical gold — the same assay certificate, the same GoldBod seal, the same blockchain token structure. The only difference is the size of their fractional share. All investors receive identical regulatory protections, regardless of investment size.

Video Centre

Watch how
it works

Short explainers filmed at PRC Group's Accra operation and at licensed ASM concessions in the Western and Ashanti regions.

Coming Soon