Álvaro Santos Pereira

Álvaro Miguel Rodrigues dos Santos Pereira is a Portuguese economist, professor and writer and current governor of the Bank of Portugal. He was the Minister of Economy and Labour of Portugal between June 2011 and July 2013 in the XIX Constitutional Government of Portugal.

Early life and education

Santos Pereira was born in Viseu, Portugal in 1972. He attended the University of Coimbra in Coimbra, where he was awarded a degree in economics by the Faculdade de Economia da Universidade de Coimbra and has a master's degree by the University of Exeter. He is also a PhD in economics by the Simon Fraser University.

Santos Pereira worked as professor of economic development and economic policy at the Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia.
From 2011 to 2013, Santos Pereira served as Minister of Economy, Labour, Transport, Public Works and Communications of Portugal in the cabinet of Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho.
As minister, Santos Pereira helped design reforms of the labour market and competition laws. His tenure as minister also became known due to his initial aggressive stance against the energy lobby – led by EDP – Electricidade de Portugal – and conciliatory settlement in the end. The negotiations regarding excessive rents led by Santos Pereira, resulted in EDP receiving less €30 million p.a. It now appears that excessive rents being charged by EDP could have amounted to €2 billion.
Since 2014, Santos Pereira has been serving as Director of the Country Studies Branch of the OECD Economics Department.
On 19 July 2025, Santos Pereira was nominated as the Governor of the Bank of Portugal, succeeding Mário Centeno upon the expiration of his term.