NIS expands pension payment network from 77 to 4,800 locations

Jun 25, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) – The National Insurance Scheme (NIS) has dramatically expanded the ways pensioners can access their money, growing its payment network from 77 locations to more than 4,800 in a single move — an increase that the government says will end the long queues and long journeys that have defined pension collection for decades.

The expansion was announced at a launch ceremony that doubled as the NIS Board of Directors’ 600th meeting since the scheme’s founding in September 1969, marking the milestone with what Senior Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh called “a giant step in improving the ease with which NIS pensioners can get their pensions.”

Until now, pensioners could only cash vouchers at 14 NIS offices or 63 Guyana Post Office Corporation branches nationwide. The new partnerships add 4,779 locations overnight with:

Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) — 4,672 agent locations countrywide, plus the option to receive pensions directly into an MMG mobile wallet
MoneyGram — 55 locations
Bill Express — 52 locations

The effect is that pensioners across Guyana — including those in communities far from NIS offices and post offices — can now access funds through neighbourhood commerce points or digital wallets without travelling long distances or waiting in lines. “There is absolutely no reason why they should have to join a line and wait,” Dr. Singh stated.

All new payment options are voluntary and took effect immediately.

NIS expands pension payment network from 77 to 4,800 locations

Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh addressing the NIS management team, board members and service providers on Wednesday.

Alongside the physical network expansion, a quieter structural shift is already underway. In 2020, just 11,932 pensioners received payments through direct bank lodgements. By June 2026, that figure has more than doubled to 24,415. However, 39,052 pensioners still rely on physical pension books.

Dr. Singh urged NIS management to accelerate that transition with a plain-language public communications campaign. “Please use layman’s language to explain to the pensioners out there that you can get your pension paid directly into your bank account without coming to NIS,” he said.

Claims Processing: From Months to Weeks

NIS Board Chairman Ramesh Persaud used the occasion to highlight a turnaround in the scheme’s operational performance that is equally significant.

In 2020, the NIS faced a chronic backlog of more than 14,000 pending claims every month while processing only around 5,000 — leaving the average claimant waiting two and a half to three months for a single claim to clear. By 2026, monthly processing capacity has surged past 22,000 claims, cutting the outstanding backlog to under 3,000 and reducing the average turnaround time to one to two weeks.

“Ten years ago, the complaints were a lot more than the complaints are today,” Persaud said. “To see claims processing move from an average of two and a half months to two weeks — every area of key performance has had improvement.”

Persaud also confirmed that the NIS has recorded consecutive financial surpluses over the past five years, which are being reinvested to protect the scheme’s long-term viability.

The reforms come as the NIS contributor base expands rapidly alongside Guyana’s broader economic growth. Since 2020, nearly 70,000 new employed contributors have registered — a 38 percent increase — while the pool of registered self-employed contributors has grown by close to 9,000, more than doubling its previous size.

Both Dr. Singh and Chairman Persaud closed with a reminder directed at younger workers: do not wait until age 59 to review your contribution record. Request contribution statements regularly online and resolve any discrepancies early, they urged, while there is still time to correct them.

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(MMG), Bill Express, MoneyGram, NIS, pension payment

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