Several months ago, Guyana’s authorities were facing difficulties with correspondent banks that desired to leave and, in some cases, sell their operations, due to perceptions of being involved in a risky environment. But that’s no longer an issue for Guyana. Confirming this moments ago with the Guyana Standard was Central Bank Head, Dr. Gobind Ganga.
The Governor said, “We don’t have any issue with this anymore. The commercial banks, they continue to enjoy their relationships. But we continue to strengthen our anti-money laundering regime.”
While Guyana seems to be worry-free in this regard, its CARICOM sisters continue to face difficulties. Just a few days ago, a CARICOM delegation was hosted in the USA to discuss the “slow progress” on the issue. Earlier this year as well, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne even called for the establishment of a Caribbean Bank that would allow the region to counteract the effects of international banks cutting ties with what they deem to be “risky” territories.
Dr. Ganga told this news agency that even though Guyana is not in the mix, it still supports the calls being made by CARICOM.
He said, “Although we are not in the mix we don’t mind them doing this because the bottom line is, we don’t know when one will one pull out. We will still be vulnerable to this. Once you only have a few, that is going to be the case hence we welcome and encourage the dialogue that is continuing.”
