The Superintendency of Banks asked today a group of banks that comprise 72% of all deposits in the local banking system, to send a list by tomorrow of all clients that have checking accounts, savings accounts or CD’s in their banks. The banks that received the requests were Banesco, Mercantil, Venezuela, provincial, Occidental de Descuento, Venezolano de Credito and Industrial.
According to the new Superintendent of Banks, this request is being made :because we are carrying out an operation against money laundering” while bank executives say that in order to look for money laundering you ask for suspicious transfers, not for balances. A more intelligent observer suggests that the real reason is to send the information to the tax office and other state offices “in order to increase control over everything” That one I believe.
First the bankers argued that this broke their confidentiality agreement with their clients. They can provide information, but there has to be a reason to do it. But then, the President of the private banker’s association said this had all been a “confusion” that the data hand over had been postponed and this was all part of a multilateral program.
You have to be stupid to ask for that just when there are strong rumors of an Argentina style “Corralito” (which I don’t believe is in the works”
Funny, the only reason that I would have thought would justify such a request, has not been mentioned: FIGHTING CORRUPTION!
The Devil's Excrement 
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