The Licensed Banks in Paraguay

What the Central Bank of Paraguay regulates

The Central Bank of Paraguay (BCP) is the authority that supervises the country's financial system. One of its functions is carried out through the Superintendency of Banks: as the BCP itself explains, "the supervisory bodies, among which is the Central Bank of Paraguay, through the Superintendencies of Banks (SB) and Insurance (SS), are responsible for exercising preventive compliance controls over obligated parties and applying sanctions as appropriate" (Art. 29 of Law No. 3783/09), within the framework of the national system for the prevention of money laundering and terrorism financing.

A supervised bank, specifically, is an entity that appears in the document the BCP itself titles the "List of Supervised Entities," which it updates periodically. It is that list -not any other source- that defines which banks are licensed to operate in the country.

The 16 licensed banks

According to the BCP's current list, there are 16 licensed banks in Paraguay. The document itself groups them into four categories, based on the origin of their capital.

Direct branches of foreign banks

• Citibank N.A.
• Banco do Brasil S.A.
• Banco de la Nación Argentina

Majority foreign ownership

• Banco Itaú Paraguay S.A.
• Sudameris Bank S.A.E.C.A.
• Banco GNB Paraguay S.A.E.C.A.

Majority local ownership

• Banco Basa S.A.
• Banco Continental S.A.E.C.A.
• Banco Familiar S.A.E.C.A.
• Banco Atlas S.A.
• Bancop S.A.
• Interfisa Banco S.A.E.C.A.
• Solar Banco S.A.E.
• ueno bank S.A.
• Zeta Banco S.A.E.C.A.

State ownership

• Banco Nacional de Fomento

The BCP's list itself includes a clarification about one of the names in the local-ownership category: by Resolution No. 17, Minutes No. 34, dated August 20, 2025, the BCP's board authorized the merger by absorption of Banco Continental S.A.E.C.A. and Banco Río S.A.E.C.A., so the latter no longer appears as a separate entity on the list.

What a foreigner needs to open an account

None of the official pages reviewed -neither the BCP's nor those of the banks with a listing in our directory- publishes a separate list of requirements for foreigners or non-residents. What does appear, as a general requirement with no distinction by nationality, is what Sudameris asks for a checking account: a photocopy of a Paraguayan identity card, a tax ID (R.U.C.), proof of income (a work certificate, the last 3 salary slips or IPS receipts, or the last 6 VAT filings), signing the relevant forms, a minimum age of 18, and an initial deposit of Gs. 3,000,000 or USD 2,500. ueno bank, for its part, promises a simplified opening process: "No paperwork: just have your ID on hand and open your account in minutes."

Since both examples ask for a Paraguayan identity card and neither page details an alternative path for someone who does not yet have one, the specific requirements for a foreigner or non-resident end up being set by each bank individually. It is advisable to check directly with each institution before starting the process, rather than assuming there is a single procedure for the whole system.

Branch network

Of the four banks with their own listing in our directory, these are the numbers of branches that can be verified on their own official pages:

• Banco Itaú Paraguay: 29 branches, split across three groups the page itself labels "Asunción y Gran Asunción," "Interior del País," and "Punto de Atención Bancaria (PAB)."
• ueno bank: 75 locations on its official branch page; on its own English-language site, the bank describes itself with the phrase "More than 70 Locations Across the Country."
• Sudameris Bank: 43 branches, according to the official PDF list the bank publishes.
• Banco Familiar: 47 points marked as branches on the map on its own site, plus 23 points marked separately as ATMs.

Digital channels and wallets

Each bank publishes, on its own site, the digital channels it offers:

• Itaú Paraguay mentions Homebanking, an app available on the App Store and Google Play, and the Pik digital wallet.
• ueno bank concentrates much of its operation in its mobile app -"everything you used to do on the web, you now do in your app"- and allows QR-code payments from it.
• Sudameris offers the e-Bank platform and its own platform called Sudameris GO.
• Banco Familiar offers Web Banking, a digital account, and an app available on Google Play and the App Store.

None of the pages reviewed details specific fees or rates tied to these channels; that information has to be requested directly from each institution.

In short

Paraguay's banking system is made up of 16 licensed banks supervised by the BCP, with different capital origins and branch networks that vary widely in size from one entity to another. This guide gathers what each official source publishes about them; it does not compare or recommend one bank over another. For specific decisions -which account to open, what documentation to present in each case- the right move is to check directly with the chosen institution.