Followers | 679 |
Posts | 140788 |
Boards Moderated | 36 |
Alias Born | 03/10/2004 |
Sunday, October 13, 2019 9:21:50 AM
By: MarketWatch | October 12, 2019
Visa, MasterCard, eBay, PayPal and Stripe have all dropped out of the Facebook’s Libra currency project
Facebook faces a rough road ahead with Libra, but defections by high-profile partners are still unlikely to spell the end for the digital currency.
On Friday, Visa V, +1.25% and MasterCard MA, +0.76% announced their departures from the Libra project, as did e-commerce giant eBay EBAY, +1.63% and payments startup Stripe . Last week, PayPal became the first major company to drop out of Libra. The exodus comes amid growing — not to mention stronger-than-anticipated — regulatory pushback against Libra in the U.S. and elsewhere.
“It’s a big setback for them but it’s not the end,” said Gartner analyst Avivah Litan.
Facebook FB, +2.31% CEO Mark Zuckerberg will appear before Congress later this month to talk about the company’s plans for Libra. Rep. Maxine Waters, the California Democrat who heads the House Financial Services Committee where Zuckerberg will testify on Oct. 23, called Libra “a new Swiss-based financial system” that potentially is too big to fail and could require a taxpayer bailout.
Libra’s supporters say it could open online purchasing to millions of people who do not have access to bank accounts and could reduce the cost of sending money across borders. It’s easy to see how attractive an alternative like Libra could be to people in countries beset with hyperinflation, such as Venezuela and Zimbabwe .
But Facebook already faces scrutiny over its poor record on privacy and its dominance in social media, messaging and related businesses. Will people trust it to create a new, global currency? Libra also poses new questions for the social network: Given that cryptocurrency is lightly regulated now, if at all, how will financial regulators oversee Facebook’s plan? And just how much more personal data will this give the social media giant, anyway?
Litan said Facebook can still easily launch Libra in countries with no pushback, of which there are plenty. She also dismissed the idea that Facebook needs partner companies such as MasterCard or Visa in order to keep Libra afloat.
“The only reason they want the companies is because it looks good,” she said. “It was never a democratic blockchain. It was always run by Facebook and a couple of financial companies that were going along for the ride.”
Now, those are just not going on the ride.
“You have to remember, this is the blockchain. This is the internet. It’s pretty much unstoppable,” she added.
REGULATORY CHALLENGES
The financial industry is more heavily regulated than internet companies — especially in the U.S., where tech companies have often been given free rein. Companies creating Libra are in for a “rude awakening” if they expect the same model of light regulation, said Karen Shaw Petrou, managing partner of Federal Financial Analytics in Washington.
She expects Libra will fall under U.S. regulations adopted in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Which agency will oversee the venture will depend on what the currency system does, she said.
In the U.S., the head of the House Financial Services Committee wants Facebook to suspend plans for a new currency until Congress and regulators are able to study it more closely.
In July, Waters and other committee Democrats sent a letter to Facebook requesting a halt on moving forward with the currency and with the digital wallet, called Calibra, which would be used in the new currency system. House Democrats also have threatened legislation that would block big tech companies from getting into banking.
One hurdle Facebook and its partners will face is the potential for criminals to use it for money laundering and fraud, given the pseudo-anonymous nature of Libra and other digital currencies.
Facebook said it will comply with all existing financial regulations.
PRIVACY PUSHBACK
Facebook has been dogged with questions about users’ personal data, especially since the Cambridge Analytica scandal hit last year.
That appears to be part of the reason Facebook created a nonprofit oversight association to govern Libra. It also created a subsidiary, Calibra, to work on the technology, separately from its main social media business.
Still, Facebook is “going to get access to a lot of financial data,” Forrester analyst Aurelie L’Hostis said. “What are they going to do with that information and what are they going to put in place to safeguard that information?”
Cryptocurrencies such as Libra store all transactions on a widely distributed, encrypted ledger known as the blockchain. Libra is designed so transaction amounts are visible, but transaction participants can be anonymous — at least until they move money into real-world accounts.
Facebook said people can keep their individual transactions from appearing on the blockchain by using Calibra’s wallet app, though in that case, Calibra itself would have people’s data.
Calibra said it won’t use financial data to target ads on Facebook. It also said it won’t share financial data with Facebook, though there are exceptions that haven’t been fully spelled out, including situations where data sharing would “keep people safe.”
IS FACEBOOK TOO BIG?
Congress, the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department are all looking into whether Big Tech giants such as Facebook and Google have gotten too big.
Adding another major business will make Facebook bigger — if Libra takes off as intended — but it may not raise major antitrust red flags, said New York University law professor Eleanor Fox.
“It is a grass-roots entry into a new field and can actually reflect an increase in innovation,” she said.
Sarah Miller, deputy director of Open Markets Institute, which advocates against monopolies, said it was “insanity” to trust Facebook to launch a global cryptocurrency when it is already facing regulatory scrutiny around the world over data privacy.
“The FTC needs to rein in Facebook before the corporation puts our financial information and currency systems at risk, too,” she said.
Read Full Story »»»
DiscoverGold
Information posted to this board is not meant to suggest any specific action, but to point out the technical signs that can help our readers make their own specific decisions. Your Due Dilegence is a must!
• DiscoverGold
Recent META News
- Apple Loses Market Share in China, GM Surges in Pre-Market Following Upward Revisions for 2024 Projections, and More News • IH Market News • 04/23/2024 11:25:34 AM
- Paramount’s Shares Surge Following Sony and Apollo’s Joint Bid; ISS Backs Berkshire Hathaway Director Re-election, and More • IH Market News • 04/19/2024 11:31:22 AM
- Apple to Invest $250 Million in Singapore Expansion, Oracle Commits $8 Billion to Japan Infrastructure, and More News • IH Market News • 04/18/2024 11:11:52 AM
- United Shares Surge 5.3% in Q1 2024 Earnings Beat; Take-Two Cuts 5% of Workforce, and More News • IH Market News • 04/17/2024 10:57:39 AM
- Ericsson Soars with 66% Net Profit Growth; Live Nation Under Antitrust Scrutiny in US, and More News • IH Market News • 04/16/2024 11:18:19 AM
- Meta to temporarily close Threads in Turkey • IH Market News • 04/15/2024 06:49:59 PM
- Samsung Surpasses Apple in Q1 Smartphone Market; Salesforce in Talks to Acquire Informatica, and More News • IH Market News • 04/15/2024 11:06:48 AM
- Paramount Global Board Shrinks, Morgan Stanley Faces Regulatory Probe, and More News • IH Market News • 04/12/2024 11:05:29 AM
- Costco Increases Dividend by 14%, Meta Introduces ‘Artemis’ AI Chip, and More News • IH Market News • 04/11/2024 11:24:54 AM
- Delta Generates US$37 Million Profit in Q1, Google and Intel Unveil Cutting-Edge AI Chips, and More News • IH Market News • 04/10/2024 11:13:48 AM
- Tesla Resolves Autopilot Lawsuit, JPMorgan Unveils Potential CEO Successors, and More • IH Market News • 04/09/2024 10:39:30 AM
- Boeing Down in Pre-Market Due to CEO Developments and Denver Incident; MicroStrategy Surges 11% with BTC Spike, and More • IH Market News • 04/08/2024 11:17:49 AM
- Apple Terminates 614 Employees, Disney Unveils June Crackdown on Password Sharing, and More Updates • IH Market News • 04/05/2024 11:38:57 AM
- Exxon Mobil Forecasts Earnings Decline, Twilio Seeks Board Tenure Changes, and More News • IH Market News • 04/04/2024 11:30:20 AM
- Meta to Announce First Quarter 2024 Results • PR Newswire (US) • 04/01/2024 08:05:00 PM
- Super Micro Computer and Seagate Shares Surge on Analyst Optimism in Pre-Market Trading, and Latest News • IH Market News • 03/26/2024 11:20:49 AM
- FedEx Soars 13% with Profits Above Forecasts, Nike Hit by China Slowdown, and Latest News • IH Market News • 03/22/2024 01:07:53 PM
- Apple Pre-Market Drop Due to Antitrust Threats, Surprising Profit Boosts Micron Shares, and Latest Market Updates • IH Market News • 03/21/2024 11:17:26 AM
- JPMorgan boosts dividends, Chipotle unveils 50:1 stock split, and Latest News • IH Market News • 03/20/2024 11:15:48 AM
- Meta says can cut monthly Facebook, Instagram fee to €5.99 • IH Market News • 03/19/2024 10:51:43 AM
- Apple & Google in Talks for Gemini AI on iPhone, Nvidia’s GTC Conference Today, and Latest News • IH Market News • 03/18/2024 11:10:46 AM
- Intel Loses Pentagon Funding, Shell Plans 20% Business Team Reduction, and Latest News • IH Market News • 03/13/2024 11:02:03 AM
- Oracle Soars 13% With Exceptional Growth and Boosts Nvidia Shares With Collaboration Announcement, and More • IH Market News • 03/12/2024 11:21:35 AM
- Form 144 - Report of proposed sale of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 03/11/2024 08:50:04 PM
- Form 144 - Report of proposed sale of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 03/08/2024 09:59:34 PM
North Bay Resources Announces Successful Equipment Test at Bishop Gold Mill, Inyo County, California • NBRI • Apr 23, 2024 9:41 AM
Epazz, Inc.: CryObo, Inc. solar Bitcoin operations will issue tokens • EPAZ • Apr 23, 2024 9:20 AM
Avant Technologies Launches Advanced AI Supercomputing Network and Expansive Data Solutions • AVAI • Apr 23, 2024 8:00 AM
BestGrowthStocks.com Issues Comprehensive Analysis of Triller Merger with AGBA Group Holding Limited • AGBA • Apr 22, 2024 1:00 PM
Cannabix Technologies to Present Marijuana Breathalyzer Technology at International Association for Chemical Testing (IACT) Conference in California • BLO • Apr 22, 2024 8:49 AM
Kona Gold Beverages, Inc. Prepares for First Production Run Set to Launch May 17, 2024 • KGKG • Apr 22, 2024 8:30 AM