Sep 25, 2026
Chainalysis' latest report shows Latin America emerging as a global stablecoin hub, with Brazil leading worldwide in crypto adoption and value received. Stablecoin use grew significantly across the region, driven by Mexico and Venezuela, even as global crypto market cap fell 50%.
Venezuela has reached a deal to accept repatriation flights from the United States, as an appeals court panel appears divided on whether to order the Trump administration to facilitate the return of dozens of Venezuelan migrants who were deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador in 2024.
Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez told the UN General Assembly that the country would hold elections as part of a transition to 'full democracy,' though she did not provide a specific timeline, in her first address since taking power after US forces captured Nicolás Maduro.
President Donald Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, defending U.S. military operations in Iran, Venezuela and elsewhere while warning he could 'annihilate the Islamic Republic' if no deal is reached. Multiple fact-checkers identified numerous false and misleading claims throughout his 40-minute speech.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a 28-year-old Venezuelan man identified as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez during a traffic stop in Austin, Texas. The man was hospitalized in serious but stable condition, and the incident prompted immediate protests at the scene.
Human Rights Watch conducted its first visit to Venezuela in 18 years, finding that interim President Delcy Rodriguez has overseen a temporary reduction in overt repression since taking office in January. However, the organization warns that the state apparatus responsible for human rights abuses remains fully intact, with former inmates describing severe conditions at facilities like Rodeo I prison.
President Trump will meet with Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez on September 22 in New York, marking the first in-person meeting between US and Venezuelan leadership since the Trump administration's operation to capture Maduro.
Christian Castro, a federal immigration officer, was arrested in Minneapolis and appeared in court to face state and federal charges for shooting and wounding a Venezuelan man in January 2026 and lying about the circumstances. The arrest came eight months after the incident and followed a protracted extradition dispute between Minnesota and Texas that was ultimately dropped.
Poland's state energy company Orlen lost up to $424 million after a $230 million USDT cryptocurrency payment for discounted Venezuelan crude oil disappeared following a covert deal that began in late 2023. The payment vanished on USB drives in a collapsed transaction.
Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a close financial fixer for ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, pleaded guilty in Miami to money laundering tied to an alleged bribery conspiracy to win government contracts.
President Trump suggested the US could remain in Iran to secure its oil, drawing parallels to US involvement in Venezuela's oil reserves. He also said the Iran war would end after US midterm elections and claimed Houthis asked the US not to intervene in Yemen.
About 200,000 Salvadoran immigrants face uncertainty as a deadline approaches for the Trump administration to decide whether to end their Temporary Protected Status, following similar terminations for hundreds of thousands from Venezuela, Haiti and other countries. Long-term residents who have spent decades in the US are preparing for possible deportation.
Federal prosecutors charged ICE officer Christian Castro with six counts of lying to investigators about the non-fatal shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis in January 2026. Castro turned himself in to federal custody and was released on bail, while ProPublica reported that DOJ officials blocked more serious civil rights charges.
A federal prosecutor who planned to file civil rights charges against an ICE agent for shooting Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis was fired after Trump administration officials blocked the charges. The agent was instead charged only with making false statements to investigators.
Federal prosecutors charged ICE agent Christian Castro with making false statements to investigators about a shooting incident in Minneapolis involving Venezuelan man Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. The case is notable as DOJ officials reportedly blocked more serious civil rights charges that a prosecutor had planned to file.
Oil giant Chevron confirmed plans to invest more than $7 billion through its Venezuela joint ventures to double oil production to about 600,000 barrels per day over the next five years, following President Trump's announcement of a US-Venezuela oil deal.
The Trump administration has struck a deal giving the Pentagon a 35% stake in a Venezuelan oil venture led by mogul Alejandro Betancourt, marking an unusual arrangement where the U.S. government would directly collaborate in developing Venezuela's oil resources.
North American Blue Energy Partners will assume control of more than 17 Venezuelan oilfields under a deal announced by President Trump, securing 100-year rights to operations previously managed by Chinese and Russian companies. The agreement gives the US access to a significant portion of Venezuela's proven oil reserves.
President Trump announced the US has entered an agreement with Venezuela to take majority control of over 65 billion barrels of the country's oil reserves, calling it the 'biggest oil deal in world history.'
The Trump administration announced a deal to secure long-term access to a portion of Venezuela's massive oil reserves, with the US taking majority control of more than 65 billion barrels. The agreement comes as US strategic reserves have fallen to 40-year lows.
President Trump announced that the U.S. has secured a deal with Venezuela to take control of a significant portion of the country's proven oil reserves, which he described as historic and aimed at lowering gas prices. The agreement comes as U.S. strategic reserves have fallen to 40-year lows.
Oswaldo José Pirela, a San Diego Padres minor-league catching coordinator, was released on bond from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention after being taken into custody on August 16. He still faces removal proceedings and potential deportation to Venezuela.
Venezuela has signed its first oil production contracts with US companies including Hunt Oil and SLB since the US captured Nicolás Maduro in January, while BP secured rights to develop an offshore gasfield. The deals mark significant progress in the Trump administration's push to rebuild Venezuela's energy sector, with oil flows to US refineries quadrupling to 500,000 barrels per day since 2025.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit dismissed a legal challenge to President Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members, ruling the case moot because the plaintiffs had already been deported. The court avoided making a substantive ruling on the controversial use of the wartime law.
Venezuela and Israel announced the restoration of consular services after severing diplomatic ties in 2009, marking a dramatic shift in Venezuela's geopolitical alignment following recent earthquakes and the Maduro abduction crisis.
The U.S. government has sold two sanctioned oil tankers, seized following a military raid in Venezuela in January, to Dubai-based Global Marketing Systems for scrapping. The vessels, identified as Era and Lileo (previously known as Bella 1/Marinera), will be dismantled at metal recycling facilities in India.
Negotiations between Venezuela's interim government and opposition faction commenced Thursday following nearly a week of delays. The US-backed talks aim to reshape the country's political system and establish groundwork for future elections after years of political turmoil.
Venezuela and the Dominican Republic announced an agreement to begin gradual normalization of diplomatic and consular relations, which were severed in 2024 after the Dominican Republic refused to recognize Nicolás Maduro's contested reelection. The countries will develop a roadmap for restoring ties.
A truck packed with explosives detonated outside a police station in Cucuta, Colombia, near the Venezuelan border, injuring between 11 and 14 people. The attack occurred six days before President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella is scheduled to take office, with the government blaming rebel groups.
Negotiations between Venezuela's government and opposition factions commenced on July 31, 2026, led by former lawmaker Dinorah Figuera, with the country's most prominent opposition figure Maria Corina Machado notably absent from the proceedings. Venezuelans are watching the U.S.-backed talks with cautious optimism after previous negotiation attempts failed.
Venezuela has formally initiated its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, with interim leader Delcy Rodriguez accusing the tribunal of political bias against developing nations. The move comes amid closer alignment with the Trump administration, which has pledged to 'dismantle' the ICC.
Venezuela's health ministry confirmed three deaths from hantavirus infections in Anzoategui state, with two additional suspected deaths of health workers in Barinas state pending confirmation. Authorities stressed there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission and the outbreak remains localized.
Three weeks after two powerful earthquakes struck central Venezuela, the confirmed death toll has risen to approximately 4,829-5,000 people, with the UN estimating 50,000 remain missing and thousands displaced as rescue efforts transition to rebuilding.
Devastating twin earthquakes struck northern Venezuela, killing approximately 4,500 people and leaving thousands homeless. Public anger is mounting over what many perceive as a botched government response to the disaster.
Twin earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela's capital Caracas and coastal La Guaira on June 24, killing over 4,300 people and injuring more than 16,000. The UN has launched a $300 million appeal as survivors face disease outbreaks and tens of thousands remain missing.
Twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela last month have killed 3,889 people, prompting a UN appeal for $300 million in humanitarian assistance as survivors face disease outbreak risks and seek medical help beyond immediate injuries.
Two weeks after twin earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, the death toll has climbed above 3,800 with tens of thousands still missing. The disaster has overwhelmed the country's healthcare system and presents a major crisis for Venezuela's acting president.
After devastating earthquakes struck northern Venezuela on June 24-25, 2026, stablecoins emerged as a critical mechanism for rapidly distributing emergency aid to survivors, addressing challenges in traditional money transfer systems.
Two consecutive earthquakes struck Venezuela, killing more than 3,000 people with the death toll expected to rise. The disaster exposed years of warnings about structural deficiencies in public housing towers, many of which collapsed, while interim President Rodríguez defended the government's emergency response amid the country's ongoing political and economic crisis.
The World Health Organization reported on June 30 that Venezuela's healthcare system is facing significant strain following deadly twin earthquakes, with damaged hospitals, missing staff, and growing concerns about infectious disease outbreaks and food shortages among survivors.
Two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude struck northern Venezuela in rapid succession on Wednesday, collapsing buildings in Caracas and prompting a state of emergency. Experts say the quakes likely involved separate fault lines in the tectonically complex region.
Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela's northern coast and capital Caracas within a minute of each other on June 24, 2026, causing buildings to collapse, damaging the international airport at Maiquetía, and prompting authorities to cancel classes and close the airport.
Venezuela's interim government has signed a cooperation agreement with U.S. energy company GE Vernova to rebuild and improve the country's deteriorating electrical grid, which has been plagued by frequent and lengthy power outages in recent years.
President Trump announced US forces killed Héctor 'Niño Guerrero' Flores, leader of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, in a military strike coordinated with Venezuela. The gang leader had a $5 million US bounty.
Cuba's energy minister announced the country has completely depleted its oil and diesel supplies amid a U.S. blockade that tightened after Venezuela stopped fuel shipments following its president's capture in January. The crisis has triggered rolling blackouts in Havana and protests in the capital.
Former President Donald Trump announced he will work to secure the release of all political prisoners held in Venezuela. The statement comes amid ongoing protests in Venezuela supporting an amnesty law for political detainees.
Federal prosecutors arrested Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke for allegedly using confidential military intelligence to place over $400,000 in bets on Polymarket regarding Venezuela operations, including the capture of Nicolás Maduro. The soldier allegedly participated in the raid himself and attempted to conceal his betting activity.
The International Monetary Fund and World Bank announced they are resuming formal engagement with Venezuela, which had been suspended since 2019, paving the way for financial support and legitimizing the country's interim government.
China and Russia rallied behind Cuba's government amid mounting US pressure, as Moscow's deputy foreign minister concluded a Havana visit and Beijing signaled support, while Cuban President Díaz-Canel vowed to resist US demands for his resignation.
The United States removed sanctions on Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodríguez, marking a significant shift in relations following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro. The move comes as Washington gradually eases measures on Venezuela.
On July 24, 2026, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia notified the UN of the country's withdrawal from the ICC, alleging geographical bias against the Global South. Venezuela remains under active ICC investigation into its armed forces and government officials.