Venezuela Inflation Nears Weimar Levels

This is precisely what drives Maduro’s interest in establishing a cryptocurrency—to circumvent U.S.-led sanctions. The petro will serve as a “buffer” between transactions, encrypting all incoming and outgoing money to free up the country’s monetary system from controls imposed by the U.S. As explained by Bloomberg’s Leonid Bershidsky, foreign investors “will be able to lend money to Venezuela and get repaid in cryptocurrency, which Maduro wants them to spend on oil and other Venezuelan commodities” that are tied up by the U.S. Russia has similar ambitions with its “CryptoRuble,” unveiled in October. More…