Most Germans Skeptical About Facebook’s Libra, Only 12% Welcome It

Published at: July 24, 2019

About 71% of German citizens are skeptical about Facebook’s Libra stablecoin, while only 12% welcome it, according to a survey published by German financial association Bürgerbewegung Finanzwende on July 23.

Most Germans already have an opinion

Notably, the survey also showed that almost every one of the 2,093 German adults surveyed had an opinion on the matter, with only 17% saying that they are not sure what to think about the stablecoin. Furthermore, 52% of the respondents also pointed out that Facebook’s impact on society is already problematic today, and over a quarter (26%) stated that they believe further growth of the company would further increase its negative influence.

Facebook is an unpopular company in Germany

Only 15% of the respondents had no opinion on the matter, while only the remaining 7% believe Facebook does not cause problems in society. Overall, a staggering 78% of the poll participants believe that the firm’s influence is negative.

When asked whom they trust more to issue currency, only 4% said that they trust big corporations such as Facebook, Apple or Amazon more than central banks. About 64% said that they trust central banks more, and 10% trust both equally, while 22% did not have a clear answer.

The part of the survey dedicated to Facebook users found out that 68% of those surveyed are skeptical about Libra, while only 14% welcomes its development. About 18% of them does not hold an opinion on the matter.

The association calls for a ban on Libra development

In the article accompanying the results of the survey, Bürgerbewegung Finanzwende declares that it is calling on the European Commission and the European Central Bank to stop the development in a joint petition with European non-governmental organization Finance Watch.

As Cointelegraph reported earlier today, Swiss privacy regulators have said that social media titan Facebook is lagging in its response to requests for more liaison.

Tags
Ecb
Related Posts
ECB’s Yves Mersch Warns Libra Cryptocurrency Is ‘Facebook’s Siren Call’
Yves Mersch, European Central Bank’s key legal official, said that Facebook’s Libra stablecoin is “beguiling but treacherous” during a speech at the ECB’s legal conference in Frankfurt on Monday. Bloomberg reported on Mersch’s remarks in an article published on Sept. 2. Per the report, he said that private currencies have little or no prospect of establishing themselves as viable alternatives to centrally-issued legal tenders. Mersch: Only central banks can be trusted He believes that only independent central banks can grant sufficient institutional banking to make a currency reliable and win public trust. He further noted: “I sincerely hope that the …
Altcoin / Sept. 2, 2019
European Central Bank Exec Calls for Fast Regulatory Action Regarding Libra
European Central Bank executive board member Benoit Coeure said that financial regulators must act fast to prepare for Facebook’s Libra stablecoin, Bloomberg reports on July 7. Per Bloomberg, Coeure argued on Sunday in Aix-en-Provence in southern France that allowing for the development of new financial services and asset classes in a regulatory void is irresponsible. He concluded: “We [financial regulators] have to move more quickly than we’ve been able to do up until now.” According to Coeure, the development of digital assets has exposed gaps in current financial regulations, and underlines banks’ slow rate of adoption of new technologies: “All …
Altcoin / July 7, 2019
EU Banks to Deploy Instant Payments System in Response to Competition From Libra
European Union banks could have an instantaneous payments system in place by 2020, Reuters reports on June 26. Per the report, real-time payments have been possible in the eurozone since 2017, but only about half of the banks in the bloc adhered to the initiative. Still, Reuters notes that adoption may accelerate now that Facebook’s Libra stablecoin is shaping up to be a competitor to local banks. Director general of the European Payments Council (EPC) Etienne Goosse reportedly said that — regardless of the success of Facebook’s Libra’s project — competition from technology firms was here to stay, and banks …
Altcoin / June 27, 2019
ECB Exec Says Libra Could Address Failings of Global Payments System
Facebook’s Libra has pushed central banks to consider two major issues in global payment systems, an exec at the European Central Bank (ECB) said. Benoit Coeure made his remarks at a hearing of the Committee on the Digital Agenda in the German parliament on Sept. 25. According to Coeure, an ECB board member and chair of the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructure, global payment systems still lack access and efficiency of cross-border retail payments. As such, 1.7 billion adults globally have no access to basic payment services despite 1.1 billion of them having a mobile phone and one in …
Adoption / Sept. 25, 2019
BaFin Head Urges Global Bank Standards in Response to Facebook’s Libra
The head of the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) has urged regulators to develop standards in response to Facebook’s forthcoming cryptocurrency, Libra, Cointelegraph Deutschland reported on June 26 Speaking at the International Club Frankfurter Wirtschaftsjournalisten, BaFin President Felix Hufeld stressed that policymakers and regulators should not stand aside on the issue of Facebook’s Libra as considerable control questions could arise once the coin comes into use. Hufeld hinted at possible regulatory measures introduced by BaFin, but also pointed to the need for an international regulatory framework: "We certainly can not just watch. We will have to respond appropriately in …
Altcoin / June 26, 2019