Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 5. FX and capital controls › The Dominican FX market and exchange rate: how the reference rate works and where the peso stands
The Dominican FX market and exchange rate: how the reference rate works and where the peso stands
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Last verified: 2026-10-30 · Status: Changing
The Banco Central publishes daily buy and sell reference rates, the weighted average of actual market trades, and those rates apply for accounting, legal and reporting purposes. The selling rate was RD$60.9007 on 29 October 2026. Since 2025 trades between institutions run through the Banco Central platform under conduct rules based on the FX Global Code.
USD figures use the Banco Central de la República Dominicana reference selling rate of RD$60.9007 per US dollar for 29 October 2026, as shown on its home page on the verification date, rounded to the cent.
Key facts
| Reference selling rate | 60.9007 DOP per USDBanco Central daily reference rate, as of 2026-10-29 · in force |
|---|---|
| Reference buying rate | 60.4156 DOP per USDBanco Central daily reference rate, as of 2026-10-29 · in force |
| Gross international reserves | 15239.9 USD millionsBanco Central, as of 2026-09-30 · in force |
| Net international reserves | 15235.2 USD millionsBanco Central, as of 2026-09-30 · in force |
| Gross FX purchases reported, January to March | 16235.0 USD millionsInforme de la economía dominicana, as of 2026-03-31 · in force |
| FX market volume traded in 2024 | 70066.8 USD millionsJM 250911-01 recitals, as of 2024-12-31 · in force |
| IMF de facto classification | Floating textIMF CR 25/305, as of 2025-11-19 · in force |
The rule
1. The Banco Central publishes the market exchange rate for accounting and legal purposes as often as needed.Ley 183-02 Monetaria y Financiera, art. 28, 2002-11-21 official text · verified 2026-10-30
2. The Banco Central publishes each day a buy and a sell reference rate based on the weighted average of operations by financial entities and exchange intermediaries. That rate applies for accounting, legal and reporting purposes.Reglamento Cambiario, Primera Resolución JM 250911-01, art. 4 literal kk, art. 61 literal b and art. 72 literal b, 2025-09-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30
3. The Banco Central may buy and sell foreign currency, carry out forward operations and other usual exchange market operations, on market terms and in line with free convertibility.Ley 183-02 Monetaria y Financiera, art. 32 literal b, 2002-11-21 official text · verified 2026-10-30
4. Exchange operations among financial entities and intermediaries, and with the Banco Central, take place on the Plataforma Cambiaria BCRD. Operations negotiated outside it by authorized participants must be registered on it.Reglamento Cambiario, Primera Resolución JM 250911-01, art. 37 and art. 57, 2025-09-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30 · changed: The 2025 regulation extended the platform to exchange agents and to financial entities not previously included. Public consultation was opened on 17 July 2025.
5. The platform has a professional segment of financial entities and intermediaries, and a corporate segment of corporate and institutional clients. Corporate participants deal only with the professional segment, never with each other.Reglamento Cambiario, Primera Resolución JM 250911-01, art. 41, 2025-09-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30
6. The Banco Central may authorize companies to join the platform when the nature and volume of their operations justify it. They file company documents, criminal record certificates, a DGII tax status certificate and two years of audited accounts.
Cost to do it: No platform fee is stated in the regulation.Reglamento Cambiario, Primera Resolución JM 250911-01, art. 39, 2025-09-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30
Cost to do it: No platform fee is stated in the regulation.Reglamento Cambiario, Primera Resolución JM 250911-01, art. 39, 2025-09-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30
7. Market participants must seek best execution, offer reasonable margins, disclose the final price and avoid artificial price moves. Entities also sign a notarized commitment to the FX Global Code and publish it.Reglamento Cambiario, Primera Resolución JM 250911-01, art. 13 and art. 14 literals a to c, 2025-09-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30
8. Entities must display their buy and sell quotes, the Banco Central reference rates and their fee schedule.Reglamento Cambiario, Primera Resolución JM 250911-01, art. 14 literal i, 2025-09-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30
9. The IMF classifies the de jure arrangement as managed floating and reclassified the de facto arrangement to floating in 2025 from crawl-like, based on April to October 2025, with central bank participation largely limited to smoothing excessive volatility.IMF Country Report 25/305, Informational Annex and text note 6, 2025-11-19 official text · verified 2026-10-30
| Date | Buy | Sell |
|---|---|---|
| 31 December 2024 | 60.8924 | 61.3220 |
| 31 December 2025 | 62.8978 | 63.3035 |
| 12 January 2026 (highest 2026 sell in the file) | 63.4840 | 63.9866 |
| 24 August 2026 (lowest 2026 sell in the file) | 58.0138 | 58.3402 |
| 30 September 2026 | 59.5224 | 60.0783 |
| 28 October 2026 | 60.3579 | 60.8594 |
| 29 October 2026 | 60.4156 | 60.9007 |
Banco Central spot reference rates, RD$ per US$
| Participant | Purchases | Share | Sales | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial entities | 8,129.2 | 77.4% | 9,615.0 | 93.8% |
| Exchange agents | 2,372.2 | 22.6% | 640.1 | 6.2% |
| Total | 10,501.4 | 100% | 10,255.1 | 100% |
Who trades, January to March 2026, excluding operations between institutions (US$ millions)
Worked example
- At the 29 October 2026 reference rates, a seller of US$1,000 received about RD$60,415.60 and a buyer paid about RD$60,900.70, a gap of RD$485.10 or 0.80%. Bank customer quotes differ from these averages.
Step by step
- Check the day's reference rate on the Banco Central site.
- Ask at least two banks to quote for larger amounts, since the regulation requires best execution and a transparent final price.
- If your volumes are large, ask the Banco Central about direct access to the corporate segment.
Common traps
- The reference rate is an average of the prior market, not a dealing rate you can demand from a bank.
- Rates move fast: the 2026 sell rate ranged from RD$63.9866 to RD$58.3402 in the file, so a peso budget set in January could be off by more than 8%.
- The operating details sit in Banco Central instructivos, which the regulation ordered to be adapted. They were not located in this review, so confirm reporting thresholds with your bank.
Sources
- Ley 183-02 Monetaria y Financiera, Superintendencia de Bancos copy
- Reglamento Cambiario, Primera Resolución de la Junta Monetaria of 11 September 2025
- Superintendencia de Bancos, Reglamento Cambiario page
- Banco Central de la República Dominicana home page
- Banco Central reference rate file
- Banco Central, Informe de la economía dominicana, January to March 2026
- IMF Country Report 25/305, 2025 Article IV
Related pages
- fx/fx-and-capital-controls
- fx/accounting-and-taxes-in-foreign-currency
- fx/fx-derivatives-and-hedging
- /country/dominican-republic/
- Live dashboard
Related: Dominican Republic country profile · live dashboard · central bank and release calendar · our posts on X · where Argentina is involved, see The Argentine Thread guide
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