Ehrsam offered his perspectives on the development of the cryptoasset sector in Venezuela.
Citizens of Venezuela cannot open accounts on Coinbase, until now.
The cryptocurrency ecosystem in Venezuela witnessed a high-level institutional meeting this Wednesday, May 13, 2026. Fred Ehrsam, co-founder of the largest exchange in the United States, Coinbase, and the investment firm Paradigm, visited the headquarters of the Bank of Venezuela (BDV) in Caracas.
Invited by the president of the institution, Román Maniglia, Ehrsam offered a technical and strategic talk entitled “Finance of the future: a disruptive look at the global economy”, which was aimed at managers and specialized personnel of the largest financial entity in the nation.
«I think there are opportunities in almost every sector. I am especially excited about the financial sector because in Venezuela I think it will grow rapidly. And what I would like to see for the country is that the economy is fully digitalized as it grows,” stated Ehrsam quoted by local media.
Asked by Maniglia about the possibility of digital assets being a catalyst for Venezuela’s economy, Ehrsam said:
There are three specific ways I think that could happen. The first is through stablecoins. The second, big emerging property of cryptocurrency is access to global investments more widely. So I think cryptocurrency can also offer the ability for companies and individuals to get, for example, international access in a way that may be difficult right now. And the third element is that there is a lot of talk today about the tokenization process, and I believe that many assets in Venezuela could go through this process to attract investments.
Fred Ehrsam, co-founder of Coinbase.
Sources close to the meeting told CriptoNoticias that the conversation allowed Ehrsam deepen his perspective on how Venezuela has become a laboratory practical for the adoption of new financial technologies.
The day, held at the Torre de la Sociedad facilities, on Universidad Avenue, in Caracas, also focused on the businessman’s history and his participation in the founding of one of the most representative cryptocurrency companies in the world.
In recent years, the Bank of Venezuela has maintained a discourse oriented towards technological transformation and the integration of digital assets in its operational architecture, seeking to modernize financial services in a context where the use of bitcoin and other digital currencies has served as a safeguard mechanism against Venezuelan inflation.
Indeed, the presence of a figure of such relevance underlines the interest aroused by the volume of transactions with digital assets in the Caribbean country, despite the economic complexities that surround it.
However, the visit has not been without questions and debate within the technological and financial community. There is a palpable contradiction. And, while Ehrsam talks with the authorities of the main state bank, the platform that he helped found, Coinbase, maintains access restrictions for residents in Venezuelan territory.
Due to regulatory compliance programs and international sanctions issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), citizens in Venezuela cannot validate identities or operate legally in said cryptocurrency exchange house.
In any case, Ehrsam’s presence in the Venezuelan capital marks a milestone in the recognition of the local market by the big capitals of Silicon Valley.
However, the event concludes leaving a question about whether these institutional approaches will lead to greater opening of services for the population or whether they will remain as high-level exchanges with no direct impact on the financial inclusion of cryptocurrency users in the country.