World Bank weighs up to $5 billion in loans to Venezuela

The World Bank is considering loans to Venezuela of up to $5 billion over the next two years, according to the portal Banca y Negocios, which reported on October 20, 2026, as the multilateral lender resumes relations with the country.

Susana Cordeiro Guerra, the World Bank's vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean, explained in an interview in Bangkok that the total would combine resources from the institution's public and private sector arms to finance strategic reforms and priority investments in social sectors and basic infrastructure.

As part of the initial steps reported by the outlet, the institution has already identified a first $500 million operation focused on critical water and electricity projects. It also expects to disburse up to $2 billion during the first year, a step conditional on Venezuela clearing its overdue balances with other multilateral lenders, such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF).

The institutional rapprochement follows the resumption of formal dialogue between the Venezuelan government and multilateral agencies that began in April. The World Bank also plans to appoint a resident representative in Caracas soon and to open an operational office before the end of the year, while helping to structure a sustainable macrofiscal framework and supporting the restructuring of the country's external debt, which private sector projections cited by Banca y Negocios put at roughly $170 billion.