Facebook's LibraCoin: how is it going to work?
The FT's global tech correspondent Tim Bradshaw explains the new currency launched by the tech giant
Produced by Tom Hannen and James Sandy
Transcript
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Here's what we do know. Facebook is leading the creation of a new global currency called Libra. The social network is bringing together a new consortium of 28 companies, including tech giants like Uber and eBay, payment firms like PayPal and Visa, and cryptocurrency pioneers like CoinBase, who are all pledging millions of dollars to create this new cryptocurrency and the blockchain network that underpins it. Before too long Facebook hopes that billions of us will be using WhatsApp and Messenger to send each other payments using Libra, making it the first mainstream cryptocurrency.
But there are a lot of things we don't know. How will Libra be regulated, and how will fraud or money laundering be policed? How will users load cash into their Libra wallets - via a cash machine or a mobile operator, such as Vodafone? Which merchants will choose to accept Libra? And will the traditional banking industry see Facebook as a friend or a foe?
The big question for us as consumers - is it safe? Facebook is insisting that this is not another data grab and that financial information will remain private. It will not share account data between its Libra wallets and the rest of Facebook, and it won't use the data for targeting ads.
So what's in it for you? One. Lower fees for sending money overseas. Two. Faster and more secure peer-to-peer payments, whether that's splitting the pizza bill or paying for coffee. There is also potential for new microtransactions, opening up different kinds of business models online that have previously been held back by fees. Facebook promises that Libra will simplify commerce within its family of apps so you can buy those sneakers that you spotted on Instagram.
But what's in it for Facebook itself? Facebook says its mission is one of financial inclusion, to reach 1.7bn people who are currently unbanked and reduce transaction fees that are particularly onerous for small businesses. Libra will also provide an on-ramp to the Facebook ecosystem for people in remote corners of the world, whose internet connections and mobile phones are not yet up to scrolling through the newsfeed or shopping on Instagram.
Facebook executives see this as a way to get back on the front foot after a two-year apology tour and prove that the company can still innovate. But creating Libra and recruiting these initial partners are just the first steps. Now is where the hard work really begins of convincing the rest of the world that it needs a new global currency. Maybe this time, Facebook can learn to move slowly and not break anything.
