The Trump administration’s capture of Nicolás Maduro was in part designed to create opportunities for US players in Venezuela’s oil sector. But both the short-term and long-term challenges to investing in the country’s heavy oil reserves are immense.

TXF spoke with Brigitte Bruengger, head of large enterprises, SME & acquisition at SERV, to outline the recent challenges for Swiss exporters, its scheme for attracting more EPCs to the country, and the importance of reinsurance with other ECAs to manage capital.

Seung-Hoon Lee is now head of Export-Import Bank of Korea (Kexim’s) investment finance team, having recently been director of the new development finance team in the agency’s economic development promotion department. He discusses the agency’s new emphasis on direct equity investment in companies and project funds. How will this affect its longer term finance offering, support export credit, and also its development finance strategy?