Representatives from the Venezuela Creditor Committee, a coalition of major U.S. and European investment firms, held their first formal meeting with officials from the Trump administration to discuss the potential for an economic rebuild in Venezuela. The discussions, which took place at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, centered on the role of private capital in stabilizing the nation’s economy and addressing its massive outstanding debt obligations.
The creditor group, which includes prominent financial institutions such as Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Greylock Capital Management, and Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC, reportedly holds a significant portion of Venezuela’s estimated $100 billion in defaulted sovereign and state-run oil company bonds. During the session, committee members outlined a framework for how bondholders could facilitate new investment into the country’s infrastructure and industrial sectors once political and legal hurdles are cleared.
Jarrod Agen, executive director of the National Energy Dominance Council, represented the administration during the talks. According to individuals familiar with the matter, the dialogue included a review of progress toward restoring Venezuela’s oil, gas, and mining industries. A White House official confirmed that the administration is evaluating the strategic importance of these sectors as part of a broader effort to ensure regional energy security and economic stability.
A primary objective for the Venezuela Creditor Committee is obtaining a specific license from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. This license would permit bondholders to enter into formal negotiations with Venezuelan representatives to restructure the debt, a process currently restricted by U.S. sanctions. The committee argued that a structured resolution of the default is a necessary precursor to attracting the large-scale international investment required to repair the country’s battered energy infrastructure.
While the meeting marks a significant step in communication between the private sector and the U.S. government regarding Venezuela, no formal agreements were announced. The restructuring of Venezuela’s debt is widely regarded as one of the most complex financial undertakings in history due to the volume of claims, the involvement of multiple state entities, and the prevailing geopolitical environment. Advisory firm Houlihan Lokey and the legal team at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, both of which represent the creditor group, declined to provide official comments following the meeting.
The $100 billion debt figure includes bonds issued by the Venezuelan Republic as well as the state-owned oil firm Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. Most of these instruments have been in default for several years, leading to a total cessation of interest payments and a complicated legal landscape for international claimants seeking recovery.