An Analysis of the Libra Cryptocurrency Project from a Regulatory Perspective

The announcement by Facebook in June 2019 regarding the proposed launch of their cryptocurrency Libra has triggered reactions from across the globe. Whilst the concept of a virtual currency available over a blockchain wasn’t new, the fact that this was being fronted by Facebook made this a completely different ball game.

With close to 2.5 billion users worldwide, it was clear that Facebook’s ambition was to create globally dominant currency, expanding financial services and the associated benefits to corners of the world where they don’t currently exist.

Inevitably, the announcement also generated a considerable amount of nervousness and backlash from central banks and regulators worldwide, the sense being that Libra could destabilise monetary policy and introduce multiple regulatory headaches such as un-detectable money laundering. This was in addition to the already existing data privacy concerns faced by Facebook.

What the Report Offers:
The report is intended to provide insights into what the entry of Libra might mean for the industry, particularly from a regulatory perspective. The report leverages observations from the wider cryptoassets market to develop insights into what is still a rather complex and unregulated area of financial services. The report analyses the responses from various parts of the world, and also how Facebook has responded since the initial announcement back in June 2019. The report is beneficial to cryptoassets market participants, consumers, regulators as well as any other interested parties such as academic institutions, think-tanks, and consultancies

Key Areas Explored in the Report:

• Cryptocurrencies: Current regulatory challenges
• Understanding Libra 1.0 and its Ecosystem
• Analysis of response to date from global regulators
• Libra 2.0 and The Road Ahead