Jan 7 (Reuters) – A U.S. ETF provider has sought approval to launch the first-ever exchange-traded fund tracking companies exposed to Venezuela, as the U.S. capture of President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend sparked a rally in local assets.
Vermont-based Teucrium filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday for the launch of Teucrium Venezuela Exposure ETF.
The ETF will track stocks and depositary receipts of companies either classified as Venezuelan or deriving at least 50% of revenue from the South American country, or based in major trading partners with significant exports to Venezuela.
Teucrium, which has more than $518 million assets under management mostly in commodities and crypto, according to VettaFi’s ETF database, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment outside of business hours.
The local Bursatil stock index has surged more than 70% in dollar terms since Monday, adding to the gains since late-2025 on hopes that a post-Maduro Venezuela could pave the way for potential debt restructuring and investments in its massive reserves of oil and minerals.
Investors shunned Venezuelan assets as the resources-rich country, under pressure from severe U.S. sanctions, defaulted on its external debt in 2017.
ETFs have become popular, especially among retail traders, as the rise of low-cost, no-commission brokerages such as Robinhood and Interactive Brokers makes it easier and cheaper to access the market.
(Reporting by Johann M Cherian and Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
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