On June 19, 2026, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali used the official commissioning ceremony for Citizens Bank Guyana’s newly renovated Bartica branch to announce a landmark national economic initiative: the formation of the country’s first large-scale domestic gold mining consortium, uniting large, medium, and small local miners under a single Guyanese-owned entity.
Speaking to attendees at the Bartica event, President Ali emphasized that the consortium marks a strategic shift toward local control of Guyana’s critical gold sector. Rather than ceding large-scale mining opportunities to international operators, the government is supporting the unified group to acquire cutting-edge mining technology, complete required technical planning, and build a globally competitive gold company fully owned and operated by Guyanese citizens. The President added that the initiative will also expand access to financial services across the mining sector, driving deeper financial inclusion for small-scale operators who have historically been sidelined by unequal industry dynamics. He also voiced frustration over reports that larger, established mining operators have been exploiting small-scale local miners, a problem the consortium is designed to address.
The ceremony also brought announcements of expanded collaboration between the Guyanese government and Citizens Bank, one of the country’s leading financial institutions. President Ali confirmed that the bank has agreed to open a dedicated service desk at the government’s regional service center in Kamarang, to better serve residents of the Upper and Middle Mazaruni region. In turn, the government is in active negotiations to place a development bank service desk and an Electronic Identification Card processing desk at the newly commissioned Bartica branch, bringing critical public services closer to regional residents.
President Ali also provided an update on the proposed Guyanese Diaspora Bond, a financial instrument designed to give Guyanese living overseas the chance to invest in key domestic development projects including fertiliser production facilities, gas bottling plants, agricultural expansion, and national infrastructure upgrades. During a previous address on May 26, 2026, President Ali had stated the bond would launch within seven days, but no new launch timeline was shared during Friday’s event.
Eton Chester, Managing Director of Citizens Bank Guyana, used the commissioning to outline the branch’s longstanding role driving regional economic growth. First established 26 years ago in a small, cramped facility, the branch has now relocated to a purpose-built ultra-modern facility that opened to the public in April 2026. Over its 26 years of operation, the Bartica branch has disbursed more than GY$5.5 billion in loans to local individuals and businesses, financing home purchases, small business expansion, transportation fleets, mining and industrial equipment, and other productive investments across Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni). Nearly GY$1.8 billion of that total lending has been issued in just the past five years alone, a trend Chester says reflects the accelerating pace of economic activity across the resource-rich region. Today, the expanded branch serves 7,000 total customers and has grown its local staff complement from 9 to 17 employees to meet rising demand for financial services.