Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited

What it is

GBTI’s roots go back to the Colonial Bank, the first commercial bank established in British Guiana in May 1836; Barclays PLC later ran those operations until 1987, when the Guyana government acquired its assets and liabilities and renamed the institution Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry, officially opening it to the public on December 1, 1987. In 1990–1991 it merged with Chase Manhattan’s Guyana operation and was then privatised.

Today GBTI runs twelve branches across the country and offers a full range of modern banking services, including 19 ATMs and 198 point-of-sale locations, plus a Direct Banking online service. Its branches reach from Port Kaituma in the north-west to Corriverton in East Berbice and Lethem in the central Rupununi, making it the most geographically spread bank in Guyana.

Who owns it

The majority shareholder is Secure International Finance Company Inc., which holds 61% of the shares. Secure International Finance is linked to the Edward Beharry Group of Companies, one of Guyana’s most prominent business conglomerates — Suresh Beharry, Chairman of the Edward Beharry Group, serves as GBTI’s board chairman.

The remaining 39% — the free float — trades on GASCI.

Dividends are determined by the board based on the bank’s performance, subject to regulatory approval; for Guyana or CARICOM residents they are tax-free. GBTI’s share registrar is Guyana Americas Merchant Bank (GAMBI).

Who runs it

The Board appointed Shawn Gurcharran as Chief Executive Officer with effect from April 2, 2024, replacing James Foster who vacated the role on March 31, 2024. Chairman Suresh Beharry chairs the board and has publicly underscored the bank’s strategic alignment with Guyana’s rapidly expanding economy.

A CFO or finance director is not disclosed by name in available sources. The registrar function — keeping the shareholder register — is handled externally by Guyana Americas Merchant Bank (GAMBI).

The money, in plain words

In 2025 the bank posted profit after tax of GYD 4.5 billion (~US$21.7M, our calculation), with total revenue reaching GYD 14.6 billion (US$70 mn) — a 9% year-on-year rise — and earnings per share of GYD 111.1, (US$0.53)up 8%. That means it kept roughly 31 cents of profit from every dollar of income — a net profit margin of ~30.8% (our calculation), strong even by Caribbean banking standards.

That result was driven by loan portfolio growth of 17% and a 29% surge in customer deposits. The bank’s capital adequacy ratio — the cushion of owners’ funds it holds against potential losses — stood at 16.4%, well above the regulatory minimum, signalling financial resilience.

For 2025, the board paid out a total dividend of GYD 41 per share (~US$0.197, our calculation): a final dividend of GYD 14 (US$0.07)per share for 2025, added to two interim payments of GYD 16 (US$0.08)and GYD 11 m (US$53 k)ade earlier in the year. That compares with a total of GYD 32 (US$0.15)per share in 2024 — a dividend increase of roughly 28% year on year (our calculation).

What it is doing now

In the first quarter of 2026, GBTI reported profit after tax of GYD 1.6 billion (US$8 mn), a 36.8% increase over the same period the year before — the sharpest quarterly profit jump in recent memory, with revenue up 21%. The bank also launched a new mortgage rate structure with rates starting as low as 3%, effective May 1, 2026.

In 2025, GBTI launched digital account opening and retail loan onboarding, and expanded its ATM and point-of-sale networks across Guyana. The bank has stated its focus on small and medium-sized enterprise financing, cybersecurity and governance as its pillars for expansion as Guyana’s oil-fuelled growth draws in new businesses and workers who need banking services.

What to watch

• Oil-economy leverage. Guyana’s GDP is among the fastest growing in the world; private-sector credit in Guyana grew 19.8% in 2024, and GBTI, as the country’s largest commercial bank by branch reach, is a direct beneficiary — but a slowdown in oil revenues or tighter regulation could reverse that tide quickly.
• Deposit concentration risk. Customer deposits rose sharply by 29% to GYD 269 billion (~US$1.29B, our calculation) — rapid deposit growth funds lending but also raises the question of whether the balance sheet is growing faster than the bank’s ability to price risk.
• Ownership transparency. Secure International Finance Company holds 61% of shares; the ultimate beneficial owners behind that holding company are not publicly disclosed, a governance gap that matters to international investors.
• Digital competition. The bank is cutting mortgage rates to as low as 3%, a sign of sharpening price competition; fintech entrants and foreign banks eyeing Guyana’s boom represent a longer-term threat to margins.

This is news, not investment advice.