The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro wants the nation state-issued cryptocurrency, petro (PTR) to have the same usability properties as a physical currency. On December 13, Maduro explained on national television that the Superintendence of Crypto-Assets and Related Activities (Sunacrip) will be airdropping 0.5 PTR ($30) next week to eligible citizens who register with the Petro App.
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Venezuelan President Aggressively Pushes for Petro Adoption
The United Socialist Party leader and Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has been marketing the country’s cryptocurrency, the petro (PTR), aggressively recently. In November, Maduro told the public that PTR needs to be just as usable as physical currencies. “The usability is very important, so we can distribute the petro,” Maduro explained at the time. The Venezuelan head of state noted that there are citizens who don’t have a phone, but emphasized that “usability can be done with a card.” Maduro continued by saying that just like the 18 million Venezuelans with the Carnet de la Patria (Homeland card), a card for PTR can be created. The Homeland card is a Venezuelan identity card that leverages a QR code and a digital wallet. Maduro’s announcement further stressed:
We can give debit cards with petro, that is, build a solid monetary system and boost the usability of the Venezuelan cryptocurrency.
The Venezuelan leader went on to say that the state’s electronic payment system will help the country “seek a definitive exit to the economic war.” Maduro remarked that thousands of Venezuelan
