Guyana Takes $2.4 Billion a Year From Its Oil Fund. Where Does It Go?

Guyana's oil money, explained: where the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) keeps its cash (the Federal Reserve Bank of New York), how the 2024 change to the withdrawal rule lets almost US$2.4 billion out in 2026, and where that money goes in Guyana's 2026 budget. Since 2020 more than US$10.5 billion has gone into Guyana's oil fund and about US$4.3 billion is still there (Bank of Guyana, June 2026). Every dollar is cash on deposit in New York. Each year a rule decides how much can come home, based on last year's deposits: in the Budget 2024 speech the limit for 2024 was US$1.15 billion, and a page later the finance minister asked parliament to change the rule. The limit rose to about US$1.6 billion, and in 2026 it is almost US$2.4 billion, about 96 cents of every dollar that came in last year. That money goes into the government's main account (the Consolidated Fund), where it mixes with taxes and borrowing and pays for roads, schools, hospitals, housing, power and the G$100,000 cash grant. In 2025 and again in the 2026 budget, the oil fund brings in more than every tax combined. Critics call the change an aggressive draining of the fund; the government says the rule still saves a bigger share as oil money grows. With new oil ships arriving, the government projects the fund at nearly US$12 billion by the end of 2029. The IMF says debt risk is low, and that if prices stay high Guyana should save more of the extra. Part 4 of The Oil Coast, our series on the oil money of Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad: Part 1, Guyana:    • Guyana Pumped $55 Billion of Oil for Exxon...   Part 2, Suriname:    • Suriname Promised Away Its Oil Money Befor...   Part 3, Trinidad:    • Trinidad Was Richer Than Guyana for 60 Yea...   The whole series:    • The Oil Coast: Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad   Chapters 0:00 Guyana's oil money goes to New York 0:33 The oil fund now brings in more than all taxes 0:46 The Budget 2024 speech and the rule change 1:19 The cash grant: G$100,000 for every adult 2:12 Why the money sits in New York as cash 3:17 How the withdrawal rule works 4:26 The 2024 rule change: almost twice as much 5:47 Where the money goes: Guyana's 2026 budget 6:29 Oil fund, taxes and borrowing 7:17 Is the fund being drained? 8:22 High oil prices and the IMF 8:53 So where does Guyana's oil money go? Sources Bank of Guyana, Natural Resource Fund Quarterly Report, April–June 2026 · Ministry of Finance, Budget Speech 2026 (incl. Appendices III and VII) and Budget Speech 2024 · Natural Resource Fund Act 2021 (Official Gazette, First Schedule) · Department of Public Information, "Withdrawal from the Natural Resource Fund" (24 Jul 2024) · Ministry of Finance, Mid-Year Report 2026 · IMF, 2026 Article IV Staff Concluding Statement (31 Jul 2026) · Bureau of Statistics population estimate (via DPI, 12 Jan 2026). Critics' view as reported by Kaieteur News (31 Jan 2025) and Stabroek News (16 Dec 2024). US dollar figures at G$208.50 = US$1 (Bank of Guyana, 30 Jun 2026). Map Our own basemap. Land cover: © ESA WorldCover project 2021 / Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2021) processed by ESA WorldCover consortium (CC BY 4.0). Relief: NASA/METI ASTER GDEM. Sea: NASA Blue Marble. Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain). Hatched or dashed areas are disputed: west of the Essequibo River (dashed line), administered by Guyana and claimed by Venezuela; the Tigri area / New River Triangle (hatched), administered by Guyana and claimed by Suriname. Photographs (Wikimedia Commons) St George's Cathedral, Georgetown — Ian Mackenzie, CC BY 2.0 Federal Reserve Bank of New York — Ajay Suresh, CC BY 4.0; Kidfly182, CC BY 4.0 Parliament Building and a Georgetown street — Kevin Gabbert, public domain Demerara Harbour Bridge — public domain · Flags — public domain Thumbnail photograph: Irfaan Ali — U.S. Department of State (public domain). Video: Pexels (Yusuf Beler, Pressmaster, Jorge Zaldívar Marroquín, Dio Hasbi Saniskoro) and Pixabay contributors (Vacampbe, AlexKopeykin). Stock footage is illustrative, not Guyana's own ships, roads or schools. Sound effects: Pixabay Content License. Music: original, made for this channel. This channel explains how places make money. It is not financial advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell anything. #Guyana #OilMoney #NaturalResourceFund