Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are millions of people around the world that are unbanked. Especially in 3rd world countries, they get on the internet by buying the cheapest possible smartphone and data with cash. I was just in the Philippines, and I saw places selling access to only Facebook and WhatsApp, in increments of 30MB of data, for cash. The problem for Facebook is that these people can't buy anything online, because they don't have…
> If Libra launches successfully and remains stable, those same places selling X MB of data for cash, could easily start selling Libra too. Why couldn’t they sell prepaid Visa cards, or Venmo/PayPal (or whatever is the local equivalent) top-ups? I get that having access to brokers that will sell a globally recognized hard currency for local cash is super useful, especially if it’s in electronic form. I don’t get why…
Libra, 2 Weeks In
151–160 of 287 posts
Re: Libra, 2 Weeks In
#152In Portuguese, "libra" is the word for the British Pound Sterling (GBP). I wonder how it is being branded here and whether there will be some kind of confusion, or mandatory differentiation.
Re: Libra, 2 Weeks In
#153Then why is Facebook the only entity making blog posts about Libra? Except, when you assume the reader is dumb.
Re: Libra, 2 Weeks In
#154Re: Libra, 2 Weeks In
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
Assuming adoption - It exists in the world and has all the influence an adopted currency has. Influence controlled by Facebook.
This seems like nothing but fearmongering. We don't any reason to expect that libra is going to displace "real" currencies. Why the hell would the governments of the world give up their power over currency? It is a huge power they hold that they do not want to lose. Have you ever heard the term "legal tender"? You are legally required to accept USD as payment in America, and every country has a similar law. The gover…
Accepting a currency doesn't force a customer to use it.
Re: Libra, 2 Weeks In
#156This is the part where they reveal how they plan to negotiate with regulators: "At the core, we believe that a network that helps move more cash transactions — where a lot of illicit activities happen — to a digital network that features regulated on and off ramps with proper know-your-customer (KYC) practices, combined with the ability for law enforcement and regulators to conduct their own analysis of on-chain acti…
Not to defend them, but this is exactly what happens to all non cash transactions. Which you kind of have to do to with any sizeable quantity of money (say over 100k) for practical reasons, like theft.
Re: Libra, 2 Weeks In
#157Re: Libra, 2 Weeks In
#158Earlier quoted context omitted.
That’s a ridiculous statement if you consider the fed a part of the government. I.e. the fire department and police both have “government enforced monopolies”. The government itself is a “government enforced monopoly”
Hardly. The alternative would be a repeal of legal tender laws. This would allow consumers & businesses to transact in the currency of their choice.
Look I’m not saying you can’t criticize the existence of the fed, but calling them a “government enforced monopoly” is inane. They are a _part_ of the government.
Re: Libra, 2 Weeks In
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
I am not sure about Philippines, but most African countries have better mobile banking than US.
That's not true. These days even the smallest US banks tend to have mobile apps or normal mobile banking options. All the major banks without exception do. That has been true for years at this point. Deposits, moving money in various ways, checking balances or statements, bill pay, customer service, etc etc. What exactly is missing that is important that American banking desperately lacks? The larger banks are border…
I think that's exactly what they're talking about.
Re: Libra, 2 Weeks In
#160Very telling that his article is hosted on facebook.com instead of libra.org. It kind of proves that the separation between Facebook and Libra is nothing but a lie. He just doesn't get it and he never will.
It isn’t an Official Facebook Announcement though. Think of it more like a Medium post.