Facebook gets into banking: Libra will be available for Messenger and WhatsApp users around the world, and anyone who downloads the (yet-to-launch) app.
Facebook says it has the lofty goal of bringing financial services to the 1.7 billion around the world who still don’t have bank accounts. Libra will let you send money to almost anyone with a smartphone, as easily as a text message and at “low to no cost,” Facebook says.
The Libra team will be governed by a nonprofit foundation called Calibra, based in Switzerland. Facebook already has backing for the project from 27 organizations, including Uber, Visa, Spotify, Vodafone, Mastercard, and nonprofit Women’s World Banking.
Facebook says it a “new global currency powered by blockchain technology.” But it won’t be truly decentralized (only certain members will be able to process transactions), so Bitcoin purists probably won’t count it as a true cryptocurrency.
All we will know about libra after its exact launching and how its perform in market.