Guatemala
Central America's largest economy and home base to several of the region's biggest family conglomerates, with a small, mostly informal family office market whose structuring typically sits offshore in Panama, the US or Spain.
Family Offices
15–30 (est.)
Avg AUM
$100M–$300M (est.)
Regulatory Body
Superintendencia de Bancos (SIB), under the Junta Monetaria
Tax Environment
Territorial system: only Guatemala-source income is taxed, with 5% on local dividends and 10% on local capital gains; foreign-source income is exempt.
Introduction
Guatemala's private wealth is concentrated in a small group of multigenerational business families in food, beverages, cement, retail and finance, many of whose groups operate across the whole isthmus. Family offices here are usually embedded inside the operating group rather than standing alone, and a territorial tax system and a thin domestic fiduciary market push formal wealth structures abroad.
Key Numbers
Evaluation
The territorial regime exempts foreign-source investment income for residents. Local dividends are taxed at 5% and local capital gains at 10%.
Resources Directory
Key Highlights
Regional conglomerate hub
Groups such as CMI, CBC and Cementos Progreso run operations across Central America from Guatemala City
Territorial taxation
Residents pay no Guatemalan tax on foreign-source investment income
Bank-only trusts
Domestic fideicomisos can only be administered by banks supervised by the SIB
Offshore-led structuring
Holding companies and family offices are usually based in Panama, the US or Madrid