Libra Association
Latest
Facebook's Libra currency could debut in a limited form early next year
Facebook controversial Libra cryptocurrency could launch as early as January, but it appears the project has once again scaled back its ambitions.
Facebook’s global currency plans were always doomed
Essentially, Facebook’s plan to make Libra into a global currency was never going to succeed and we’ve seen that play out over the last ten months.
Vodafone is the latest to leave Facebook's Libra Association
The Facebook-created Libra Association is still bleeding members months after it formalized its council. Telecom giant Vodafone has confirmed to CoinDesk that it left the Association. Unlike past defectors, though, it's not so much about regulatory jitters surrounding the cryptocurrency. Vodafone said it instead wanted to focus on expanding its own payment service, M-Pesa, beyond the six African countries where it's currently available. It's not burning bridges -- the company said it wouldn't rule out the possibility of "future cooperation."
Facebook's Libra loses one more member as its council becomes official
Facebook couldn't avoid losing another Libra Association member before it formalized the cryptocurrency's council. Booking Holding, the company behind Booking.com, Kayak and Priceline, has withdrawn from the Libra Association just before the organization's members signed the council charter, elected its Board of Directors and appointed executive team members. The move leaves 21 initial members, including Facebook's own Calibra wallet as well as Lyft, Uber, Spotify and telecoms like Iliad and Vodafone.
eBay, Visa and Mastercard pull out of Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency
Stripe and eBay have followed PayPal in backing out of Facebook's cryptocurrency, Libra. They confirmed to the Financial Times that they would pull their support, while Mastercard and Visa have also dropped out.
Libra Association opens Bug Bounty program to everyone
Facebook's Calibra digital wallet isn't expected to launch until 2020. But, as you might expect, the organization created to protect the Libra cryptocurrency that will be used with Calibra (and other Libra financial services) is already working to ensure it keeps people's data safe. We're talking about the Libra Association, the independent group in charge of governing Libra, which has announced it is now welcoming all researchers who want to help test the security of its blockchain technology -- in exchange for financial rewards, naturally. The Libra Bug Bounty program was announced at the time when the Libra Association became official in June, but now the nonprofit will be opening it to the public.
Facebook’s Libra Association is being investigated by EU antitrust regulators
Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency project is being probed again, this time by European Union antitrust regulators. The European Commission said it is "currently investigating potential anti-competitive behavior," related to the Libra Association, Bloomberg reports. In a questionnaire sent out this month, the EU authority expressed concerns that Libra would unfairly shut out rivals.
Facebook won't make Libra available until regulators are happy
Facebook is determined to reassure officials that its Libra cryptocurrency is above-board. As part of prepared testimony for a July 16th Senate hearing, Calibra head David Marcus has stressed that the social network won't offer the virtual money until it has "fully addressed" regulators' concerns and received approval. He also reiterated privacy promises. The Libra Association won't keep personal data beyond basic transaction info, Marcus said, and Facebook won't share Calibra wallet info with the rest of the company.
Facebook's Calibra cryptocurrency wallet launches in 2020
After months of rumors and speculation, Facebook is finally making its cryptocurrency efforts official. This is Calibra, a digital wallet that will use a new cryptocurrency called Libra. Calibra, which is now a subsidiary of Facebook, is designed to "provide financial services that will enable people to access and participate in the Libra network," a blockchain technology developed by Facebook that's getting support from MasterCard, Visa, PayPal, eBay, Uber, Lyft and Spotify, among others. Facebook says it plans to launch Calibra in 2020, and the service will be available in Messenger and WhatsApp, as well as in a standalone app.
Facebook’s Libra currency gets backing from MasterCard, Visa, PayPal and more
Today, Facebook finally announced its long-rumored cryptocurrency platform, Calibra. Some speculated that the company would rely on outside firms and existing cryptocurrency exchanges, like the Winklevoss twins' Gemini. Instead, Facebook's Calibra will use a brand new cryptocurrency, Libra. The cryptocurrency will be governed by the Libra Association -- a purpose-built, independent non-profit headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
