![\"Delcy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2258343735.jpg\" "\\"Delcy")
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Delcy Rodriguez holds the country\u2019s new oil reform during an event at Miraflores Palace on January 29, 2026. in Caracas, Venezuela.<\/p>\n
Carlos Becerra<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
Venezuela\u2019s interim president, Delcy Rodr\u00edguez, made a pitch Wednesday for foreign investment in Miami \u2014 a city long vilified by her socialist movement \u2014 as sweeping political changes following Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u2019s capture drive a rapid reopening of the country\u2019s oil sector to U.S. companies.<\/p>\n
Rodr\u00edguez spoke on video from Venezuela as her country navigates a dramatically altered political landscape after the Jan. 3 capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a predawn U.S. raid in Caracas \u2014 an operation that triggered a fragile transition now being shaped by the Trump administration.<\/p>\n
That shift has opened the door to a new phase of cooperation between Washington and Venezuela\u2019s remaining socialist leadership, with the oil and mining sectors increasingly opening to U.S. firms as part of a broader economic realignment. After years of sanctions, confrontation and mutual distrust, the relationship is being recalibrated around energy security, investment and political stabilization.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the FII Priority forum \u2014 a global gathering in Miami Beach of more than 1,000 business leaders, policymakers and investors \u2014 Rodr\u00edguez cast Venezuela as an economy in recovery and newly open to private capital, particularly in the energy sector.<\/p>\n
A dramatic turn in rhetoric<\/p>\n
Her appearance \u2014 even virtually \u2014 underscored the scale of the political shift. For years, Venezuela\u2019s ruling movement portrayed global capitalism as a driver of inequality and dismissed Miami \u2014 home to the larges Venezuelan exile community in the U.S. \u2014 as a bastion of the \u201cextreme right\u201d and anti-Chavista opposition.<\/p>\n
Over the past two decades, officials in Caracas have also repeatedly accused exiles in the city of orchestrating dozens of plots to overthrow the socialist revolution. Against that backdrop, her participation in an investor forum in Miami would have been unthinkable just months ago.<\/p>\n
The moment reflects a pragmatic pivot driven by economic necessity and geopolitical change. By addressing financiers and corporate executives in Miami, Rodr\u00edguez signaled a willingness to engage directly with people her movement once vilified \u2014 an acknowledgment that foreign capital, particularly from the United States, will be central to Venezuela\u2019s recovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cVenezuela leads economic growth in Latin America,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez said, citing data from the U.N.\u2019s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. She pointed to 19 consecutive quarters of growth and described a five-year recovery despite what she called \u201cunilateral coercive measures\u201d imposed by Washington and its allies.<\/p>\n
Her remarks aimed to recast Venezuela\u2019s image from a country long associated with economic collapse to one positioning itself as a fast-growing market driven by reforms and renewed access to global capital.<\/p>\n
Oil at the center<\/p>\n
At the core of Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s pitch is Venezuela\u2019s vast energy potential and a newly enacted hydrocarbons law that expands the role of private investors.<\/p>\n
The legislation allows companies to participate directly in exploration, production and commercialization, while introducing more flexible tax and royalty structures and allowing for international arbitration \u2014 provisions designed to ease long-standing concerns over legal uncertainty.<\/p>\n
Rodr\u00edguez said Venezuela holds the world\u2019s largest proven oil reserves \u2014 about 303 billion barrels \u2014 and production costs comparable to Saudi Arabia, among the lowest globally.<\/p>\n
She added that the new framework allows investors to negotiate terms on up to 64% of a barrel\u2019s value, including reductions in royalties and income taxes \u2014 a level of flexibility rarely seen under previous state-dominated models.<\/p>\n
Analysts say the reform marks one of the most significant shifts in Venezuela\u2019s oil policy in decades, moving away from rigid state control toward a more hybrid system aimed at attracting foreign capital.<\/p>\n
The government is also seeking to revive its historic energy relationship with the United States, which once accounted for roughly 40% of Venezuela\u2019s oil exports. Rodr\u00edguez described the U.S. as a \u201cnatural market\u201d and said commercial ties are beginning to be restored.<\/p>\n
That reopening comes as U.S. policymakers weigh how to balance energy interests with the political risks of engaging a transitional government still rooted in Venezuela\u2019s socialist system.<\/p>\n
Broader economic pitch<\/p>\n
Beyond oil, Rodr\u00edguez pointed to growth in construction, finance, mining and manufacturing, framing Venezuela as a broader investment destination.<\/p>\n
She said the country reached zero fuel imports in 2025 for the first time in a decade, with domestic production now meeting internal demand \u2014 a milestone she presented as evidence of the oil sector\u2019s recovery.<\/p>\n
She also highlighted Venezuela\u2019s vast natural gas reserves \u2014 among the largest in the hemisphere \u2014 along with gold and other mineral resources, positioning the country as a potential supplier of both energy and critical materials.<\/p>\n
In an effort to counter security concerns, Rodr\u00edguez said Venezuela now has one of the lowest homicide rates in the region, at three per 100,000 inhabitants, below the Latin American average.<\/p>\n
At the same time, she acknowledged lingering challenges, including poverty, infrastructure decay and what she described as \u201csocial debts\u201d after years of economic crisis.<\/p>\n
Call for investment and diplomacy<\/p>\n
Rodr\u00edguez framed the reforms as part of a broader push to reintegrate Venezuela into the global economy.<\/p>\n
She called for the \u201cde-ideologization\u201d of investment decisions and urged companies to engage directly with Caracas rather than rely on outside narratives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are creating conditions where investors can be assured that, regardless of political changes, there is legal security,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She also signaled improving ties with Washington, backing a \u201cconstructive bilateral agenda\u201d and confirming that Venezuelan officials are heading to Washington for talks aimed at restoring formal diplomatic channels.<\/p>\n
Those discussions are expected to focus on energy cooperation, sanctions relief and coordination during Venezuela\u2019s transition.<\/p>\n
At the regional level, Rodr\u00edguez argued that Latin America remains fragmented and insufficiently integrated, calling for closer cooperation in trade, infrastructure and finance.<\/p>\n
She cited data showing that remittances of money from abroad to the region \u2014 $161 billion in 2024 \u2014 exceeded foreign direct investment, which totaled $139 billion, as evidence of structural imbalances.<\/p>\n
Rodr\u00edguez said her administration has held more than 230 meetings with potential investors and engaged over 120 energy companies from the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.<\/p>\n
She ended with a direct appeal: \u201cI invite you to Venezuela\u2026 to see the country\u2019s reality first hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
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