Facebook, it is reported, could launch its long-awaited digital currency as early as January 2021 in the form of a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin. Central banks and regulators have been galvanized into action since Facebook first announced its intentions by publishing a white paper in 2019. They are right to be concerned, as stablecoins — particularly ones such as the rebranded Diem that have the potential for massive network effects — bring new risks to consumers and savers as well as to the global financial system. Related: What Is Libra? Breaking Down Facebook’s New Digital Currency But they also have the …

On Wednesday night, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib introduced a bill before the U.S. House of Representatives looking to make fiat-pegged stablecoin operators abide by the same rules and registration requirements expected of banks. The legislation, under the name “the Stablecoin Tethering and Bank Licensing Enforcement (STABLE) Act,” sets out a fresh and extremely expansive definition of stablecoin. It furthermore dictates a series of limitations that outlaw stablecoin issuance for any entity that is not “an insured depository institution that is a member of the Federal Reserve System,” More aggressively, one of the bill’s provisions would make it: “Unlawful for any person …

Every Friday, Law Decoded delivers analysis on the week’s critical stories in the realms of policy, regulation and law. Editor's note For several weeks, rumors have circulated in the United States that the Treasury Department under Steven Mnuchin is planning some sort of rulemaking to ban or severely restrict self-hosted cryptocurrency wallets. The Treasury hasn’t made any public statements to support these rumors, but they are persistent and pervasive enough to be worth paying attention to. In the broader cycle of financial news, Secretary Mnuchin is currently under a lot more scrutiny for his plans to return nearly half a …

Spotify, one of the world’s largest streaming audio providers, is looking for candidates with a crypto background to fill a new role at the company. According to a recent job post, the company is looking for an outstanding associate director to join its payments strategy and innovation department. According to an announcement on LinkedIn, the new job listing was published on Wednesday. The new position is expected to play a key role in defining and implementing Spotify’s payments strategy as well as furthering the company’s involvement in Facebook's recently rebranded crypto project, Diem. The position will also focus on wider …

According to a press release posted today, the Libra Association is changing its name to the Diem Association. The shift is likely in the hopes of turning the page on Libra’s PR. Facebook initially announced its planned global stablecoin Libra in June of last year to immediate regulatory uproar that has swamped the project since. Facebook’s involvement has proved especially controversial. The new name makes use of the Latin word for “day,” best known in the saying, “Carpe diem.” The Association’s press release upon the announcement alludes obliquely to the need to change the narrative on the project: “Now transitioning …

Several experts from various European banks agreed that even a proof of concept for a digital euro is four or five years away. In a panel on Monday called "Upgrading Money to the Digital Age: Introducing Digital Euro," participants agreed that the current task was primarily one of getting everyone onboard with the specifics of a digital euro, putting any real implementation well into the future. Central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, have been an extremely popular topic of debate in recent years, but especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Austėja Šostakaitė of the European Central Bank said …

Editor’s note As many of you were certainly following in real time, a bull market gave way to a bloodbath yesterday, which happened to be Thanksgiving in the United States. Personally, I’ve never thought that Bitcoin’s (BTC) price was any sort of proof of its value proposition, but for many, its retreat yesterday certainly dashed many a planned gloat to family members more receptive to massive gains than concepts like censorship resistance. But obviously, volatility is part of the game with cryptocurrencies. One of the more prominent solutions to this problem has been the rise of stablecoins, especially following the …

The long-awaited digital currency Libra could finally see the light of day as soon as January 2021, according to a new report. Following more than a year of scrutiny from global financial regulators, Libra will launch in the form of a U.S. dollar-backed digital currency, the Financial Times reported on Nov. 27. Citing three people involved in the Libra project, the Financial Times wrote that the Libra Association plans will eventually add more fiat currencies to the basket of assets that back Libra’s value. Expected in January, the exact launch date is still not known and would depend on when …

The Libra Association, which manages Facebook’s quiet cryptocurrency project, has appointed a general counsel to oversee the development of its forthcoming payment system. In an official press release, the Libra Association Wednesday introduced Saumya Bhavsar as the new general counsel of Libra Networks, the entity charged with operating the blockchain-based payment system. Bhavsar comes with two decades of experience in the financial services industry serving in various legal, regulatory and compliance roles. She previously worked with United State and European banks and regulatory agencies, including Credit Suisse, the European Commission and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Jeffrey Emmett, managing …

Blockchain technology and staking service provider Bison Trail has announced the launch of its Query and Transactions Clusters, or QT, protocol to help developers build on Facebook’s forthcoming Libra network. Libra QT offers a bridge between Libra’s pre-mainnet and off-chain systems, allowing dedicated off-chain infrastructure to read and write data to the blockchain. According to a Nov. 25 announcement from Bison Trails, which provides blockchain services and infrastructure to crypto companies, “Libra QT offers fully-managed, dedicated, and highly resilient Libra read/write nodes and supporting systems without the hassle and expense of running them in-house.” Bison Trails’ co-founder and chief technical …

Facebook’s proposal for its digital currency, Libra, was a wake-up call for international regulatory agencies, finance ministries and central bankers. All these actors recognized that the company’s reach across its three platforms had the potential to accelerate adoption of a global stablecoin to an unprecedented extent. In a new paper from the Bank of International Settlements, three analysts have proposed that the novelty of Libra and other proposed global stablecoins demand that regulators reimagine the possibilities for monitoring and supervising their issuance and circulation. Libra’s potential for rapid mass adoption across multiple jurisdictions would require authorities to develop dynamic and …

As numerous countries across the board navigate their feelings on central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, Benoît Cœuré of the Bank for International Settlements thinks physical cash will retain its importance. Heading up the BIS’ innovation wing, Cœuré formerly held a position with the European Central Bank on its executive board. “In the euro area, unlike Sweden or China, demand for banknotes is still strong,” Cœuré said in an interview on Thursday. “Their role is declining as a means of payment, but they remain a means of savings.” He added: “No one wants to force consumers to choose their payment …