According to Coindesk, Facebook’s digital currency project, formerly known as Libra, is planning to introduce a US dollar-backed stablecoin by the end of this quarter. According to TechCrunch, it would be issued through a blockchain-based payment system administered by the Diem Association, which previously stated that it would begin in January 2021.
The stakes are high, since Amazon, another big behemoth, unveiled plans for its own digital currency just last week. To prevent price volatility, stablecoins are tied to the value of an underlying asset, such as a fiat currency or gold.
In This Article...
Will Libra be launched?
- According to a source acquainted with the situation, the Diem Association plans to start a trial with a single stablecoin fixed to the US dollar in 2021.
- The Facebook-backed digital currency project, once known as Libra, ran into heavy regulatory opposition and lost numerous major backers and personnel.
- Diem, on the other hand, has undergone a complete transformation and is currently in talks with Swiss banking officials to get a payment license.
When can you buy Libra?
Libra will not be available until the first half of 2020, hence it is not currently available for purchase. When it does become available, there should be various options for people to purchase the currency, and you won’t have to go via Facebook to do so.
Calibra, a digital wallet from Facebook, will retain and transmit the currency to other groups. (Calibra is also the name of Facebook’s division that is developing financial services, including cryptocurrency.) It’s like a “Starbucks card with a balance on it, but one you can use for more than just coffee,” according to Colas.
According to Colas, transaction fees will likely be lower than those imposed by traditional finance organizations, which will primarily help merchants, but also customers who, for example, send money to family members abroad on a regular basis and are obliged to use expensive wire transfer services.
Facebook claims that it will first lose money on the currency. However, after the company has established the first-of-its-kind worldwide payment system, Colas believes it will be a natural progression to add other services to Calibra, such as loans, that can generate revenue.
“Everyone recognizes that the global payment system is inefficient in cross-border transactions,” he argues, “and there is no greater market than money.” “It is the world’s largest market.”
Which cryptocurrency should I invest in 2021?
Bitcoin (BTC) is the first cryptocurrency, having been created in 2009 under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. BTC, like most cryptocurrencies, is based on a blockchain, which is a distributed ledger that logs transactions across a network of thousands of computers. Bitcoin is maintained secure and safe from fraudsters because updates to the distributed ledgers must be confirmed by solving a cryptographic problem, a process known as proof of work.
Bitcoin’s value has soared as it has grown in popularity. In May 2016, a Bitcoin could be purchased for around $500. The price of a single Bitcoin was over $44,000 on March 1, 2022. This equates to a 7,800% increase.
Ethereum (ETH)
Ethereum is a favorite of programmers because of its potential applications, such as smart contracts that run automatically when conditions are satisfied and non-fungible tokens. Ethereum is both a cryptocurrency and a blockchain platform (NFTs).
Ethereum has also exploded in popularity. Its price increased by more than 27,000 percent from April 2016 to the beginning of March 2022, from around $11 to over $3,000.
Tether (USDT)
Tether is a stablecoin, which means it is backed by fiat currencies such as the US dollar and the Euro and has a value that is theoretically equal to one of those denominations. Tether’s value is intended to be more consistent than other cryptocurrencies, which is why it’s appreciated by investors who are frightened of other coins’ excessive volatility.
Binance Coin (BNB)
Binance Coin is a cryptocurrency that may be used to trade and pay fees on Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges.
Binance Coin has grown beyond simply conducting deals on Binance’s exchange platform since its introduction in 2017. It can now be used for trade, payment processing, and even making travel reservations. It can also be exchanged or traded for other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum or Bitcoin.
In 2017, the price of BNB was only $0.10. Its price had climbed to over $413 by the beginning of March 2022, a gain of around 410,000 percent.
U.S. Dollar Coin (USDC)
USD Coin (USDC), like Tether, is a stablecoin, which means it’s backed by US dollars and aspires for a 1 USD to 1 USDC ratio. USDC is based on Ethereum, and it may be used to make international transactions.
XRP (XRP)
XRP, a digital technology and payment processing company founded by some of the same people as Ripple, can be used on that network to ease the exchange of many currency kinds, including fiat currencies and other major cryptocurrencies.
The price of XRP was $0.006 at the start of 2017. Its price had risen to $0.80 by March 2022, a gain of more than 12,600 percent.
Terra (LUNA)
Terra is a stablecoin blockchain payment network that works by maintaining a balance between two types of cryptocurrencies. TerraUSD and other terra-backed stablecoins are linked to the value of actual currencies. Luna, their counterbalance, is used to power the Terra platform and manufacture new Terra stablecoins.
Luna stablecoins and Terra stablecoins work together based on supply and demand: Users are encouraged to burn their Luna to create more Terra stablecoins when the price of a stablecoin climbs above the value of its associated currency. When the value of the Luna stablecoin dips in comparison to the base currency, users are encouraged to burn their Terra stablecoins in order to manufacture more Luna. As the Terra platforms become more popular, Luna’s worth rises.
Luna has gained almost 14,200 percent in price from $0.64 on Jan. 3, 2021 to $92 at the start of March 2022.
Cardano (ADA)
Cardano is renowned for being one of the first crypto projects that use proof-of-stake validation. By removing the competitive, problem-solving part of transaction verification found in platforms like Bitcoin, this solution reduces transaction time, energy consumption, and environmental effect. Cardano functions similarly to Ethereum in that it uses ADA, its native coin, to enable smart contracts and decentralized apps.
In comparison to other prominent crypto coins, Cardano’s ADA token has grown slowly. The price of ADA in 2017 was $0.02. Its current price is $0.99 as of March 1, 2022. This is a 4,850 percent rise.
Solana (SOL)
Solana is a cryptocurrency that was created to fuel decentralized finance (DeFi), decentralized apps (DApps), and smart contracts. It uses a hybrid proof-of-stake and proof-of-history mechanism to conduct transactions rapidly and securely. The platform is powered by SOL, Solana’s native cryptocurrency.
SOL’s price was $0.77 when it first introduced in 2020. Its price had risen about 13,000 percent by March 1, 2022, to around $101.
Avalanche (AVAX)
Avalanche, like Ethereum and Cardano, offers blockchain software that allows users to write and execute smart contracts using a native coin (in this case, AVAX). Avalanche has developed significantly since its introduction in 2020, thanks in no little part to its low gas fees and quick transaction processing speeds.
AVAX’s price has increased by more than 1,840 percent from $4.63 to $89.84 between July 12, 2020 and March 1, 2022.
Who owns Libra coin?
- One of the co-founders of Facebook’s libra digital currency and Novi payment wallet has left the firm before either technology has been released.
- Morgan Beller, 27, has been named a partner at NFX, a seed-stage venture capital firm.
- Beller rose to notoriety in 2019 as one of the co-founders of libra, working with David Marcus to design the concept for the Facebook-backed digital currency.
What happened Libra coin?
Morgan Beller joined Meta in 2017 to work on bitcoin and blockchain, and was initially the only individual working on the company’s blockchain program.
In May 2018, David A. Marcus, a vice president at Meta, moved from Facebook Messenger to a new blockchain branch. A few days later, the first reports of Facebook planning a cryptocurrency with Marcus in charge surfaced. More than 50 engineers were working on the project by February 2019. In May of this year, it was confirmed that Facebook intended to launch a cryptocurrency. It was known as “GlobalCoin” or “Facebook Coin” at the time.
Libra was the name given to the project when it was first disclosed on June 18, 2019. Morgan Beller, David Marcus, and Kevin Weil (Novi’s VP of Product) are named as the coin’s creators. The first release date was set for 2020.
Facebook confirmed on July 15, 2019, that the currency would not go live until all regulatory concerns have been addressed and Libra has received “necessary clearances.” During a meeting with key Senate Democratic leaders on September 18, 2019, Mark Zuckerberg stated that Libra would not be released anyplace in the world without first receiving approval from US regulators. Multiple corporations left Libra Association in October 2019: PayPal departed on October 4th, eBay, Mastercard, Stripe, Visa, and Mercado Pago left on October 11th, and Booking Holdings left on October 14th.
Libra will launch a slimmed-down plan in November 2020, according to a Financial Times article, with the cryptocurrency being a stablecoin backed by the US dollar rather than a multi-currency collection. The cryptocurrency will now be known as Diem, which is Latin for “day,” according to the newspaper. Libra became Diem in December 2020, and Libra Association became Diem Association. Diem Association has 27 members as of December 2020.
The Diem Association was rumored to be shutting down in January 2022, with Diem’s assets being sold to Silvergate Capital in California for an estimated $200 million. Facebook was also rumored to be planning to introduce the token in the United States, with Slivergate issuing it, despite the Federal Reserve and the US Department of Treasury opposing the initiative.
Does Facebook Hold Bitcoin?
No, Facebook didn’t report any Bitcoin earnings in the first quarter. The speculations were exactly that: $BTC was nowhere to be found in Facebook’s earnings report. Since yesterday, there has been speculation that Facebook’s 2021-Q1 financial report may reveal that the company owns bitcoin on its books.
How can I buy Diem coin?
It’s also a lot easier to use Diem. Although you may purchase Diem Dollars on major cryptocurrency exchanges, you can also receive them directly from the Novi wallet. Novi is a simple app that allows you to easily obtain Diem Dollars, send and receive money, and redeem your Diem Dollars.
Can we invest in Libra?
What impact will Libra have on the cryptocurrency industry as a whole? Bitcoin isn’t the only cryptocurrency on the market; there are over 1,000 of them. Ethereum, XRP, Litecoin, and EOS are among the most widely traded cryptocurrencies after Bitcoin. If Libra becomes popular and accepted, all other factors being equal, it will attract investors away from other cryptocurrencies, lowering their values.
However, you should only invest in any of them if you are willing to lose money. The US Treasury has the enormous US military, as well as substantial enforcement authorities, behind it, just as a company has earnings and dividends. What about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies? Nothing. Libra, according to Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, doesn’t have anything to offer either. He recently asked in a syndicated piece, “Why would anyone give Facebook a zero-interest deposit when they could put their money in a safer U.S. Treasury bill or a money market fund?” Of course, one solution is to conceal illicit activity by making transactions untraceable.