by Linda Straker
- October is Financial Literacy Month
- Ministry of Finance and ECCB to introduce Household/Retail Bond
- For 2025 Government has scheduled auctioning EC$105 million treasury bills and bonds
The Government of Grenada, through the Ministry of Finance, is working in partnership with the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) to introduce a Household/Retail Bond as part of its debt management and citizen investment strategy during Financial Literacy Month.
Financial Literacy Month is an activity of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank held annually during the month of October. During the month, the ECCB and other financial institutions implement projects to educate the public about making good financial decisions.
As part of its preparation for the launch of auctioning the retail bonds, the Government is searching for qualified individuals or firms to provide Project Management services for the successful issuance of its inaugural Household/Retail Bond on the Regional Government Securities Market (RGSM).
A request for proposal for a short-term consultancy on the government’s procurement website said that the bonds are intended to:
- Encourage household participation in Government securities
- Provide safe and attractive investment opportunities to households and retail investors
- Broaden the investor base and promote financial literacy
- Support the financing of national development priorities
The notice further explained that this initiative forms part of the Government’s broader strategy to deepen the domestic capital market, diversify financing instruments, and provide citizens with accessible investment opportunities.
Retail bonds are suitable for businesses of all sizes and across all sectors as they help them tap into a new pool of capital outside of the traditional wholesale markets. Retail bonds also provide people with a safe investment option, offering better interest rates than other savings schemes.
While this is set to be the first retail bond for citizens, for 2025, Government has scheduled auctioning of a total of EC$105 million treasury bills and bonds on the Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange (ECSE) through the Regional Government Securities Market.
According to Grenada’s 2025 prospectus on the exchange, the Government’s plan is to raise EC$60 million through 91-day Treasury Bills and EC$45 million through 365-day Treasury bills at different dates during the months of February, May, August, September, October and December.
The first 365-day Treasury Bill auctioned by the Government of Grenada on the Regional Government Securities Market was oversubscribed and raised EC$5 million more than the targeted amount.
“On the Regional Government Securities Market, the Government of Grenada’s 365-day Treasury Bill auctioned on the ECSE’s primary market platform, raised $30.0 million. The competitive uniform price methodology used resulted in a discount rate of 4.76190%,” said the 18 August 2025, daily report of the market. In February and May 2025, the Government raised EC$30 million via Treasury Bills auction of EC$15 million for each month, respectively.
