Fintech & digital payments rules in Guyana (2026)

The National Payments System Act No. 13 of 2018 came into force on June 3, 2019. It defines the scope of the payments system, vests licensing powers in the Bank of Guyana for payment service providers (PSPs) and system operators, and empowers the Bank to impose conditions, request information, and revoke licences.

The Bank of Guyana published Supervision Guideline No. 1 for Payment Service Providers on April 27, 2023, detailing licensing requirements, capital, governance, and ongoing supervisory expectations for non-bank PSPs operating under the NPS Act.

The Bank of Guyana prepared a dedicated Regulation on Electronic Money (draft published June 2018) to accompany the NPS Act; it defines electronic money, sets out licensing conditions for e-money issuers under Section 49 of the Act, and addresses customer registration. As of mid-2026 the regulation has not been confirmed as formally gazetted and final.

FAST PAY, Guyana's national real-time interbank payment system, launched on June 2, 2026, enabling instant account-to-account transfers via mobile and internet banking across participating commercial banks. Integration with India's Unified Payment Interface (UPI) was simultaneously announced.

In May 2026 the Bank of Guyana granted commercial banking licences to three new international institutions — Citibank, Crown Agents, and One American — as part of a broader strategy to deepen financial inclusion and attract cross-border payment flows.

No formal open banking framework or BNPL-specific regulation has been enacted in Guyana as of mid-2026. The government's stated next phase is to expand digital-wallet access and deploy contactless payment infrastructure at retail points, but no legislation specifically governing open banking data sharing or BNPL providers has been identified.