Maduro Sets Venezuela's Debut Cryptocurrency Sale for February

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro said the country is pushing ahead with plans for the first sale of its cryptocurrency next month, and developing plans for its use with a national ID card held by at least 15 million Venezuelans.

The first sale of the petro will take place Feb. 20 and a number of "mining farms" are being developed at schools and universities, Maduro said, after signing the petro’s whitepaper. That represents a change from the initial draft of the currency, which had said it would be a pre-mined coin.