How to Invest in Stocks From Guatemala: Options, Regulation and Taxes

What trades on the Bolsa de Valores Nacional

The Bolsa de Valores Nacional (BVN) is Guatemala's stock exchange. It mainly trades fixed-income instruments: Treasury bonds (Bonos del Tesoro), certificates of deposit from the Banco de Guatemala (the central bank), corporate promissory notes and short-term repos (reportos).

Stocks play a minimal role. According to the BVN's own December 2025 bulletin, most of the trading volume in quetzales came from Banco de Guatemala liquidity operations and repos, and stock trading was practically nil. So if what you want is to learn to trade stocks, the local market isn't where you'll be trading.

That doesn't make it worthless: for fixed-term savings in quetzales, local fixed income can make sense. It's simply a different product from trading.

How to buy US stocks and ETFs from Guatemala

The most common route is opening an account with an international broker that accepts clients from Guatemala. For example, Interactive Brokers includes Guatemala on its list of countries where you can open an account. With these brokers you buy stocks and ETFs listed on US exchanges directly.

Keep three things in mind:

• They aren't supervised by Guatemala's regulator. Your protection depends on the country where the entity you sign the contract with is based. Check which one it is before you open the account.
• You'll be asked for Form W-8BEN, which certifies that you're not a US tax resident.
• Your money leaves the country: ask your bank what international wires in dollars cost, since that often weighs heavily on small accounts.

Guatemalan law also allows the exchange to list foreign securities in a special registry, but we found no public information showing that local brokers offer US stocks to individuals. If you're interested, ask an authorized broker directly.

For the full step-by-step (trading hours, Form W-8BEN, US taxes for foreigners and the estate tax risk), see the guide how to invest in US stocks from abroad. To compare brokers, see how to choose a broker.

Who regulates the market and how to check an intermediary

The Registro del Mercado de Valores y Mercancías (RMVM, Guatemala's securities and commodities market registry), part of the Ministerio de Economía (Ministry of Economy), registers exchanges, brokers and public securities offerings, and it can impose sanctions (Decree 34-96, the Ley del Mercado de Valores y Mercancías, or Securities and Commodities Market Law).

Before handing money to any local intermediary:

1. Confirm it appears on the BVN's list of brokers.
2. Confirm it's registered with the RMVM.
3. Ask for the contract in writing and read what happens to your securities if the firm shuts down.

If someone offers to “manage your money” with guaranteed returns or asks you to deposit into a personal account, stop: that's the most common sign of a scam.

Steps to get started

1. Learn before you deposit. Understand what a stock is, how its price is set and what trading costs. Lesson 1.1 is free.
2. Practice in a demo account for several weeks, with clear rules.
3. Decide how much you'll risk. Use only money you can lose without affecting your expenses. The guide how much money you need helps you work it out.
4. Choose your broker and check who supervises it, its total costs and how to withdraw your money.
5. Start small, with a stop-loss on every trade.

Taxes: the essentials

This is general information, not tax advice. Confirm your situation with an accountant or with the SAT (Guatemala's tax authority).

• The Ley de Actualización Tributaria (Decree 10-2012) taxes capital income at 10% and dividends at 5%.
• Guatemala's income tax (Impuesto Sobre la Renta, ISR) is based on the territorial principle: it taxes income earned within the country. How that applies to gains and dividends from investments abroad depends on your situation; ask your accountant to confirm it in writing.
• Keep your broker's annual account statements: they're the basis for any tax filing.