Libra (LBA) & Facebook

Another major partner has left the Libra project in the dust. This time, the one making a grand exit is Vodafone, an international prepaid phone carrier.Libra Is Still SufferingLibra has had a very rough history. First introduced to users in June of 2019, the project has seen its fair shares of ups and downs (more downs, at this stage) and has been the subject of widespread criticism from international leaders and U.S. regulators alike.The company has also lost several big-name supporters...

Central banks have been contemplating the idea of creating their own cryptocurrencies for a while now. China has been one of the first countries to express its intentions in this regard. The country’s CCIEE chair even stated that they will be the first to launch its central bank digital currency (CBDC). A former deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBoC), however, said that they should slow it down.China Should Slow Down With Its CryptocurrencyTalks of China issuing its central bank...

An imminent discussion of digital currencies native to central banks of diverse countries has been sparked, and Facebook‘s Libra is at the heart and center of it.More than RippleRipple‘s flagship products leading cross-border payments might have been touted in the past as the leading catalyst for sparking conversations and implementation of digital currencies pegged to official national currencies. However, Facebook Libra has now officially taken center stage, eliciting more questions and...

British multinational telecommunications conglomerate Vodafone has quit Facebook‘s Libra Association. Both Vodafone and Libra have already confirmed the information.According to Vodafone, they will use resources intended for Libra to develop its digital payment service M-Pesa. M-Pesa enables customers to send, receive and store money securely via a basic smartphone. Used mostly in Africa, the service enables all businesses to collect payments, make stock purchases and pay salaries. Moreover,...

It has become known that United Kingdom premier Boris Johnson’s government has lost its first parliamentary votes since the snap general election because the House of Lords applied three defeats over Brexit legislation.The upper chamber voted in favor of giving physical documents as proof of their right to stay to EU citizens who live in the UK to be, once the country has left the bloc. On January 17, European Parliament Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt said that the country will not...

Starting today, January 21, the annual World Economic Forum 2020 is kicking off in Davos, Switzerland, with global leaders seen participating. Like always, this will also be a four-day event going up to January 24.This year’s WEF 2020’s theme is “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World”. Like every year, global leaders will speak on issues of the global economy and wider participation of countries for overall sustainable growth. Besides, there will also be talks on avoiding trade...

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has reportedly submitted a framework to oversee digital wallets holding large amounts of value. If approved, it would also include Facebook’s controversial stablecoin, Libra, and its digital wallet – Calibra.APRA To Oversee Calibra?Upon its announcement, Facebook’s Libra quickly attracted the attention of watchdogs. The social media mogul also created a blockchain-based digital wallet called Calibra, that would store and move the future...

Last week on Friday, January 17, Google‘s parent company Alphabet hit the trillion-dollar milestone. Alphabet became the fourth public listed tech company to achieve this feat.Despite staying in controversy with the regulators over the issues of privacy concerns, Alphabet had a good show in 2019 in the stock market. The Alphabet stock surged nearly 50% in a single year thereby pushing the company’s growth.Apple Inc. was the first company to achieve the trillion-dollar milestone in 2018,...

Anyone can issue his own money – this should be the main notion in FinTech of the 21st century.According to the statistics, the daily volume of international payments equals almost 10 trillion dollars, with 5 trillion handled by the SWIFT international payment system. It was designed back in 1972, yet many banks still use the outdated, 40-years old software. Cross-border bank accounts are holding $27 trillion in cash.Let’s consider the volume of international payments stated above. If the...

Facebook is facing a lawsuit from a group of four plaintiffs who are accusing the social media giant of anti-competitive moves. The complainants are demanding a court order that will force the company to shed some of its weight and sell its assets.The Facebook LawsuitOn Thursday, four tech startups initiated the lawsuit. In the filing, the plaintiffs suggest Facebook’s unlawful moves have built what they describe as a “social data barrier to entry.” This continues to prevent them from being...