Online Forex trading in Sao Tome and Principe is legal and regulated by the Central Bank of São Tomé and Príncipe. The BCSTP supervises the national financial system and defines monetary and exchange rate policies in the country, selling hard currency and establishing indicative interest rates. There is no difficulty in obtaining foreign exchange, with the dobra pegged to the Euro at an exchange rate of 1 Euro equal to 24.50 STD since January 2010 (1).
The banking system includes one Central Bank and four commercial banks supervised by the BCSTP. The government has been working closely with the Central Bank to ensure that greater inflows of foreign exchange translate into increased access to raw materials for business. Payment is usually made through irrevocable letters of credit, and the government modernized its payment system in May 2021 with the introduction of payment platforms for VISA and MasterCard (2).
"The Central Bank of STP (BCSTP) supervises the national financial system and defines monetary and exchange rate policies in the country. Among other responsibilities, the BCSTP sells hard currency and establishes indicative interest rates. There is no difficulty in obtaining foreign exchange."
The dobra is pegged to the Euro following an economic cooperation agreement signed between Sao Tome and Principe and Portugal in July 2009, moving from a weighted basket of currencies to a single currency peg. This anchorage offers credible parity, minimizes monetary instability costs, and provides better credibility for exchange rate and monetary policy. Repatriation of capital is possible with prior authorization from the relevant authorities (1).
Source:
https://legacy.export.gov/article?id=Sao-Tome-and-Principe-Foreign-Exchange-Controls
https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/sao-tome-and-principe-trade-financing
Last updated: 15-10-2025 Disclaimer: This article does not provide legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney directly.
