Venezuelan Businesses Likely Turning to Crypto Amid Dollar Scarcity

TheNewsCryptoPubblicato 2026-03-24Pubblicato ultima volta 2026-03-24

Introduzione

Venezuelan businesses are increasingly likely to turn to cryptocurrency due to a severe scarcity of US dollars. Small and medium enterprises report having their dollar bids rejected without explanation, while large corporations in sectors like food, beverage, healthcare, and chemicals receive preferential access. With dollar availability down 13% compared to the same period in 2025, these smaller firms are forced to raise prices and explore alternative markets. Additionally, Venezuela is suspected of holding significant Bitcoin reserves, estimated at nearly $22 million, potentially to circumvent international sanctions. These reserves, if liquidated, could impact the global crypto market. Meanwhile, crypto prices remained stable over the past 24 hours, with BTC trading above $70,000 and projections suggesting a potential rise to around $75,661 in the next month.

There is a possibility for Venezuelan businesses to switch to the crypto segment. This is in the wake of the dollar scarcity. Firms in Venezuela are looking to raise prices before contemplating the next move. Meanwhile, crypto prices remained flatlined over the last 24 hours, with BTC and ETH maintaining their levels above the expected respective marks.

Crypto for Venezuelan Businesses?

Fewer dollars were reported to be available in early 2026 as compared to 2025. This forced small and medium businesses in Venezuela to first consider raising their prices and then moving to an alternate market due to economic threats over the industry.

Small and medium businesses have alleged that their bids of dollars have been rejected without any reason. Allocation to big businesses, on the other hand, has been happening seamlessly. Companies that are reportedly getting preferred access to dollars are large food, beverage, healthcare, and chemical companies.

Small and medium Venezuelan businesses have alleged that auctions have been limited and their reach has been limited to a few companies. Analysts have said that the availability of dollars from mid-January to early March was around $1.3 billion. This is 13% less than it was in 2025 during the same time.

Venezuela and BTC

Earlier reports underlined that Venezuela may be sitting on a BTC reserve worth millions of dollars. This is based on the region’s sanctioned exclusion from the global financial market. Experts anticipate that Venezuela may have turned to cryptocurrency, or bitcoin to be more specific, to make its way around sanctions.

There is no official worth on its reserves; however, Bitcoin Treasuries estimates that it could be worth almost $22 million. This level of holding, if & when liquidated, could have a larger impact on the global crypto market. Thereby impacting investors in a broader sense. Crypto wallets holding BTC are likely linked to generals and members of Maduro’s party.

Crypto Prices

Meanwhile, crypto prices across the segment have remained flat over the last 24 hours. BTC itself has maintained a stay above $70k. It is up by 2.34%, trading at $70,236.69, when the article is being drafted.

BTC projection estimates the flagship cryptocurrency to jump by 7.44% in the next month. This would take the token to around $75,661, amid a medium volatility of 3.63%. Overall sentiments remain bearish with an FGI of 8 points for extreme fear.

Highlighted Crypto News Today:

Hostplus Eyes Bitcoin Investment Option for Retirement Funds

TagsCryptoDollarVenezuela

Domande pertinenti

QWhy are Venezuelan businesses considering switching to crypto?

AVenezuelan businesses are considering switching to crypto due to a scarcity of US dollars, which is forcing them to seek alternative markets and payment methods.

QWhat is the estimated value of Venezuela's potential Bitcoin reserves according to Bitcoin Treasuries?

ABitcoin Treasuries estimates that Venezuela's potential Bitcoin reserves could be worth almost $22 million.

QHow did the availability of dollars in early 2026 compare to 2025 for Venezuelan businesses?

AThe availability of dollars from mid-January to early March 2026 was around $1.3 billion, which is 13% less than it was during the same period in 2025.

QWhich types of companies in Venezuela are reportedly getting preferred access to dollars?

ALarge food, beverage, healthcare, and chemical companies are reportedly getting preferred access to dollars.

QWhat was the price and performance of BTC at the time the article was written?

ABTC was trading at $70,236.69, up by 2.34%, and had maintained a level above $70,000 over the last 24 hours.

Letture associate

Bitwise: Crypto Becomes a Contrarian Investment, Three Logics to Understand the Current Market

**Summary** Matt Hougan, Bitwise's CIO, analyzes the current crypto market through three key lenses, arguing it has shifted from a momentum-driven to a contrarian investment. **1) Crypto Becomes a Contrarian Play:** The market is weak, with major assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum down significantly. Capital has moved to hot sectors like AI, leaving crypto as an "unloved" asset class. This transforms crypto investing from trend-following to a test of patience and fundamental analysis. Investors now favor projects with solid fundamentals (e.g., Hyperliquid) over speculative ones. **2) Regulatory Overhang:** The uncertain fate of the U.S. CLARITY Act, a major crypto regulatory framework, is a key headwind. With its passage in 2024 seen as far from guaranteed (estimates range from 30-55%), institutional capital remains on the sidelines, choosing less risky alternatives like AI stocks. The market needs clarity—whether the bill passes or fails—more than any specific outcome to move decisively. **3) Capital Rotates to New Fundamentals:** This cycle differs from past bear markets where money fled to Bitcoin. Now, capital seeks smaller assets with strong use cases. While major cryptos fell in May 2024, tokens like Hyperliquid (+72%), Zcash (+50%), and XLM (+44%) rallied on their specific fundamentals. This rotation confirms the new contrarian, fundamentals-driven logic and signals the bear market may be in its later stages. **Conclusion:** Short-term pressure persists due to regulatory uncertainty and competition from AI narratives. Investing in crypto now requires a contrarian mindset—acting against the crowd and focusing on fundamental value. Patience and targeting high-quality projects based on their merits are essential for capturing long-term gains.

marsbit38 min fa

Bitwise: Crypto Becomes a Contrarian Investment, Three Logics to Understand the Current Market

marsbit38 min fa

ChatGPT Might Be Disappearing Soon

OpenAI announced at its "Intelligence at Work" event that its coding assistant, Codex, will be fully integrated into the ChatGPT app within weeks. This move marks a strategic shift from a conversational AI (Chat) towards a unified "agentic" platform capable of execution. Codex, originally launched to compete with Anthropic's Claude Code, has grown rapidly to 5 million weekly active users, with 20% being non-developers like analysts and designers. Its enterprise revenue now constitutes 40% of OpenAI's total. The integration is the first step in creating a super-app combining ChatGPT (interface), Codex (execution engine), and the Atlas browser (web access). OpenAI also unveiled new Codex features: specialized Agent plugins for six professional roles, an "Annotations" tool for direct document editing, and a "Sites" function to turn work into shareable web apps. Internally, this reflects a power shift; the Codex team now leads core product strategy. While the ChatGPT brand remains for its vast user base, the platform's future is focused on autonomous agents that perform tasks, not just chat. The article notes that competition with Claude Code pushed OpenAI's development, with Codex competing on cost-effectiveness and accessibility rather than raw coding quality. It concludes that the essence of "ChatGPT" is evolving from a chatbot into an AI agent platform, with the name potentially becoming a legacy symbol of its original function.

marsbit48 min fa

ChatGPT Might Be Disappearing Soon

marsbit48 min fa

WWDC26 Ultimate Preview: The All-New Siri is the Main Course, iOS 27 is Another Year of Refinements

Apple has confirmed WWDC26 will begin on June 8, with the keynote at 10 AM PT (1 AM Beijing Time, June 9). This year's focus is expected to shift significantly from routine OS updates to Apple's progress in AI, particularly a major overhaul of Siri. Reports indicate the highlight will be a new Siri, reportedly powered by Google's Gemini technology. This upgraded assistant is expected to appear as a lightweight bubble from the Dynamic Island and be accessible via a unified "Search or Ask" system-wide entry point. It aims to deeply integrate with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27, accessing personal data like messages, photos, and documents, with a potential standalone Siri app also in development. For iOS 27, leaks suggest incremental improvements rather than major redesigns. Key updates may include a redesigned, more customizable Camera app, enhanced photo editing tools within the Photos app, and potential early system optimizations for a future foldable iPhone. The update is also rumored to prioritize bug fixes, stability, and performance optimization. iPadOS 27 is anticipated to focus on improving productivity features like window management, file systems, and external display support to better utilize the iPad's hardware. macOS 27 is seen as a core platform for Apple Intelligence, likely receiving an optimized Siri, new AI features, and continued refinement of the "Liquid Glass" design language. Notably, macOS 27 may finally drop support for Intel-based Macs. The overarching theme for WWDC26 is whether Apple can effectively integrate AI across its ecosystem. The success of the new Siri and Apple Intelligence will be judged on their ability to move beyond standalone features and become a cohesive, context-aware system layer that understands user workflows across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other devices, while maintaining Apple's emphasis on privacy and stability. The conference represents Apple's critical attempt to catch up and redefine the AI assistant experience after a perceived slow start in the generative AI era.

marsbit1 h fa

WWDC26 Ultimate Preview: The All-New Siri is the Main Course, iOS 27 is Another Year of Refinements

marsbit1 h fa

Trading

Spot
Futures
活动图片