I remember Disney Dollars as a kid that were pegged to US 1:1 and could be used at any Disney-owned property. They were basically gift cards with no expiration date. They ended up not being cost efficient, so Disney discontinued them in 2016.
So, if the Libra ends up costing more to run than in earns (hardware, software, labor, and the cost of pegging it to a basket of currencies), then they won’t continue funding it. Since it’s not going to be a speculative currency like bitcoin, how will they pay or it? Will they take a transaction fee?
I also keep on reading that it will help the unbanked in the developing world facilitate payments. I guess it can be risky and hard to carry a lot of cash around for large purchases in parts of the world. But for this to work do you need better identity management? Or if you hold the cell phone, you hold the wallet? If it’s target is micro payments, then there are already many expanding options.
So that leave cross-border transfers, which is a huge thread to the US’s economic dominance. It is much harder to embark Iran if you don’t control the currency they sell their own for.
So, if the Libra ends up costing more to run than in earns (hardware, software, labor, and the cost of pegging it to a basket of currencies), then they won’t continue funding it. Since it’s not going to be a speculative currency like bitcoin, how will they pay or it? Will they take a transaction fee?
I also keep on reading that it will help the unbanked in the developing world facilitate payments. I guess it can be risky and hard to carry a lot of cash around for large purchases in parts of the world. But for this to work do you need better identity management? Or if you hold the cell phone, you hold the wallet? If it’s target is micro payments, then there are already many expanding options.
So that leave cross-border transfers, which is a huge thread to the US’s economic dominance. It is much harder to embark Iran if you don’t control the currency they sell their own for.