Countries › Guatemala › Guide › 10. Capital markets and finance › Capital markets, banking and credit in Guatemala: bank licensing, free interest rates, capital and deposit rules, securities offerings and movable collateral
Capital markets, banking and credit in Guatemala: bank licensing, free interest rates, capital and deposit rules, securities offerings and movable collateral
Last verified: 2026-10-28 · Status: Stable
Guatemalan banking runs on Decreto 19-2002: only banks licensed by the Junta Monetaria, after an opinion of the Superintendencia de Bancos, may take money from the public to lend it, foreign banks may open licensed branches or registered representative offices, and anyone buying 5 percent or more of a bank needs prior approval. Banks set interest rates and fees freely but must state the effective annual rate in every contract, hold capital of at least 10 percent of risk weighted assets, keep depositors' identity confidential, and fund a deposit guarantee of Q20,000 per depositor per bank. Public offers of securities must first be registered with the Registro del Mercado de Valores y Mercancías (Decreto 34-96 as reformed by Decreto 49-2008), private placements to up to 35 named investors or to institutional investors are exempt, and since 2008 lenders can take registered security over any movable asset, including inventory and receivables, under the Ley de Garantías Mobiliarias.
USD figures use Q7.64427 per US dollar, the Banco de Guatemala reference rate for 28 October 2026, retrieved from the Banguat exchange rate web service on the verification date. Fines in the banking law are set in unidades de multa worth US$1 each (Decreto 19-2002 art. 103). Conversions are for orientation only.
Key facts
| Banking and financial supervisor | Superintendencia de Bancos, under the general direction of the Junta Monetaria (licensing by the Junta Monetaria) textDecreto 18-2002 art. 1; Decreto 19-2002 art. 7, as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
|---|---|
| Securities registry and supervisor | Registro del Mercado de Valores y Mercancías (Ministry of Economy) textDecreto 34-96 art. 8, as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
| Minimum capital adequacy ratio | 10 %Decreto 19-2002 art. 64, as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
| Bank stake needing prior Superintendencia approval | 5 %Decreto 19-2002 art. 19, as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
| Foreign bank branches and representative offices | Allowed, with Junta Monetaria authorization (branch) or Superintendencia registration (representative office) textDecreto 19-2002 art. 6 and 7, as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
| Interest rate cap on bank lending | None: banks agree rates freely; effective annual rate must be disclosed textDecreto 19-2002 art. 42, as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
| Deposit guarantee per depositor per bank | 20000 GTQDecreto 19-2002 art. 87, as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
| Deposit guarantee fixed contribution | 0.2 (2 per thousand of average deposits a year, paid monthly) plus up to 0.2 risk based %Decreto 19-2002 art. 88, as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
| Bank secrecy | Yes: depositor identity confidential; exceptions for Junta Monetaria, Banguat, Superintendencia, SAT (Código Tributario procedure), interbank exchange and AML duties textDecreto 19-2002 art. 63 (Decreto 37-2016), as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
| Prison for unlicensed financial intermediation | 5 to 10 years yearsDecreto 19-2002 art. 96, as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
| Public offers need prior registration | Yes, Registro del Mercado de Valores y Mercancías textDecreto 34-96 art. 4 and 27 (Decreto 49-2008), as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
| Private placement investor limit | 35 named persons in total for all series (per calendar year for debt), or institutional investors without limit personsDecreto 34-96 art. 3 (Decreto 49-2008 art. 2), as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
| Securities Registry tariff cap | 0.001 of nominal value of the issue %Decreto 34-96 art. 16 literal d, as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
| Electronic movable collateral registry | Yes, Registro de Garantías Mobiliarias; priority by time of publicity; no public deed required textDecreto 51-2007 art. 15, 54 and 79, as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
| Out of court enforcement of movable collateral | Allowed by agreement, before or after default textDecreto 51-2007 art. 58 (Decreto 4-2018), as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
| Annual bank inspection fee cap | 0.1 (1 per thousand of assets net of cash and Banguat reserve deposits) %Decreto 19-2002 art. 111, as of 2026-10-28 · in force |
The rule
Cost to do it: No license fee is set in the law; the applicant bears the cost of publishing the application in the Diario de Centro América and a second national newspaper (art. 8), plus the minimum paid capital fixed by the Superintendencia, paid fully in cash (art. 16).
Example: A foreign bank that only wants to originate loans to Guatemalan corporates can register a representative office (art. 6 literal b) instead of capitalizing a branch, avoiding deposit taking rules. / No paid capital requirement for a representative office appears in the law; a branch must bring in and keep its capital in Guatemala (art. 18).Decreto Nº 19-2002 del Congreso, Ley de Bancos y Grupos Financieros (published 15 May 2002, in force 1 June 2002; reformed by Decretos 26-2012, 28-2016 and 37-2016), Art. 3, 6, 7, 8 (as reformed by Decreto 26-2012) and 9, 2002-05-15 official text · verified 2026-10-28
Cost to do it: Cash capital at the amount published by the Superintendencia for the year (the 2026 figure was not reachable on an official source in this session); no fee for the 5 percent change of control approval is set in the law.
Example: A fund buying 6 percent of a Guatemalan bank on the market must obtain Superintendencia approval first; if it does not, the bank cannot register the 1 percent above the threshold. / The threshold is a percentage, not an amount: 5 percent of a bank with Q500 million paid capital is Q25 million (about US$3.27 million).Decreto Nº 19-2002 del Congreso, Ley de Bancos y Grupos Financieros (published 15 May 2002, in force 1 June 2002; reformed by Decretos 26-2012, 28-2016 and 37-2016), Art. 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19, 2002-05-15 official text · verified 2026-10-28
Cost to do it: No regulatory cost; rates and fees are a commercial matter between bank and client.
Example: A Q7,644,270 working capital line priced at a 9 percent nominal rate paid monthly must show the effective annual rate (about 9.38 percent) in the contract. / The same line can be written directly in dollars, for example US$1,000,000, and repaid in dollars (Ley Monetaria art. 6).Decreto Nº 19-2002 del Congreso, Ley de Bancos y Grupos Financieros (published 15 May 2002, in force 1 June 2002; reformed by Decretos 26-2012, 28-2016 and 37-2016); Decreto Nº 17-2002, Ley Monetaria (published 13 May 2002), Ley de Bancos art. 41, 42 and 44; Ley Monetaria art. 6, 2002-05-15 official text · verified 2026-10-28
Cost to do it: Capital cost of holding at least Q10 of computable capital per Q100 of risk weighted assets.
Example: A bank with Q1,000 million of risk weighted assets needs at least Q100 million of computable capital. / About US$130.8 million of risk weighted assets requires at least about US$13.1 million of capital.Decreto Nº 19-2002 del Congreso, Ley de Bancos y Grupos Financieros (published 15 May 2002, in force 1 June 2002; reformed by Decretos 26-2012, 28-2016 and 37-2016), Art. 64, 65 (as reformed by Decreto 26-2012), 67 and 70, 2002-05-15 official text · verified 2026-10-28
Cost to do it: No fee; compliance cost lies in handling SAT and supervisory information requests.
Example: A foreign shareholder cannot obtain a Guatemalan subsidiary's customers' deposit data from the bank, but SAT can under the Código Tributario procedure. / Not monetary.Decreto Nº 19-2002 del Congreso, Ley de Bancos y Grupos Financieros (published 15 May 2002, in force 1 June 2002; reformed by Decretos 26-2012, 28-2016 and 37-2016); article reworded by Decreto Nº 37-2016 (published 23 August 2016), Art. 63 (as reformed by Decreto 37-2016 art. 48), 2016-08-23 official text · verified 2026-10-28 · changed: Decreto 37-2016, published 23 August 2016, added SAT to the authorities entitled to bank information, subject to the Código Tributario procedure.
Cost to do it: For a bank: fixed contribution of 0.2 percent of average deposits a year plus up to another 0.2 percent risk based.
Example: A bank with Q1,000 million average deposits pays a fixed Q2,000,000 a year (about Q166,667 a month) plus the variable part; a depositor with Q50,000 in one failed bank is covered for Q20,000. / Q20,000 is about US$2,616 of cover per depositor per bank; Q2,000,000 is about US$261,634 a year of fixed contribution.Decreto Nº 19-2002 del Congreso, Ley de Bancos y Grupos Financieros (published 15 May 2002, in force 1 June 2002; reformed by Decretos 26-2012, 28-2016 and 37-2016), Art. 85, 87, 88 (as reformed by Decreto 26-2012) and 89, 2012-09-26 official text · verified 2026-10-28 · changed: Decreto 26-2012, published 26 September 2012, rewrote the contribution formula in art. 88 to a fixed 2 per thousand plus a risk based variable component of up to 2 per thousand.
Cost to do it: Criminal fine of US$10,000 to US$100,000 (Q76,442.70 to Q764,427 at the 28 October 2026 rate); administrative first offence fine of US$500 to US$40,000 (Q3,822.14 to Q305,770.80).
Example: A lending platform funded by retail investors' notes, without a bank license or a registered public offer, risks this crime and the one in the securities law; a lender using only its own and institutional funds does not take money from the public. / Fines are denominated in dollars: 40,000 units is US$40,000.Decreto Nº 19-2002 del Congreso, Ley de Bancos y Grupos Financieros (published 15 May 2002, in force 1 June 2002; reformed by Decretos 26-2012, 28-2016 and 37-2016), Art. 4, 96, 99 and 103, 2002-05-15 official text · verified 2026-10-28
Cost to do it: Banks and financial companies pay the Superintendencia an annual inspection fee based on prior year end assets, capped at 1 per thousand of assets net of cash and reserve deposits held at the Banco de Guatemala (Ley de Bancos art. 111).
Example: A bank with Q10,000 million of assets net of cash and reserve deposits pays at most Q10 million a year in inspection fees. / About US.31 billion of net assets, at most about US$1.31 million a year.Decreto Nº 18-2002 del Congreso, Ley de Supervisión Financiera (published 13 May 2002); Decreto Nº 19-2002, Ley de Bancos y Grupos Financieros (published 15 May 2002), Ley de Supervisión Financiera art. 1 and 2; Ley de Bancos art. 111, 2002-05-13 official text · verified 2026-10-28
Cost to do it: Registry fees are set by tariff approved by the President and may never exceed 0.001 percent of the nominal value of the issue (Decreto 34-96 art. 16 literal d); exchange, rating agency and legal costs are additional.
Example: Registering a Q100 million bond issue costs at most Q1,000 in Registry tariff. / About US$13.08 million of bonds, at most about US$131 of Registry tariff.Decreto Nº 34-96 del Congreso, Ley del Mercado de Valores y Mercancías (published in the Diario de Centro América 24 June 1996), as reformed by Decreto Nº 49-2008 (published 25 September 2008, in force eight days later), Art. 3, 4, 8, 27 and 38 (art. 3, 27 and 38 as reformed by Decreto 49-2008 art. 2, 7 and 8), 2008-09-25 official text · verified 2026-10-28 · changed: Decreto 49-2008 redefined public and private offers (35 person limit and institutional investor exemption), required registration of foreign currency offers traded in Guatemala, added the international quotation system and created the crimes of illicit fund raising and illicit securities intermediation.
Cost to do it: Penalty exposure, not a fee: the minimum corporate fine of 50,000 units is Q5 million to Q50 million depending on the unit value set by the Registry.
Example: A startup selling profit participation notes to 200 retail buyers through social media without Registry registration falls inside art. 98 bis. / Q5 million is about US$654,000; Q50 million about US$6.54 million.Decreto Nº 34-96, Ley del Mercado de Valores y Mercancías, as reformed by Decreto Nº 49-2008 (published 25 September 2008), Art. 5, 90, 96, 98 bis and 98 ter (as reformed or added by Decreto 49-2008 art. 13, 17, 18 and 19), 2008-09-25 official text · verified 2026-10-28
Cost to do it: Registry tariff set by the Registry regulation (art. 48; amount not reachable on an official source in this session); no notary deed is needed (art. 79), which saves notarial fees.
Example: A distributor borrowing Q3 million can grant a single security over its whole present and future inventory and receivables by a private contract and one electronic filing. / About US$392,450 of credit secured without a public deed.Decreto Nº 51-2007 del Congreso, Ley de Garantías Mobiliarias (published 16 November 2007, in force 1 January 2008), reformed by Decreto Nº 46-2008 (published 12 September 2008) and Decreto Nº 4-2018 (published 7 March 2018), Art. 3, 4, 15, 16, 44, 54, 58, 79 and 82; Decreto 4-2018 art. 26, 2018-03-07 official text · verified 2026-10-28 · changed: Decreto 4-2018, published 7 March 2018, centralized pledges in the Registro de Garantías Mobiliarias (transfer of existing pledges free of charge within two months), reworded enforcement (art. 58) and allowed derived, rotating and floating collateral to be identified generically (art. 16).
| Activity | Gate | Authority | Sanction without it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taking deposits or other funds from the public to lend | Bank license (or special law, such as cooperatives) | Junta Monetaria after Superintendencia de Bancos opinion | 5 to 10 years prison, 10,000 to 100,000 units, liquidation |
| Foreign bank lending into Guatemala with local presence | Branch license or representative office registration | Junta Monetaria (branch); Superintendencia de Bancos (office) | Same as above if taking funds from the public |
| Issuing shares or bonds to the public | Registration of the public offer | Registro del Mercado de Valores y Mercancías | 6 to 10 years prison, 50,000 to 200,000 units |
| Placing securities with up to 35 named persons or institutional investors | None (private offer) | Not applicable | Becomes public above 35 persons |
| Acting as broker or securities intermediary | Registration as agent | Registro del Mercado de Valores y Mercancías | 6 to 10 years prison, 50,000 to 200,000 units |
| Buying 5 percent or more of a bank | Prior approval | Superintendencia de Bancos | Shares above 5 percent not registered |
Who may raise money in Guatemala and the gate to pass. Sources: Decreto 19-2002 art. 3, 4, 6, 7 and 96; Decreto 34-96 art. 3, 4, 27 and 98 bis as reformed by Decreto 49-2008. Fines in unidades de multa; banking law units are US$1, securities law units Q100 to Q1,000.
Worked example
- A US company wants to finance its Guatemalan distributor with US$2,000,000 (about Q15.29 million at Q7.64427) and to raise further working capital locally.
- 1. Intercompany or foreign bank loan. A loan from the parent or a foreign bank to the distributor is not taking money from the public, so no Guatemalan license is needed; it can be written and repaid in dollars (Ley Monetaria art. 6) and moves freely under the FX regime. Withholding tax on the interest is covered on the FX page.
- 2. Collateral. The distributor grants a garantía mobiliaria over its present and future inventory and receivables by private contract and the lender files it electronically in the Registro de Garantías Mobiliarias, which fixes priority from the filing time (Decreto 51-2007 art. 4, 15, 54 and 79).
- 3. Local bank line. A Guatemalan bank offers a Q7,644,270 (US$1,000,000) line: the rate is negotiated freely, but the contract must state the effective annual rate (Decreto 19-2002 art. 42).
- 4. Local bonds. If the distributor later sells notes to 20 named local investors it is a private offer; if it advertises to the public or exceeds 35 named investors it must register the issue first, at a Registry tariff of no more than 0.001 percent: Q100 for a Q10 million issue (about US$13), with exchange, rating and counsel costs on top (Decreto 34-96 art. 3, 16 and 27).
Step by step
- 1. Classify the activity: lending own funds or a foreign lender's funds needs no Guatemalan banking license; taking money from the public needs one (Decreto 19-2002 art. 3 and 96).
- 2. For a bank or branch: prepare the feasibility study, capital origin evidence and fit and proper files for founders, directors and managers, file with the Superintendencia de Bancos, publish the application in the official gazette and another newspaper, obtain the Junta Monetaria resolution, register at the Registro Mercantil and start operations within six months (art. 7 to 9).
- 3. For a stake of 5 percent or more in an existing bank: obtain Superintendencia approval before closing (art. 19).
- 4. For securities: decide private or public offer under Decreto 34-96 art. 3; for a public offer, register the issue with the Registro del Mercado de Valores y Mercancías before any marketing and list it on an authorized exchange; debt issues traded on an exchange need a risk rating (art. 19 literal d as reformed by Decreto 49-2008).
- 5. For secured credit: sign the security agreement (no deed needed), file it in the Registro de Garantías Mobiliarias before disbursing, renew before five years, and register any enforcement decision (Decreto 51-2007 art. 44, 58 and 79).
- 6. Check the FX page for withholding on interest paid abroad and the regulation section for AML duties of financial entities under Decreto 15-2026.
Common traps
- Crowd lending or note programs funded by the public without a bank license or a registered offer can fall under two crimes with 5 to 10 and 6 to 10 years of prison that exclude substitute measures (Decreto 19-2002 art. 96; Decreto 34-96 art. 98 bis).
- The 35 person private placement count is across all series, and for debt securities it resets each calendar year; using mass media or third party intermediaries makes even a small offer public (Decreto 34-96 art. 3).
- Free interest rates are not free fees: charging for services not actually provided is prohibited, and contracts without the effective annual rate breach the law (Decreto 19-2002 art. 42).
- Foreign branch capital is locked in: it cannot be withdrawn without Junta Monetaria authorization, and the parent bank answers without limit for the branch (art. 18).
- Unregistered movable collateral loses to a registered one even if created earlier, and to a registered attachment (Decreto 51-2007 art. 54).
- Deposit cover is only Q20,000 (about US$2,616) per depositor per bank; corporate treasury balances above that are unprotected (art. 87).
- The banking law's fine unit is US$1, while the securities law's unit is set by the Registry between Q100 and Q1,000, so the same number of units means very different amounts.
Sources
- Decreto Nº 19-2002, Ley de Bancos y Grupos Financieros, consolidated with reforms through Decreto 37-2016 (Banco de Guatemala)
- Decreto Nº 18-2002, Ley de Supervisión Financiera (Banco de Guatemala)
- Decreto Nº 17-2002, Ley Monetaria (Banco de Guatemala)
- Decreto Nº 34-96, Ley del Mercado de Valores y Mercancías, Diario de Centro América 24 June 1996 (Registro del Mercado de Valores y Mercancías)
- Decreto Nº 49-2008, reforms to the Ley del Mercado de Valores y Mercancías, Diario de Centro América 25 September 2008 (Registro del Mercado de Valores y Mercancías)
- Decreto Nº 51-2007, Ley de Garantías Mobiliarias, consolidated with Decretos 46-2008 and 4-2018 (Banco de Guatemala)
- Banco de Guatemala exchange rate web service (reference rate 28 October 2026)
Related pages
- fx/fx-regime-and-repatriation
- entities/choosing-an-entity
- investing/foreign-investment-regime
- taxes/tax-system-overview
- macro/economy-at-a-glance
- start/start-here
- /country/guatemala/
- /calendar/
- Live dashboard
- https://theargentinethread.com/guide/
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