Centrale Bank van Suriname

What Centrale Bank van Suriname does

Centrale Bank van Suriname (CBvS) is the central bank and monetary authority of Suriname, established under the Bank Act of 1956 and operational since April 1, 1957. Headquartered in Paramaribo with approximately 435 employees, CBvS executes a statutory mandate under the Centrale Bankwet 2022 (S.B. 2023 no.65) covering monetary policy, currency issuance, financial sector supervision, payment systems oversight, and resolution authority. Its core products include the Surinaamse Dollar (SRD) — issued as coins and banknotes with enhanced security features — gold certificates denominated in 5g to 1000g units priced off LBMA gold, and the SNEPS (Suriname National Electronic Payment System), the national interbank payment infrastructure launched in 2015 and expanded to support USD (2019) and EUR (2021) transfers. SNEPS processes salaries, subsidies, taxes, and interbank transfers, with a Fast Payments module scheduled to launch June 2026 targeting 15-minute 24/7 processing.

CBvS serves a concentrated institutional customer base comprising 9 commercial banks (which account for 77% of financial system assets excluding CBvS), the Government of Suriname, and 28 savings and credit unions, 12 insurance companies, 34 pension funds, 5 provident funds, 25 foreign exchange bureaus, and 6 money transfer houses under its microprudential supervision. Its distribution model is institutional and direct — currency is distributed through the commercial banking network, payment system access is provided to banks, and supervisory services are delivered directly to regulated entities. CBvS does not engage in commercial revenue generation; its economic model derives from seigniorage on currency issuance, returns on international reserves, and ancillary fee income incidental to its public-policy mandate. Strategic priorities articulated in the 2025-2028 Strategic Plan include payment-system modernization, macroprudential oversight expansion, and continued macroeconomic stabilization following the 2021 governance reforms conducted with IMF engagement.

Name

Centrale Bank van Suriname

Legal name

Centrale Bank van Suriname

Website

https://cbvs.sr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Centrale Bank van Suriname is Suriname's central bank and monetary authority, issuing the SRD, operating the SNEPS national payment system, supervising banks and non-bank financial institutions, and managing international reserves under the Centrale Bankwet 2022.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paramaribo

HQ country

Suriname

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Monetary Authority Functions: As the central bank, CBvS does not operate a commercial revenue model. It conducts monetary policy, issues currency, manages international reserves, and provides banking services to the government and commercial banks. Revenue generation is incidental to its public policy mandate rather than a primary objective.
2. Seigniorage Revenue: Revenue generated from issuing currency (the difference between the face value of money and its production cost). This is the primary economic benefit derived from the central bank's monetary authority function.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Centrale Bank van Suriname operates as Suriname's statutory monetary authority, issuing and managing the Surinaamse Dollar (SRD) banknotes and coins, conducting monetary policy under an inflation-targeting framework, and holding and managing the country's official international reserves. It runs the SNEPS national electronic payment system and its real-time SNEPS Fast Payments service connecting licensed commercial banks, supervises banks, insurance companies, pension funds, money transfer companies, and e-money institutions, and operates an electronic foreign exchange auction and gold certificate program.

Product overview

The Centrale Bank van Suriname (CBvS) operates as the country's monetary authority and financial system regulator rather than a typical technology product company. Its core product portfolio centers on the SNEPS (Suriname National Electronic Payment System) - a national electronic payment infrastructure that processes interbank transfers, government payments, and enables mobile/internet banking across banks. The bank also issues the Surinaamse Dollar (SRD) in coins and banknotes with enhanced security features, and offers gold certificates. Supporting products include macroeconomic statistics databases, Financial Stability Reports, the CBvS Economisch Bulletin, and Financial Soundness Indicators - all published regularly. The bank operates a mandatory reserve system for commercial banks and provides daily currency exchange rate quotations. The SNEPS Fast Payments module represents the next phase of payment system modernization, targeting faster processing speeds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SNEPS (Suriname National Electronic Payment System) Suriname's national electronic payment system operated by the central bank that connects licensed commercial banks for interbank settlement, supporting bulk and retail payment clearing and settlement across the domestic banking sector. It is offered for use by licensed commercial banks rather than by individual consumers directly.
• SNEPS Fast Payments Real-time payment service running on the SNEPS infrastructure that enables licensed banks to process person-to-person and person-to-merchant transfers on a 24/7 basis, with participation of licensed commercial banks acting as access points for end customers.
• Surinaamse Dollar (SRD) banknotes and coins Fiat currency issued exclusively by Centrale Bank van Suriname as the national legal tender of Suriname, distributed through licensed commercial banks to individuals, businesses, and government entities for use as a means of payment and store of value.
• Gold certificates Certificates issued by CBvS representing ownership of gold held by the central bank, used as part of monetary policy operations and reserve management for institutional counterparties and policy purposes.
• Foreign exchange auctions Scheduled electronic auctions conducted by CBvS through which licensed commercial banks purchase official foreign exchange (US dollars) at market-clearing exchange rates, supporting the bank's exchange rate framework and official reserve management.
• Reserve base and required cash reserves system Statutory reserve accounts and reserve base administration operated by CBvS under the Bank Reserve and Required Cash Reserves Act, which licensed commercial banks must fund and maintain as part of monetary policy implementation.
• Daily exchange rate quotations Indicative daily foreign exchange rate quotations for the Surinaamse Dollar against major reference currencies, published by CBvS as a public reference used by banks, businesses, and the general public.

Quantifiable outcome

• Inflation reduced from 60.8% (2020 year-end) to 10.1% (2024 year-end)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 May 2021Technical cooperation between CBvS and DNB (Dutch Central Bank) established May 3, 2021. This partnership supports capacity building, knowledge exchange, and modernization of CBvS operations and financial system oversight based on Dutch central banking experience.
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMF conducts regular Article IV consultation missions with Suriname, providing policy advice and financial assessments. CBvS works with IMF on governance reforms and structural adjustments. IMF Executive Board concluded 2014 and prior consultations with Suriname.
• FATF/CFATFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBvS participates in FATF (Financial Action Task Force) and CFATF (Caribbean FATF) frameworks for combating money laundering and terrorism financing. The bank implements AML/CFT directives and regulations under National AML/CFT/CPF Strategic Plan 2022-2025.
• Surinaamse Bankiersvereniging (Surinamese Bankers Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBvS collaborates with the Surinamese Bankers Association and commercial banks on SNEPS Fast Payments development, targeting processing within 15 minutes 24/7 by end of 2026. Joint initiative to modernize national payment infrastructure.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Bank of Jamaica: The central bank of Jamaica, a Caribbean monetary authority with similar institutional mandate including monetary policy, FX management, and financial supervision. Comparable as a regional Caribbean central bank managing a small open economy with significant diaspora remittance flows.
• Central Bank of The Bahamas: The monetary authority of The Bahamas, a Caribbean central bank with similar functions including currency issuance, payment systems oversight, and financial supervision. Comparable in small-island economic context and tourism-dependent economy.
• Banque de la République d'Haïti: The central bank of Haiti, a Caribbean monetary authority with comparable institutional functions despite significantly different economic conditions. Relevant peer given similar governance challenges, IMF engagement history, and currency depreciation pressures.
• Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago: The central bank of Trinidad and Tobago, a Caribbean monetary authority with similar institutional functions. Comparable as a regional Caribbean central bank, though larger and more hydrocarbon-economy focused than Suriname.
• Bank of Guyana: The central bank of Guyana, a South American/Caribbean monetary authority with similar institutional mandate. Comparable as a small emerging-market central bank in the Guyana-Suriname basin with extractive industry exposure and similar governance reform trajectory.

Broad incumbents

• De Nederlandsche Bank: The Dutch central bank and CBvS's technical cooperation partner since May 2021. A broad incumbent providing capacity building and modernization guidance to CBvS. Comparable as a larger, established European central bank with overlapping supervisory and monetary policy functions, though operating at materially greater scale.
• Federal Reserve System: The U.S. central bank, a global broad incumbent central bank with which CBvS has indirect relationship through USD currency management and IMF/FATF frameworks. Provides benchmark monetary policy framework and payment system modernization reference points relevant to CBvS's trajectory.

Direct peers

• Centrale Bank van Aruba: The central bank of Aruba, a small Caribbean monetary authority with similar institutional structure, currency issuance function, and financial supervision mandate. Directly comparable in scale and scope, including Dutch-Caribbean institutional ties.
• Eastern Caribbean Central Bank: The regional central bank for the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU), serving 8 small Caribbean economies. Directly comparable as a small-jurisdiction monetary authority managing a regional payment system and conducting financial supervision across multiple small member states.
• Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten: The monetary authority for Curaçao and Sint Maarten, operating a similar small Caribbean central bank model with currency issuance, payment systems oversight, and financial sector supervision. Highly comparable given similar economic scale, currency board arrangements, and Dutch-Caribbean institutional heritage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@centralebankvansuriname-cb8074
• Facebookfacebook.com/cbvs.sr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-bank-of-suriname
• Instagraminstagram.com/centralebankvansuriname

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centrale Bank van Suriname