On April 14, 2026, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued two new general licenses (“GLs”) — GL 56 and GL 57, which further ease longstanding US sanctions targeting Venezuela. OFAC also issued a new Frequently Asked Question (“FAQ”) to clarify the scope of the reporting requirements included in several Venezuela-related GLs. These GLs address certain gaps in the previous sanctions framework and removal of certain restrictions by broadening the…
On February 13, 2026, as part of an ongoing series of sanctions-easing measures following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued two general licenses authorizing certain activities related to operations in Venezuela’s oil and gas sector. As further detailed below, OFAC General License No. 49 (“GL 49”) authorizes US persons to negotiate and enter into contingent contracts for certain…
On January 10, 2025, in a multilateral sanctions action, the US, Canada, EU, and UK sanctioned various Venezuelan individuals linked to the Venezuelan government and prominent state-owned entities. US Sanctions The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) designated eight Venezuelan individuals as Specially Designated Nationals pursuant to Executive Order 13692, including the president of the Specially Designated National state-owned petroleum company, Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., (PdVSA), the Venezuelan Ministry of Transportation and…
On May 1, 2023, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued General License No. 42 (“GL 42”) under the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations (“VSR”), three new Venezuela-related Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQs”), and also amended one Venezuela-related FAQ. These developments occurred in the context of efforts by creditors to enforce judgments against Venezuela and appear to have been in response to a request from the Special Master for the US District…