Guyana eyes global investments as NRF surpasses US$3B

With more than US$3 billion currently in the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) – a figure that is expected to further grow, Guyana could soon be in a position to invest some of those revenues earned from its burgeoning oil and gas sector in other economies.

This is according President Dr Irfaan Ali during his address at the Maple Leaf Gala hosted by the Guyana-Canada Business Chamber in Toronto on Friday evening.

According to the Guyanese Leader, for the first time in its history, Guyana is moving closer to opportunities that would allow the country to invest in other economies.

“In our sovereign fund, our National Resource Fund, we now have to find investment opportunities. And as the Fund grows, we will be looking at opportunities that are safe, give you a decent rate of return, and importantly, investing in countries and economies that share the same values, where rule of law and predictability are important factors in the way to do business,” President Ali stated.

At the beginning of 2026, the NRF, which is being held at the New York Federal Reserve Bank in the United States, had a balance of US$3.25 billion, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh had reported in January during the presentation of the 2026 National Budget. He had noted that the Fund recorded inflows last year of more than US$2.4 billion driven largely by the increase production of crude oil offshore in the Stabroek Block along with other petroleum-related payments including royalty payments for two new oil contracts signed late 2025.

In the first quarter report, the Bank of Guyana reported a balance of US$3.64 billion (G$759.67 billion) in the NRF at the end of March. During the quarter, the Fund accounted for inflows amounting to G$120,430.15 million (US$577.6 million) comprising of profit oil – G$97,308.85 million (US$466.71 million), and royalties – G$23,121.3 million (US$110.89 million).

Moreover, during that first quarter, G$83,400 million (US$400 million was transferred from the Fund to the Consolidated Fund account, representing 16.85 per cent of the estimated amount budgeted to be withdrawn in 2026 in accordance with the NRF Act 2021.

The revenues earned between January and March were from four Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels – Liza Destiny (Liza Phase One Project), Liza Unity (Liza Phase Two), Prosperity (Payara Project), and One Guyana (Yellowtail Project) being operated by US-oil major ExxonMobil and its coventurers in the prolific Stabroek Block.

Currently, these four vessels are producing more than 900,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) and production is expected to further ramp up when Exxon’s fifth offshore development, Uaru, starts up later this year using the Errea Wittu FPSO to pump 250,000 barrels of oil per day.

With this increased oil production comes more revenues for Guyana, which President Ali says Guyana can use to partner with countries like Canada.

The Guyanese Leader was recently in the North American nation, where he had of series of engagements with various stakeholders including the Guyanese Diaspora and Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney.
The two leaders met on Friday during which they had fruitful discussions on areas of mutual interest and benefit to both countries, including investment, innovation, climate, and global biodiversity.

During his address at the Maple Leaf Gala, President Ali said “I had an amazing meeting with your Prime Minister, and we have a lot of work ahead of us but there will be some amazing things that will come out of that work you will all be very happy with the journey we are embarking on.”

According to the Guyanese Leader, both Guyana and Canada offer investors predictability, especially in policy making. He noted that predictability in economies are essential aspects of success.

“That is what Guyana and Canada offers. We offer predictability in our investment environment. We offer predictability in our policy making framework. We offer predictability in the values we share, predictability in the rule of law, and predictability in what we believe in, and that’s an important thing,” President Ali stated.

Following Friday’s high-level meeting between President Ali and Prime Minister Carney in Toronto, Ontario, the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada said they both emphasised the strong ties between Canada and Guyana, strengthened by over 100,000 Canadians of Guyanese ancestry.

Guyana is one of Canada’s largest trading partners among the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The leaders also discussed Canada’s role as a reliable trade and investment partner, and opportunities to increase Canadian investment in Guyana in a range of sectors, including energy, technology, agriculture, and mining.