Economics

Venezuela Doesn't Have Enough Money to Pay for Its Money

  • Billions of new bills in circulation and still more are needed
  • Rampant inflation means gym bags full of cash for dinner

Bloomberg’s QuickTake: Venezuela’s Revolution

Venezuela’s epic shortages are nothing new at this point. No diapers or car parts or aspirin -- it’s all been well documented. But now the country is at risk of running out of money itself.

In a tale that highlights the chaos of unbridled inflation, Venezuela is scrambling to print new bills fast enough to keep up with the torrid pace of price increases. Most of the cash, like nearly everything else in the oil-exporting country, is imported. And with hard currency reserves sinking to critically low levels, the central bank is doling out payments so slowly to foreign providers that they are foregoing further business.