President Hugo Chávez issued a decree to amend the law governing the Venezuelan banking and financial system, according to the Official Gazette published on Friday, a day after he announced the nationalization of Banco de Venezuela, the branch of Spain's Grupo Santander in Venezuela.  

The reform was declared in the government's Official Gazette on Friday, but details of the law were not included and a spokesman said its content would not be published for days, Reuters reported.

The imminent banking reform was included in a package of 26 laws rushed through in the last hours before the end of a period of special presidential powers allowing the socialist leader to write legislation without Congressional approval.