Pressure is building to force the government to purchase its hard currency on the electronic marketplace, where it could save hundreds millions of pesos. The purchase of dollars by the Dominican Refinery, for example, could be done on the electronic market where 130 moneychangers are operating in a very competitive atmosphere. In more advanced countries, laws oblige governments to purchase their currency needs on the open, electronic markets. Colombia, for example, buys 100% of its hard currency needs in this way.
In the Dominican Republic, barely 20% of major currency purchases are done via the electronic market. The Dominican Electronic Market has been in operation since 2003 and has carried out operations for more than RD$30 billion. The main argument for the switch in purchasing is that the competitive nature of the electronic market provides lower exchange rates for major clients.