Which Stocks Benefit From Venezuela Reopening?

While many investors focus on Venezuela’s oil and gas sector as the most obvious play on the country’s reopening, digital economy leaders like MercadoLibre ($MELI) and Nubank ($NU) represent a more discreet but potentially powerful opportunity.

Venezuela’s large population, high mobile penetration, and historically underdeveloped e‑commerce and financial infrastructure mean that companies with proven digital ecosystems in Latin America could capture outsized growth if economic and political conditions normalize. MercadoLibre, with its dominant marketplace and fintech platform Mercado Pago, is uniquely positioned to introduce online commerce and digital payments to a largely untapped market, offering a growth avenue that isn’t immediately obvious to traditional commodity-focused investors.

Similarly, Nubank’s technology-driven banking model could quietly unlock value in Venezuela by serving an underbanked population. Unlike conventional banks, Nubank has experience scaling rapidly across Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, offering low-cost, accessible financial products to millions. If Venezuelan financial markets open and consumers increasingly adopt digital banking solutions, Nubank could expand seamlessly, taking advantage of infrastructure gaps that legacy banks are slow to address. This potential remains under the radar compared with the headline-grabbing oil and gas plays.

Both MercadoLibre and Nubank are essentially positioned to benefit from structural trends in Latin America, digital adoption, e‑commerce expansion, and financial inclusion, without relying on oil prices or resource exports. For investors seeking opportunities beyond the obvious energy sector, these digital leaders offer a stealthy way to capture the economic upside of Venezuela’s gradual reintegration into regional trade and finance, potentially generating outsized returns if the market begins to normalize.