Trump Locks U.S. Control of 65B Venezuelan Barrels in “Biggest Oil Deal in History”

President Donald Trump announced Friday that the United States has secured majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil reserves.

He called the Trump Venezuela oil deal the “biggest oil deal in world history”, and markets are already watching what it means for energy, inflation, and risk assets.

Ad

Ad

What the Deal Actually Says

Trump posted the announcement on Truth Social late Friday. According to his post, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth negotiated directly with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez.

Rubio described it as “a huge win for both the American and Venezuelan people.”

Venezuela’s government said the deal covers 17 strategic oil fields with a proven potential of 65 billion barrels.

The arrangement gives the U.S. 55% effective output of a new private joint venture, including an equity stake and rights to buy oil at cost.

A U.S. official confirmed to Axios that the deal is structured as a “public-private partnership,” not a direct cash purchase.

“They’re giving us equity,” one source said. The venture would be overseen by the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital.

Rodríguez granted the joint venture a 100-year development concession. Venezuela projects $100 billion in private investment and $209 billion in tax revenue from the arrangement.

The company formed would hold the second-largest proven reserves of any corporate entity globally, after Saudi Aramco.

The deal comes roughly nine months after U.S. forces captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026 on federal narcoterrorism charges.

That operation installed Rodríguez as interim leader and opened the door for U.S. energy negotiations.

At the time, Bitcoin surged past $90,000 as markets priced in potential oil supply relief and macro easing.

That January capture directly set the stage for this week’s announcement.

Trump’s Venezuela Move and Bitcoin’s Macro Case has grown sharply since then, with institutional analysts noting the connection between energy supply and crypto liquidity.

Ad

Ad

What This Means for Oil Prices, Inflation, and Crypto

This is not a quick fix. Venezuela currently produces only 1.25 million barrels per day, far below its potential after years of underinvestment, sanctions, and infrastructure decay.

Heavy Orinoco crude requires upgraders, pipelines, and power investment before it moves global prices.

Still, the announcement lands at a critical macro moment. Oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz remain impaired six months into the U.S.-Iran conflict.

U.S. retail gasoline sits near $4.09 a gallon. Strategic Petroleum Reserve stocks have fallen below 300 million barrels.

Against that backdrop, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh warned of rising inflation at Jackson Hole this week, holding firm on a 2% PCE target.

The Trump Venezuela oil deal is partly a political response to that pressure.

For crypto markets, the chain is straightforward: more Western Hemisphere barrels could ease oil prices.

Lower energy inflation reduces pressure on the Fed to hike. A hotter-than-expected U.S. PCE print had already dragged Bitcoin under $78,000 earlier this month.

The bullish read: if the deal produces credible near-term output, risk assets, including Bitcoin, get relief from the rates channel.

Bitcoin has held as a macro hedge through prior Trump geopolitical plays. That pattern may repeat.

The cautious read: no field list, no named private operator, and no full contract text have been released. Venezuelan opposition figures have called the concession “unconstitutional.”

A 100-year deal signed under a U.S.-installed interim government carries political reversal risk.

Stay updated with our crypto ICOs calendar featuring the most popular initial coin offerings.