Vermont-Based Teucrium Files for Venezuela Exposure ETF
As of January 7, a U.S. ETF provider is seeking permission to create the first exchange-traded fund (ETF) that targets Venezuelan assets. This move follows the recent arrest of President Nicolas Maduro, which has ignited interest in local financial resources.
Teucrium, based in Vermont, submitted its application to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday to establish the Techrium Venezuela Exposure ETF.
This ETF is designed to track stocks and deposits of firms identified as Venezuelan, as well as those companies that earn a minimum of 50% of their revenue from Venezuela or from major trading partners with significant exports to the country.
A representative from Teucrium mentioned to Reuters that the initiative had been in the works prior to these recent developments. Notably, the company manages over $518 million in assets, focusing primarily on commodities and cryptocurrencies, according to VettaFi’s ETF database.
The local Bursatil Stock Index has seen a surge of over 90% in dollar terms since Monday, marking its first rally since late 2025. This uptick is fueled by optimism that the change in leadership in Venezuela could pave the way for a restructuring of its debt and invite investments into its extensive oil and mineral reserves.
However, Romain Bordenabe, an emerging market fixed income and currency portfolio manager at Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management, cautioned that while the ETF application highlights increasing interest, the underlying Venezuelan market remains quite small and illiquid. He emphasized that significant uncertainties persist regarding policies and institutional reliability.
Bordenabe also noted that the recent fluctuations in domestic stock prices seem driven by sentiment rather than solid fundamentals, pending clarity on sanctions and macroeconomic policies.
Historically, investors have steered clear of Venezuelan assets since the country defaulted on its external debt in 2017 under intense U.S. sanctions.
With the advent of low-cost, commission-free brokerages, such as Robinhood and Interactive Brokers, ETFs have grown significantly in popularity among individual traders, making access to this market more straightforward and affordable.
