U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that additional U.S. sanctions on Venezuela could be lifted as early as the week of January 13, 2026, to facilitate critical oil sales. This statement, made in an interview on January 9, 2026, also included plans for meetings with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank to discuss their re-engagement with Venezuela. These institutions are considering deploying almost $5 billion worth of Venezuela's frozen IMF Special Drawing Rights to aid in the country's economic reconstruction. Indeed, the U.S. administration has already initiated a partial easing of sanctions prohibiting Venezuelan crude sales. As of January 8, 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) began issuing private waivers to a global trading firm, allowing it to resume purchases of Venezuelan crude, with conditions requiring initial shipments to be sold to U.S. buyers. The U.S. also intends to remove sanctions from some Venezuelan entities. These significant policy shifts are set against the backdrop of the recent capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces on January 3, 2026. Following Maduro's capture, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to protect Venezuelan oil revenue held in U.S. Treasury accounts from creditors, ensuring these funds are safeguarded for Venezuela's future stability and economic recovery. While the broader sanctions regime remains largely intact, with U.S. officials maintaining leverage, these targeted easements represent a notable effort to stabilize Venezuela's economy and potentially encourage the return of U.S. oil producers.