Meta pulls the plug on Novi, the last standing piece of Zuckerberg’s stablecoin dream
Novi users will lose all access to the wallet in September as Meta urges them to withdraw their funds, ending the roller coaster that has been the Diem project.
Latest Libra News
Diem not impressing Washington even with rebranding efforts: report
Facebook has faced an uphill task bringing regulators onboard with its Diem payment system, even after pouring millions into lobbying and rebranding efforts.
David Gerard: The birth pangs of Facebook’s crypto project
A staunch critic of Silicon Valley, writer and journalist David Gerard offers a stinging critique of Facebook’s cryptocurrency project.
US Congress seeks to regulate stablecoins with new STABLE Act
The STABLE Act seeks to treat stablecoin issuers as banks, requiring them to obtain a banking charter and abide by all the current baking regulations.
Facebook’s Libra launching in 2021 and Libra Association changes its name
Facebook will be launching the first Libra-issued digital asset in early 2021, it will be a stablecoin backed 1 to 1 with the US dollar
Facebook Libra taps ex-OCC exec as lead counsel
The Libra Association has announced Saumya Bhavsar as the general counsel for its payment subsidiary, Libra Networks.
BIS: Regulation could be embedded in stablecoins
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has said regulation could be embedded into private global stablecoins, such as Facebook’s Libra.
In a draft seen by Reuters, finance ministers and central bankers of the G7 countries revealed that their anti-Libra stance hasn’t changed. The G7, consisting of the U.S., Germany, Britain, Canada, France, Italy and Japan believes that Libra could undermine financial stability if launched under the current regulatory framework.
The group believes that Libra could also undermine consumer protection, taxation, privacy and cybersecurity.
Libra, and similar stablecoins, could be used for money laundering and terrorist financing, compromising market integrity and governance as well as undermining legal certainty, they said.
The draft stated, “The G7 continues to maintain that no global stablecoin project should begin operation until it adequately addresses relevant legal, regulatory, and oversight requirements through appropriate design and by adhering to applicable standards.”
A number of financial regulatory authorities in the G7 countries are currently exploring the opportunities and risks associated with CBDCs, according to the draft. However, it didn’t list the level of progress the regulators have made or if any of them were looking to launch a CBDC in the near future.
Aside from CBDCs, the draft sounded an alarm regarding the rising threat of ransomware attacks, with digital currencies being used to make payments. These attacks have been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, fueled by the influx of people conducting economic activities online.
“These attacks, which often involve payments in crypto-assets, jeopardize essential functions along with our collective security and prosperity. We affirm our resolve to combat this threat collectively as well as individually.”
The draft comes just after the Financial Stability Board, a G20 body, published recommendations on regulating CBDCs. The report, compiled in partnership with the World Bank and the IMF, seeks to lay out the guidelines that regulators must observe as they explore the feasibility of a CBDC in their jurisdiction.
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" title="G7: Facebook’s Libra must not launch until it’s properly regulated" />G7: Facebook’s Libra must not launch until it’s properly regulated
Financial regulators in the world’s seven biggest economies will continue to oppose the launch of Facebook’s digital currency Libra until proper regulations are in place.
Libra replaces general counsel with ex-Homeland Security chief
Stevan E. Bunnell, former general counsel for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has taken up post as Facebook Libra’s chief legal officer.
Libra co-founder spearheads Facebook’s ‘all things payments’ group
Facebook Financial—to be known internally as F2—aims at making the social media giant a big player in the payments industry.
Facebook Libra announces new name—Novi
Rebranding Calibra to Novi is Facebook’s latest move in its restructuring of Libra.
Fake Libra scams pose new challenge for Facebook
Almost a year after Facebook’s Libra was first announced, the outlook for the stablecoin looks starkly different.