Maduro: You Can Trade Petro To Other Crypto Assets Only If You Have Bought It In 2018

As an update to the most controversial Venezuelan cryptocurrency Petro, in today’s crypto news, we find out that the Petro cryptocurrency can only be traded to other crypto assets only if users have bought it by the end of 2018.

According to the translated speech of the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, you can read that:

 “Anyone who buys the Petro until Dec 31 will be able to convert it into any other digital currency.”

In the past 12 months, Venezuela suffered extreme hyperinflation, therefore, the national currency of the country, the Bolivar, is basically worthless. Many citizens in the country are incapable of buying necessary things such as food and medicine since the Bolivar lost its value.

According to a report from BBC:

 “A 2.4kg chicken has been costing 14,600,000 bolivars (equivalent to $2.22, or £1.74) in the capital, Caracas. Last Thursday, a toilet roll cost 2,600,000 bolivars. And a kilogram of meat cost 9,500,000 bolivars.’’

In order to change this terrible economic situation, the president Maduro created Petro that is supposed to represent the oil reserves of the country and become the new national currency. However, there are many issues with the cryptocurrency and some experts deny calling it a cryptocurrency.

According to the official whitepaper, Venezuela guarantees that Petro will be accepted as a method of payment of national fees, taxes, and public services. The government also claimed that they raised more than $1 billion from the token sale of Petro. A few months later that number changed to $5 billion in the token sale.

Experts believe that the government cannot have control over cryptocurrencies such as Petro and that is exactly why Petro is doomed to fail.