Venezuela | Crypto

Several blockchain analysts said they were unable to verify whether the Latin American nation held $60 billion in the cryptocurrency. Paul Atkins, chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), didn’t rule out the possibility of authorities seizing Venezuela’s reported Bitcoin holdings after US forces unseated and captured the country’s president. In a Monday interview with Fox Business’ Stuart Varney, Atkins responded to reports claiming that Venezuela holds up to $60 billion worth of Bitcoin (BTC), though several analysts said they were unable to verify these claims. The SEC chair said it “remains to be seen” what action, if any, the US would take if it had the opportunity to seize the reported 600,000 BTC.  “I leave that to others in the administration to deal with — I’m not involved in that,” said Atkins in response to a question on whether the US would “take those Bitcoin off ‘em.” Read more

The dual life of stablecoins: A lifeline for citizens and a tool for sanctioned entities involved in Venezuela and Iran's economic crises. Recent turmoil in Venezuela and Iran has again put the spotlight on the duality of stablecoins, with the US dollar-backed assets such as Tether acting as both a savior for embattled citizens and a tool for blacklisted entities to evade sanctions.  Both Venezuela and Iran have been catching headlines at the beginning of 2026 amid political uncertainty and civil unrest. With both facing a host of sanctions, inflation, political instability, and a cost-of-living crisis, crypto and stablecoins have become an important part of the ecosystem.  Iran has seen protests erupt across the country over the past two weeks in response to worsening economic conditions and the Iranian rial tanking to record lows against the US dollar.   Read more

Ledn co-founder Mauricio Di Bartolomeo, born and raised in Venezuela, argues that the country’s government is simply too corrupt and incompetent to have accumulated a rumored $60 billion stash of bitcoin.

Venezuela’s early crypto adoption and gold-to-Bitcoin conversion speculation raise questions about a $60 billion reserve, though analysts have found no proof. The US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has renewed questions over whether Venezuela holds an undisclosed Bitcoin reserve, which analysts say remains unproven. On Saturday, investigative journalist Bradley Hope outlined a theory that Venezuela may be holding a hidden Bitcoin (BTC) reserve worth up to $60 billion, claiming that its government has been converting gold into cryptocurrency over several years. “Sources describe a Swiss lawyer who controls wallet access,” Hope said in a co-authored report published by the investigative newsletter Whale Hunting, raising questions about the alleged involvement of Alex Saab, Venezuela’s minister of industry and national production, who has been sanctioned by the US. Read more

When Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appears in a federal courtroom in New York to face narco-terrorism charges, the world will see a geopolitical spectacle. However, for cryptocurrency investors, the proceedings carry a hidden financial stake that could reshape the global Bitcoin market for years to come. Data from Bitcoin Treasuries credit the Venezuelan government with […] The post Venezuela’s secret $60 billion Bitcoin empire from illicit gold and USDT swap rumors ignite after US “intervention” appeared first on CryptoSlate.

When the futures market opened Monday, the screens told a story that felt backward. The U.S. had just captured Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, in a weekend operation that jolted geopolitics and dominated headlines. And yet oil did not spike. It slipped. At the same time, Bitcoin held its ground, then pushed higher. It traded around […] The post Oil prices just did the unthinkable after the Venezuela raid, and it hands Bitcoin a rare advantage appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Nobel Prize-winning Bitcoiner María Corina Machado is one of three looking to replace Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela's president after he was captured on Saturday. Following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, attention has turned to the country’s transition to new leadership — and one Bitcoiner is in the running to lead that charge. María Corina Machado, Venezuelan opposition leader and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, is the second-favorite to lead Venezuela’s shift away from authoritarian rule under Maduro, who has been transferred to New York to face federal charges related to narcotics trafficking and corruption. Data from predictions market Kalshi shows Machado has a 28% chance of leading Venezuela by the end of 2026, trailing only Unitary Platform’s Edmundo González Urrutia (32%), who is widely believed to have won Venezuela’s election in May 2025 but was blocked from assuming the presidency by Maduro’s United Socialist Party. Read more

Bitcoin sought to maintain 2026 BTC price highs as the weekly close brought major volatility risks thanks to geopolitical uncertainty over Venezuela. Bitcoin (BTC) near year-to-date highs into Sunday’s weekly close as traders braced for liquidity grabs. Key points: Bitcoin enters classic fakeout territory as the weekly close coincides with the aftermath of the US-Venezuela news. Read more

The chances of Bitcoin’s price tumbling in the aftermath of the US military's attack on Venezuela are "relatively slim," according to a crypto analyst. Despite Bitcoin’s history of volatility during geopolitical tensions, its price is unlikely to fall in the coming days following the US strike on Venezuela, according to a crypto analyst. “I don't think we'll see a widespread correction based on the attack in Venezuela on Bitcoin,” MN Trading Capital founder Michael van de Poppe said in an X post on Saturday. The US strikes on Venezuela took place at around 6:00 a.m. UTC on Saturday and reportedly lasted for around 30 minutes. Van de Poppe anticipates the event will not directly affect Bitcoin’s (BTC) price because it was a “planned and coordinated attack” and one that has “already passed us.” Read more

Political changes in Venezuela, including U.S. plans for involvement, influenced market volatility and trading dynamics.

Risk-on asset markets tend to react negatively to geopolitical shocks, macroeconomic turmoil, and other negative news events. The price of Bitcoin (BTC) remained firm at about $90,000, despite geopolitical tensions between the United States and Venezuela reaching a boiling point in the early hours of Saturday morning. Bitcoin briefly fell below $90,000 on Saturday before climbing back up above the $90,000 level, where it is trading at the time of this writing. “The US bombed a country and captured its leader, on a weekend no less, and yet Bitcoin has barely moved,” Nic Puckrin, market analyst and founder of the crypto media company Coin Bureau, said in an X post.  Read more

Bitcoin halted a breakout to new 2026 highs near $91,000 as BTC price action dealt with "geopolitical tension" while TradFi markets were closed. Bitcoin (BTC) dropped below $90,000 on Saturday as crypto markets reacted to the US military action in Venezuela. Key points: Bitcoin attempts to hold recent gains as the US mounts an attack on Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. Read more

Earlier this month, the US began intercepting and seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan crude, with a first seizure reported around Dec. 10 and a second interception by Dec. 20. By Dec. 22, US officials said a third vessel was being pursued near Venezuelan waters. Caracas responded with an emergency law imposing prison terms of up to […] The post Gold hits $4,400 as Venezuela blockade bites, but a quiet ownership shift is changing how winners trade appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Venezuela’s worsening economy and a weakening bolívar are driving wider stablecoin adoption, TRM Labs says. The post Stablecoin Use in Venezuela Set to Rise as Bolívar Weakens: TRM Labs appeared first on Cryptonews.

The crypto ecosystem in Venezuela is a product of ongoing economic collapse and international sanctions pressure, according to the TRM Labs team. Venezuelans are already heavily reliant on blockchain technology for banking after suffering through a decade of economic pressures; however, usage is likely to keep growing if conditions worsen in the South American country, blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs says. As regional and geopolitical tensions continue to rise, driven in part by US-Venezuela tensions, causing macroeconomic instability and the bolívar’s continued devaluation, the TRM Labs team predicted in a report on Thursday that demand for stablecoins as both a store of value and a medium of exchange will rise. At the same time, regulatory ambiguity and continued uncertainty surrounding the country’s crypto regulator, SUNACRIP’s, authority and enforcement capacity, and eroding trust in traditional banking infrastructure could prolong the population’s dependence and drive more usage.  Read more

An informal peer-to-peer crypto economy is now central to Venezuela’s economy, and should be considered as President Trump ratchets up tensions with the country, a new TRM report says.

Venezuela turns to USDT as hyperinflation bites, with merchants pegging prices to Binance P2P dollar rates. With inflation at 229%, daily prices in Venezuela are set in USDT “Binance dollars,” usually at live P2P rates. Three dollar rates exist (official, parallel and P2P), but merchants mostly follow the P2P quote. The government tolerates dollar-backed crypto in exchanges, though it hasn’t legalized dollarization. Read more

As inflation hits 229%, stablecoins like USDt are overtaking Venezuela’s bolívar for everyday payments, from groceries to salaries. Stablecoins like USDt have become the de facto currency for millions of people navigating a crumbling financial system in Venezuela as the country’s annual inflation rate surges to 229%. Once limited to crypto-savvy users, Tether’s USDt (USDT), often referred to locally as “Binance dollars,” is now widely used across Venezuela for everything from groceries and condo fees to salaries and vendor payments, Mauricio Di Bartolomeo, who fled Venezuela before co-founding Ledn in 2018, told Cointelegraph. The bolívar, Venezuela’s national currency, is largely dead in daily commerce. Hyperinflation, strict capital controls, and a fractured exchange rate landscape drive a growing preference for stablecoins over cash or local bank transfers. Read more

From corner shops to big retailers, Venezuelans are embracing stablecoins as inflation soars and the bolívar loses over 70% of its value. Cryptocurrencies are becoming a core part of the economy in Venezuela as citizens turn to digital assets to shield themselves from a collapsing currency and tighter government controls. From small family stores to large retail chains, shops across the country now accept crypto through platforms such as Binance and Airtm. Some businesses even use stablecoins to pay employees, while universities have begun offering courses dedicated to digital assets. “There’s lots of places accepting it now,” shopper Victor Sousa, who paid for phone accessories with USDt (USDT), told the Financial Times. “The plan is to one day have my savings in crypto.” Read more