Venezuela has grabbed many headlines in recent months, ranging from national and international political diatribes, to drug wars, to president Hugo Chavez's intrusion in private sector deals.
At the end of May, Spanish lender and long-standing Latin American player Santander agreed to sell Banco de Venezuela to the country's government for $1.05bn, following Mr Chavez's intervention in an initial deal that was struck last year between Santander and a local group of private investors. The Spanish bank has been disposing of domestic and international assets to strengthen its capital ratios.
