Fintech & digital payments rules in Guatemala (2026)

Guatemala has no specific legislation for non-bank payment service providers, e-money issuers (EMIs), or fintech firms; such entities must operate under general Guatemalan commercial law or obtain a full banking licence from the SIB, with no intermediate payment-institution authorisation available.

The Banco de Guatemala (Banguat) holds statutory responsibility for the sound functioning of the national payment system under the Ley Orgánica del Banco de Guatemala (Decreto 16-2002); the Junta Monetaria issues binding resolutions affecting payment operations.

Guatemala enacted Decreto 2-2024 (Ley de Tarjetas de Crédito) in 2024, regulating issuer–affiliate–cardholder relationships and consumer protections for credit cards; the Junta Monetaria implemented it through Resolution JM-56-2024 (Credit Card Regulation).

The SIB proposed a draft law to regulate electronic money-issuing entities (operadores de dinero electrónico), requiring them to be constituted as joint-stock companies authorised by the Junta Monetaria; the bill had not been passed by Congress as of early 2026, leaving electronic wallets in a regulatory gap.

The SIB has not introduced formal open banking regulation; local institutions are voluntarily upgrading APIs in anticipation of future rules. No national instant-payment rail or regulatory mandate for real-time retail transfers exists, though interoperability is a stated priority in ENIF 2024-2027.

Buy-Now-Pay-Later products face no specific regulation and are treated under general consumer-credit rules. Guatemala's National Financial Inclusion Strategy (ENIF) 2024-2027, presented June 2024, sets targets for interoperable digital payments, simplified account opening, and remittance modernisation as policy priorities.