Launching payments in Guatemala: the stack

By Polynopsis team · Last updated 28 October 2026

Paying out in Guatemala means crediting quetzales or US dollars to bank accounts through Guatemalan banks, which settle in Banco de Guatemala's LBTR system and its automated clearing house, where instant transfers run from 07:00 to 21:00 every day and deferred transfers clear on banking business days. Cross-border senders typically connect through a payout partner such as dLocal, Nium, TerraPay or Localpayment, or a remittance-paying bank such as Banco Industrial or Banco G&T Continental, price against Banguat's daily reference rate, and check CUI (DPI) numbers through Verifik or Didit.

Currency	GTQ
Local payout rails	Transferencias Instantáneas de Fondos (marketed by banks as ACH Inmediato), CCA deferred transfers (Transferencias Diferidas de Fondos), LBTR (Sistema de Liquidación Bruta en Tiempo Real)
Holiday calendar	Guatemala bank holidays 2026 and 2027

The Guatemala market

Guatemala received US$25,530.2 million in family remittances in 2025, 18.7% more than the US$21,510.2 million received in 2024 (Banco de Guatemala, compiled from Mercado Institucional de Divisas data). source
From January to September 2026 remittances totalled US$20,015.7 million, 5.5% more than in the same months of 2025; July 2026 (US$2,468.6 million) is the highest month in Banguat's series, which starts in 2002. source
The World Bank puts Guatemala's personal remittances at 20.8% of GDP in 2025, up from 19.1% in 2024 (World Development Indicators, updated 8 October 2026). source
Sending US$200 from the United States to Guatemala cost 4.19% on average in Q3 2025 (average fee US$6.53, exchange rate margin 0.92%, total US$8.37). source
Banguat's participant list for the automated clearing house (CCA) shows 21 participants, 19 of them banks and finance companies enabled for instant transfers (Transferencias Instantáneas de Fondos). source

Licensing: who can pay out in Guatemala

Under the Ley de Libre Negociación de Divisas (Decreto 94-2000), holding, contracting, remitting, transferring, buying, selling, collecting and paying foreign currency are free, as are foreign currency deposits and accounts. source
The Mercado Institucional de Divisas is made up of Banco de Guatemala, banks, private finance companies, stock exchanges, casas de cambio authorised by the Junta Monetaria and other institutions the Junta designates; each must report its FX operations to Banguat daily, and the Superintendencia de Bancos supervises the FX operations of casas de cambio. source
Decreto 15-2026, the Ley Integral para la Prevención y Represión del Lavado de Dinero u Otros Activos y del Financiamiento del Terrorismo, was published in the Diario Oficial on 17 June 2026 and took effect on 17 September 2026. source
Decreto 15-2026 repeals Decretos 67-2001 and 58-2005. Its obligated persons, including banks and other entities supervised by the Superintendencia de Bancos and virtual asset service providers, must register with the Superintendencia de Bancos through the IVE, appoint a compliance officer and keep transaction and due diligence records for at least five years, with financial obligated persons keeping them in digital form for at least ten further years. The Superintendencia de Bancos, through the IVE, has six months from 17 September 2026 to draft the implementing regulation. source
Decreto 15-2026 makes virtual asset service providers obligated persons that must register with the Superintendencia de Bancos through the IVE and keep a daily record of cash transactions of US$10,000 or more, reported periodically to the IVE; registration does not replace any authorisation, licence or registration the activity requires. source

This page explains the rules in general terms and is not legal or regulatory advice. Check the primary source and take advice on how the rules apply to your firm.

Payout rails in Guatemala

Rail	Operator	What matters for payouts	Source
Transferencias Instantáneas de Fondos (marketed by banks as ACH Inmediato)	Cámara de Compensación Automatizada (CCA), operated by Imágenes Computarizadas de Guatemala, S.A. and settled by Banco de Guatemala	BAC Credomatic's Guate ACH Inmediato runs 07:00 to 21:00 Monday to Friday and at weekends, holidays included, and applies transfers within five minutes; BAC caps it at Q20,000 or US$2,500 a day per client with a Q5 fee.	source
CCA deferred transfers (Transferencias Diferidas de Fondos)	Imágenes Computarizadas de Guatemala, S.A., under Banco de Guatemala rules	Batch credit transfers settle in LBTR in windows at 07:46 to 08:00, 12:01 to 12:15 (credits and debits) and 16:31 to 16:45, with the operating day closing at 17:46 to 18:00 (schedule in force since 25 March 2022).	source
LBTR (Sistema de Liquidación Bruta en Tiempo Real)	Banco de Guatemala	Under Banco de Guatemala resolution GG-01-2006, LBTR operates 07:00 to 18:00 on working days; third-party interbank payment instructions are taken 08:00 to 17:30 and same-day-value payments abroad 08:00 to 12:00.	source

The Guatemala payments stack, layer by layer

The providers below are a starting shortlist for each layer, described from their own documentation. Confirm terms, coverage and licences with each provider.

Payout and collection partners

Provider	What it does in Guatemala	Source
dLocal · our guide	Pays out in Guatemala by bank transfer in GTQ, or to USD accounts when currency_to_pay is USD, for B2C, B2B and P2P flows; beneficiaries are identified by a 13-digit CUI.	source
Nium · our guide	Lists three Guatemala routes: GTQ to bank accounts by ACH (same day), GTQ by Visa Direct (instant) and foreign currency wires in 10 currencies (T1).	source
TerraPay · our guide	Its network page lists Guatemala (GTQ) with both wallet and bank payout.	source
Localpayment	Pays out GTQ to Guatemalan bank accounts over IFT (up to GTQ 20,000) and ACH (above GTQ 20,000), both T+1 with a 12:00 local cut-off; registered for payin and payout with the SAT.	source

Local banking and settlement accounts

Provider	What it does in Guatemala	Source
Banco Industrial	Pays international remittances; remittances sent through Western Union can be collected through its Bi en Línea app or web banking.	source
Banco G&T Continental	Partnered with TerraPay in February 2024, TerraPay's first direct partnership in Central America, to receive cross-border remittances for Guatemalan families.	source
BAC Credomatic Guatemala		source

FX and liquidity

Provider	What it does in Guatemala	Source
Banco de Guatemala reference rate	Banguat publishes a daily reference rate for the quetzal against the US dollar; the rate in force for 27 October 2026 was Q7.63979 per US dollar.	source
SINEDI (Bolsa de Valores Nacional)	Electronic FX trading system where Junta Monetaria-authorised banks, finance companies and casas de cambio buy and sell US dollars against quetzales in real time; Banguat runs all its FX auctions through SINEDI and trades settle the same day, mostly through LBTR.	source

KYC and KYB providers

Provider	What it does in Guatemala	Source
Verifik	Identity API that checks a Guatemalan citizen's full name against the CUI (DPI or Cédula de Vecindad) and validates date of birth against SAT records.	source
Didit	Verifies a Guatemalan CUI against the RENAP national register and matches the applicant's selfie to the RENAP photo, comparing names and date of birth.	source

Funding and prefunding GTQ payouts

Instant transfers settle across banks in LBTR in ten batches between 07:20 and 17:20, after banks' TIF reserve balances are synchronised at 07:10 to 07:15; transfers can be loaded and credited from 07:00 to 21:00. source
The CCA runs its clearing sessions on each banking business day, so deferred transfers and LBTR settlement wait for the next business day at weekends and on holidays. source
Banguat's reference rate is the weighted average of Mercado Institucional de Divisas spot trades of US$20,000 or more up to 18:00 on a banking day; it is published the next banking day and applies from that day. source
Localpayment's Guatemala bank payouts (IFT and ACH) settle T+1 with a 12:00 local cut-off. source
In 2026 the lowest month so far was February (US$1,893.9 million) and the highest July (US$2,468.6 million); in 2025 the highest month was October (US$2,390.0 million). source

Size the prefund to your runway target with the corridor runway calculator and the Guatemala holiday calendar.

Launch checklist

Plan: launch volume, the prefund sized to your runway target including weekends and holidays, the contracting entity and the funding route.
Open accounts: shortlist payout partners and a local banking route from the layers above, and prepare the onboarding pack.
Set up: read access to every new balance, a runway target with alerts, and the corridor in your daily reports.
Go live: the first prefund and a test payout, then daily monitoring.

Polynopsis turns this into one plan with named approvals, then shows every Guatemala partner, bank and wallet in one live position. See how a corridor launch works.

Frequently asked questions

Can quetzal payouts run at weekends?

Yes, as instant transfers between 07:00 and 21:00, which banks offer every day including holidays (BAC Credomatic's Guate ACH Inmediato applies them within five minutes). Deferred CCA transfers and LBTR run only on banking business days.

Who can deal in foreign currency in Guatemala?

FX dealing is free under Decreto 94-2000, and the Mercado Institucional de Divisas is made up of Banguat, banks, private finance companies, stock exchanges and Junta Monetaria-authorised casas de cambio, which report their FX operations to Banguat daily.

What changed in Guatemala's AML law in 2026?

Decreto 15-2026 took effect on 17 September 2026 and replaced Decreto 67-2001. Obligated persons, including casas de cambio and virtual asset service providers, must register with the Superintendencia de Bancos through the IVE and appoint a compliance officer.

Which exchange rate is the reference for GTQ?

Banguat's daily reference rate, the weighted average of spot trades of US$20,000 or more in the Mercado Institucional de Divisas up to 18:00, published the next banking day. It was Q7.63979 per US dollar for 27 October 2026.

How large are remittance inflows to Guatemala?

Banguat records US$25,530.2 million for 2025, up 18.7%, and US$20,015.7 million from January to September 2026, up 5.5%. The World Bank puts 2025 remittances at 20.8% of GDP.

Other markets

Sources

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