Guyana Stock Exchange
Guyana's national stock exchange, operated by the Guyana Association of Securities Companies and Intermediaries and regulated by the Guyana Securities Council.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Guyana Stock Exchange (GSE) is the securities exchange serving Guyana and is based in Georgetown. It provides the market infrastructure through which locally registered companies can offer and trade shares. The exchange is operated by the Guyana Association of Securities Companies and Intermediaries Inc. (GASCI), while regulatory oversight is provided by the Guyana Securities Council. The GSE began trading on June 30, 2003, when 12 companies were registered on the exchange. Its development created a formal domestic venue for equity trading in a market that had previously lacked a dedicated national stock exchange. By November 2021, the exchange had 15 registered companies, and the market capitalization of local stocks was reported at GYD 568,639,217,573, equivalent to approximately US$2.72 billion at the cited conversion and time. This figure is historical rather than a current valuation. Trading has traditionally taken place on Mondays. The exchange combines a trading-floor process supported by verbal communication with an electronic limit-order book, reflecting the relatively small scale and relationship-driven character of Guyana's capital market. Market information is also followed through the Lucas Stock Index, a weekly index of nine major exchange-listed stocks published by Stabroek News. The GSE has gradually pursued broader regional integration. In 2007, Trinidad Cement Ltd. became the first company from outside Guyana to formally list on the exchange and the first non-Guyanese company to register there, although it later delisted. In 2019, the GSE signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Barbados Stock Exchange to support possible cross-listing between Guyana and Barbados. The agreement also stimulated discussion about electronic payments and changes to the Securities Industry Act of 1998, with the goals of improving supervision and reducing market risk. The exchange has also been associated with efforts to broaden the range of companies accessing public capital. Plans for what was described as Guyana's first agribusiness initial public offering were announced in 2019, but progress was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The GSE's role therefore extends beyond routine trading: it is part of Guyana's financial-market infrastructure, connecting issuers, brokers, investors and regulators while supporting the development of domestic and regional capital markets.
History
The Guyana Stock Exchange is Guyana's organized securities market and is located in Georgetown. It is operated by the Guyana Association of Securities Companies and Intermediaries Inc., commonly abbreviated as GASCI, and supervised by the Guyana Securities Council. The exchange provides a formal venue for the listing and trading of shares in Guyanese companies and supports the wider development of domestic capital markets. The GSE's first trades took place on June 30, 2003. At launch, 12 companies were registered on the exchange. This marked the creation of a dedicated national stock-market platform through which investors could trade equity in locally registered businesses. The exchange has remained relatively small compared with major international markets, but it has provided an institutional framework for issuer disclosure, brokerage activity, listed-company trading and market reporting. A notable expansion of the exchange's potential regional role came in 2007, when Trinidad Cement Ltd. of Trinidad and Tobago became the first company from outside Guyana to officially list on the GSE. It was also the first non-Guyanese company to register with the exchange, although the company later delisted. The episode demonstrated that the exchange could, at least in principle, accommodate regional issuers in addition to domestic companies. Trading on the GSE has traditionally been conducted on Mondays. The process combines communication on the trading floor with support from an electronic limit-order book. This hybrid approach reflects the exchange's smaller market structure while retaining an electronic mechanism for recording and matching orders. The Lucas Stock Index, published weekly by Stabroek News, tracks nine major stocks and provides one of the principal public indicators of activity in the local market. In 2019, the GSE signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Barbados Stock Exchange. The proposed relationship was intended to facilitate cross-listing between the two markets and encouraged wider discussion about regional financial integration. It also brought attention to the possibility of electronic payments and to reform of Guyana's 1998 Securities Industry Act, particularly in areas related to supervision and risk reduction. The exchange has periodically sought to expand the types of businesses represented in the public market. In 2019, plans were announced for Guyana's first agribusiness initial public offering. The proposed transaction did not proceed on the originally anticipated timetable, with the COVID-19 pandemic contributing to the delay. By November 2021, reference material reported 15 registered companies and local-stock market capitalization of GYD 568,639,217,573, or about US$2.72 billion using the cited conversion. That historical figure should not be treated as a current market value. The GSE's significance lies in its role as a national financial-market institution rather than in its scale. It connects issuers seeking equity capital with investors and intermediaries, provides a framework for listed securities trading, and operates within a regulatory structure overseen by the Guyana Securities Council. Its cooperation with regional exchanges and its interest in electronic settlement and legislative reform indicate an ongoing effort to strengthen market access, infrastructure and supervision.
- 2021
Reported market size
[1]Reference material reports 15 registered companies and local-stock market capitalization of GYD 568,639,217,573 in November.
- 2019
Regional cooperation memorandum
[1]The GSE and Barbados Stock Exchange sign a memorandum intended to support cross-listing and broader market cooperation.
- 2019
Agribusiness IPO initiative
[1]Plans are announced for Guyana's first agribusiness IPO, but the initiative is delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2007
First foreign listing
[1]Trinidad Cement Ltd. becomes the first non-Guyanese company to formally list and register on the exchange, later delisting.
- 2003
First trades take place
[1]The Guyana Stock Exchange begins trading on June 30 with 12 companies registered.
Products and positioning
National stock exchange and domestic capital-market infrastructure
Equity securities · 2003
Listed equities
The GSE provides listing and trading facilities for shares of registered companies, particularly issuers connected with Guyana's domestic economy. The exchange's equity market is relatively compact, with reference material reporting 15 registered companies in 2021.
Securities trading · 2003
Secondary-market trading
Investors and intermediaries use the exchange to trade listed shares after issuance. Trading has traditionally taken place weekly on Mondays and uses floor-based communication supported by an electronic limit-order book.
Regional market access · 2019
Cross-listing support
Through cooperation with other Caribbean exchanges, including the Barbados Stock Exchange, the GSE has pursued mechanisms that could allow issuers to obtain access to more than one national market.
Financial information
Market information
GSE activity is represented in public market reporting, including the Lucas Stock Index, a weekly index of nine major exchange stocks published by Stabroek News.
Brand decisions
2019
Pursuit of regional cross-listing cooperationStrategyBackground
The GSE sought to improve regional market access and broaden the opportunities available to issuers and investors.
Action taken
It signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Barbados Stock Exchange to facilitate potential cross-listing between the two markets.
Aftermath
The agreement also prompted discussion about electronic payments and reform of the 1998 Securities Industry Act to strengthen supervision and reduce risk.
2019
Support for a proposed agribusiness IPOProduct launchBackground
The exchange sought to broaden the domestic issuer base and introduce an agribusiness company to the public market.
Action taken
Plans were announced for what was intended to be Guyana's first agribusiness initial public offering.
Aftermath
The initiative stalled after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted its progress.
Recent events
- 2021
Historical market capitalization reported for November 2021[1]
Other
The exchange was reported to have 15 registered companies and local-stock market capitalization of GYD 568,639,217,573 in November 2021.
- 2019
Agribusiness IPO plans are announced[1]
Product launch · Other
Plans for the first agribusiness initial public offering in Guyana were announced, but the initiative was subsequently stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2019
GSE and Barbados Stock Exchange sign cooperation memorandum[1]
Other
The two exchanges agreed to cooperate on possible cross-listing, while the arrangement also prompted discussion of electronic payments and securities-law reform.
- 2007
Trinidad Cement becomes the first foreign company to list[1]
Other
Trinidad Cement Ltd. became the first non-Guyanese company to formally list and register with the exchange. It later delisted.
- 2003
First trading begins on the Guyana Stock Exchange[1]
Other
The exchange recorded its first trades on June 30, 2003, with 12 companies on the register.
Sources2 sources
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