Libra 2.0 Bears Little Resemblance to Initial ‘Facebook Coin’ Plan

Amid a raft of changes, Libra is evolving to become a significantly different project than what was originally announced in mid-2019.

Tweeting on Saturday, crypto VC fund IOSG Ventures highlighted the differences between the contents of the updated Libra white paper and the June 2019 iteration. The first major alteration comes in the form of the project’s token mechanism.

Upon its initial white paper release, the Libra Association declared that the Libra token (LBR) would be a stablecoinStablecoins are a class of cryptocurrency that aims to provide price stability.  A perceived drawback of cryptocurrency is price volatility.... More backed by a basket of fiat currencies. Regulators across the world faulted this plan citing monetary control risks.

Back in April, Libra released an updated white paper containing four major changes, one of which was the new token mechanism. Instead of one stablecoin backed by a basket of fiat, the project now plans to run a multi-fiat currency-backed stablecoin system. Thus, upon launch, there could potentially be tokens like LibraUSD, LibraGBP, and LibraEUR among others.

Libra’s multi-stablecoin system will also be under the purview of central banks, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA).

The other three major changes focused on regulatory compliance following the storm of opposition that met its initial white paper release. The Association has since committed to working with regulators to ensure adherence to money laundering and terrorism financing laws.

In late May, Facebook rebranded its planned Calibra digital currency walletA crypto wallet is a device or app that stores digital assets. Unlike the physical wallet in your back pocket,... More, renaming it ‘Novi’ in a move likely orchestrated to create a distinction between the social media giant and the Libra project.