Stavros was of Aromanian origin,[1][2][3] born in Ioannina, Epirus, a major intellectual center of the Greek world then under Ottoman rule.

In Saint Petersburg, he met Ioannis Kapodistrias, that time a diplomat in the service of the Russian Empire, that would play a key role in the Greek politics the following years.

[5] In 1824 Stavros moved to Greece and the next year he was appointed Chief Cashier of the Executive body of the First Hellenic Republic, under Georgios Kountouriotis.

Apart from his financial duties, he joined the armed struggle against the Ottoman Empire by leading an infantry group against Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt.

[5] Until his death, Stavros laid the foundations for the organization and expansion of the Bank, due to experience gained from his business in Vienna as well as the guidance offered by the Swiss banker, Jean-Gabriel Eynard.