PayPal is cautious about the future of
Facebook-backed cryptocurrency Libra, which is slated to debut with the
pioneering digital payments firm as part of its oversight association.
International outcry is mounting over Libra -- with central banks,
governments and regulators railing against Facebook's upstart
cryptocurrency and questions over how it would be regulated.
The social media giant unveiled plans in June for Libra -- which will
roll out in 2020 -- to be backed by a basket of currency assets to avoid
the wild swings of Bitcoin and other virtual units.
"It's a non-binding commitment," PayPal investor relations vice
president Gabrielle Rabinovitch said Thursday of the California-based
company signing on to the Libra Association.
"And obviously, I think there's a lot of work to happen before we get to
that point where it becomes something more than just a very exciting
idea."
The nonprofit Libra Association, based in Geneva, will oversee the
blockchain-based coin, maintaining a real-world asset reserve to keep
its value stable.
Facebook envisioned Libra as a new global cryptocurrency, pledging to
deliver a stable virtual money that lives on smartphones and could bring
over a billion "unbanked" people into the financial system.
Hundreds of billions of dollars are transferred annually between
migrants and loved ones in their home countries, and PayPal is a player
in that sector.
"The goals and ambitions of Libra are very consistent with PayPal's
overall ambitions in terms of serving the underserved; democratizing
access to capital," Rabinovitch said.
"So we very much believe in the potential of Libra."
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