Notice and Guidelines to Exchange Agents on Licensing as an Exchange Bureau

The BRH informs all licensed exchange agents that they must now follow the decree of November 25, 2020 on exchange intermediaries, published in the official gazette on November 30, 2020. The guidelines, issued under article 56 of the decree, set what an agent must do to be licensed as an exchange bureau. The agent must be a limited company, have an administrative and accounting organization and the equipment needed for exchange, and be able to use a computerized data exchange platform.

The BRH visits the premises before licensing and checks for items such as a safe, a counterfeit note detector and an electronic display of exchange rates. Shareholders holding more than 10 percent of capital must be identified, directors must meet standards of integrity and experience, and the minimum share capital is HTG 15 million under article 22 of the decree, fully subscribed and paid in by the founders. Agents have until June 30, 2021 to comply. Annexes list the contents of the licensing file and give model application and declaration forms.