April 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. government authorized new financial operations with Venezuelan state-owned banks in a measure that partially eases sanctions in place since 2017 and seeks to reopen limited channels for economic activity between the two countries, according to the Department of the Treasury.
The decision, published Tuesday by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, allows U.S. companies and entities to conduct transactions with the Central Bank of Venezuela, Banco de Venezuela, Banco Digital de los Trabajadores and Banco del Tesoro, as well as with certain individuals linked to the government who are not subject to additional sanctions.
Under "financial services," the Office of Foreign Assets Control includes the opening and maintenance of accounts, loans, transfers, dollar-denominated operations, insurance, guarantees, the use of cards and digital wallets, and services related to payments, wages, and remittances. It also covers investments and transactions that involve securities and commodities.
However, the document notes that the measure does not imply the unblocking of frozen assets, nor does it authorize transactions prohibited under other provisions of the sanctions regime.
