Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavezordered his government to repatriate $11 billion in gold held in banks abroad to safeguard the country from the economic crisis and said he’ll nationalize the local gold industry.
Venezuela
has about 211 tons of its 365 tons of gold reserves held abroad at institutions including the Bank of
England,
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM),
Barclays Plc (BARC),
Standard Chartered Plc (STAN) and the
Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS), according to a government document.
“We’ve held 99 tons of gold at the
Bank of England since 1980. I agree with bringing that home,” Chavez said today on state television. “It’s a healthy decision.”
Chavez, who has said he wants to eliminate the“dictatorship” of the
U.S. dollar, has called on Venezuela’s central bank to diversify its $28.7 billion in reserves away from U.S. institutions. Some cash reserves, which total $6.3 billion, will be shifted into currencies from emerging markets including
China, Russia, Brazil and India, central bank President Nelson Merentes said today at a news conference.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-17/chavez-preparing-government-takeover-of-venezuela-s-gold-mining-industry.html