Guyana's Small Business Bureau (SBB) will work with the newly opened Guyana Development Bank (GDB) to pair state-backed lending with mentorship and risk assessment drawn from the Bureau's records, as the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Susan Rodrigues, has outlined.  Ms Rodrigues outlined the plan during an appearance on the Starting Point podcast.

The bank began operations on 5 October 2026 and offers interest-free, collateral-free financing of up to $3 million. Applicants use an online platform, which provides quick loans below $300,000 under a simplified process, and SME loans of between $300,000 and $3 million that need slightly more documentation. The government has made an initial injection of US$100 million into the bank.

Ms Rodrigues said the Bureau will contribute its database on enterprise locations, financial performance and survival history to help the bank judge lending risk. Its network of business mentors will work with borrowers on operational planning and financial management. The minister argued that practical guidance of this kind determines whether access to credit leads to a business that lasts.

The Bureau's own figures form the basis of that argument. Ms Rodrigues has said that about 6,511 new SMEs registered with the Bureau over the past six years. Over the past five years the Bureau made 7,801 visits to small businesses, and 75 per cent of those visited remained in operation. The minister pointed to the Bureau's monitoring and evaluation unit as the source of those findings. She described a shift in emphasis from registering enterprises to keeping them operating and compliant with regulations.

The Bureau’s own records support that argument. Under its loan guarantee scheme it can guarantee 40 to 70 per cent of the collateral required for loans of up to $30 million from commercial institutions. It also provides grants and business development services, and community business clinics that connect entrepreneurs with practical guidance. The bank's lending sits below that tier, at smaller sums and without collateral, so a business could move from one to the other as it grows.

Ms Rodrigues said the bank's repayment requirement carries value in itself. She said it can help entrepreneurs develop the discipline needed to manage borrowing, and that the experience could prepare SMEs to seek larger loans and eventually approach commercial financial institutions. Zero interest does not mean the money is a gift. President Irfaan Ali has said the funds are loans and not grants, and he has urged borrowers to use the mentorship and business support on offer.

Eligibility rules point the same way. Applicants must meet National Insurance Scheme and Guyana Revenue Authority compliance requirements, which means small vendors who operate informally will need to regularise their tax and insurance position before they can borrow. Private sector figures have given similar advice. Timothy Tucker, a businessman and former Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, has told entrepreneurs to register their businesses, comply with the revenue and insurance authorities, keep business and personal finances separate and prepare a bankable plan.

Officials have not yet published how the Bureau's data will feed into individual lending decisions, or how mentorship will be allocated to borrowers. The government's stated aim is to improve the survival rate of the businesses it finances. The Bureau's existing 75 per cent figure is the benchmark against which the new arrangement is likely to be measured.

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