That would further weaken the currency, which has lost 35% of its value since January.
But the currency which sports his image on its banknotes is making headway abroad.
Capital controls have been put in place to back up the currency, which has strengthened by 11.5% this year.
He said BP would almost certainly face higher costs due to uncertainty over the currency, which would endanger investment.
The only other option is to devalue the currency, which makes imports more expensive and exports cheaper.
That has strained the currency, which the government is reluctant to float because Venezuela already has Latin America's highest inflation rate.
But now the government is shifting its line of attack from interest rates to the currency, which many economists agree is overvalued.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which is a branch of the Dept. of the Treasury, determines when a national bank has failed.
Economic policy since then can be best summed up by the value of the currency which bears Mr Mobutu's face, the zaire.
In compromise after compromise behind the scenes, the two leaders have smoothed over most of their differences over the currency, which were substantial.
The Federal Reserve shares supervisory and regulatory authority with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which charters, regulates, and supervises national banks.
