How Venezuela Shows Why Bitcoin, Crypto and Stablecoins Help Everyday People

Unchained

Laura Shin

News, Tech News, Business News

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2026

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Thank you to our sponsors, Uniswap and Figure Markets! Amid several years of economic challenges, Venezuela boasts a long and intriguing relationship with crypto. Following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by the U.S. government, these crypto ties have again been brought into focus. In this Unchained podcast episode, Ledn cofounder Mauricio Di Bartolomeo and Economic Inclusion Group President Jorge Jraissati join Laura Shin to unpack this history, including the plausibility of the Latin American country sitting on a $60 billion Bitcoin stash. Mauricio details how the hums of Bitcoin mining rigs became the sound of freedom for Venezuelans. Jorge says post-Maduro Venezuela will “demand” a crypto powered economy. Will the crypto industry shape the future of Venezuela? And what does such a future look like? Hosts: Laura Shin Guests: Mauricio Di Bartolomeo, Cofounder and CSO of Ledn Jorge Jraissati, President of Economic Inclusion Group Links: Bitcoin Rallies to $93,000 After U.S. Attack on Venezuela How Maduro’s Capture and a ‘Pre-War World’ Affects Bitcoin: Bits + Bips Brian Kelly on Token-Curated Registries, Robinhood Crypto Trading and the Petro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	In Venezuela, there are two exchange rates right now.
0:03.6	If you believe the government, the government today, I'm looking at the screen,
0:06.9	the government right now says $1.21 billion.
0:11.9	In the free market, i.e. peer-to-peer markets, a dollar is trading for 780 bolioreores.
0:18.4	That is a delta of 143% in value.
0:23.0	So you tell me how you're going to choose to send money to your loved ones.
0:26.8	We're extremely pro-Bitcoin. We're extremely pro-stable coin.
0:30.5	And I think that's the huge opportunity that we have because it's a combination of an elite that really believes on these things and the population
0:38.6	who are using these things every single day.
0:42.5	So I think that's why Venezuela everybody has to be extremely optimistic about it.
0:50.0	Hey, everyone.
0:52.0	Welcome to Unchained.
0:53.4	You're no hype resource for all things crypto. I'm your host, Laura Shin. Thanks for joining this live stream. Before we get started, a quick reminder, nothing you hear on Unchained is investment advice. This show is for informational and entertainment purposes only. And Mike S&A may hold assets discussed on the show. For more disclosures, visit Unchainedcrypto.com.
1:12.1	Are you a builder who needs to add on-chain trading to your product?
1:15.7	The Uniswop Trading API from Uniswap Labs offers plug-and-play access to some of the deepest
1:20.9	liquidity in...
1:21.7	AI is incredible.
1:23.9	They can teach you how to fry an egg and even write a poem, pirate style.
1:30.0	But it knows nothing about your work.
1:32.9	Slackbot is different.
1:34.3	It doesn't just know the facts.
1:36.2	It knows your schedule.
	...

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