Over the last few years, United States President Donald Trump’s tweetstorms have become a peculiar yet amusing feature of American public life. The president’s off-the-cuff comments have served a wide variety of purposes, from enriching political discourse with the mysterious term covfefe to delivering direct threats — furnished with proper capitalization — to the leadership of the nations deemed U.S. adversaries. The most newsworthy rants almost invariably felt improvised, emotional and reactive. However, the historic series of tweets that constituted the first-ever public comment on cryptocurrencies by a sitting U.S. president didn’t seem to fit the same mold. If anything, …

A United States Democratic congressman has claimed “Mark Zuckerberg is sending a friend request to oligarchs, drug dealers, human traffickers and terrorists” by launching Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency. In a combative tweet on July 17, Brad Sherman described Libra as the “Zuck Buck” and he accused the Facebook CEO of deliberately attempting to circumvent America’s anti-money laundering laws. Sherman’s post was accompanied by a mock Facebook screenshot that showed Zuckerberg sending drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman a friend request. Underneath, the billionaire’s other friends are listed as the Palestinian group Hamas (which the U.S. and the EU designate as a …

Cryptocurrencies such as Libra risk upsetting the world’s financial system if they are not regulated tightly, G7 finance ministers have warned. According to Reuters, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire told a news conference on July 18 that the G7 “cannot accept private companies issuing their own currencies without democratic control.” His remarks followed informal talks in Paris, where the Group of Seven expressed vehement opposition to the prospect of firms having as much power as countries in creating means of payment. The ministers and central bank governors also warned: “Stablecoins and other various new products currently being developed, including …

Social media giant Facebook has reportedly not contacted Swiss regulators regarding the registration of its long-awaited cryptocurrency project Libra. On July 16, Hugo Wyler, a spokesman for and head of communication at the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC), told CNBC that the agency has not been contacted by the promoters of Libra. Notably, the Libra project’s head, David Marcus mentioned in his testimony that the FDPIC would be the Libra Association’s privacy regulator: “For the purposes of data and privacy protections, the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner will be the Libra Association’s privacy regulator.” Wyler …

David Marcus, CEO of Facebook’s crypto wallet Calibra, underlined that Facebook would not launch the Libra cryptocurrency project before they address all regulatory concerns. Marcus delivered his comments at a hearing on Libra with the Financial Services Committee of the United States House of Representatives today, July 17, as reported by a Cointelegraph correspondent. On the second day of hearings on Libra’s structure and management, Rep. Nydia Velazquez asked Marcus, “Will you commit yourself to not launch before all the concerns from the Federal Reserve and other regulators are addressed?” In response, Marcus said, “Absolutely.” Rep. David Scott followed up …

The United States’ Senate Banking Committee raised a wave of skepticism over Facebook’s crypto project Libra during the first day of testimony on July 16. The new hearing, called “Examining Facebook's Proposed Cryptocurrency and Its Impact on Consumers, Investors, and the American Financial System” is scheduled for 10:00 AM ET, July 17. As day two is coming in the next few hours, Cointelegraph posts a short recap of yesterday's hearings. The first day saw Senate Banking Committee attacked David Marcus, head of Facebook’s crypto wallet Calibra, raising major concerns over Libra, including issues of trust, privacy, security and regulation. The …

David Marcus, head of Facebook’s crypto wallet Calibra, stressed Facebook’s intent to be compliant with the United States Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in distributing the Libra stablecoin. As a Cointelegraph correspondent reports on July 16, Marcus delivered his comments at the ongoing hearing on Facebook’s Libra with the Banking Committee of the U.S. Senate. Addressing the issues of money laundering and terrorism financing, Senator Cortez Masto asked Marcus how Facebook is going to ensure that the platform is not being used for such purposes. Marcus responded that “this is something that I care about deeply, personally.” Marcus added that …

At the ongoing hearing on Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency project with the Banking Committee of the United States Senate, lawmakers are interrogating Facebook on privacy and trust concerns. As a Cointelegraph correspondent reports on July 16, David Marcus, head of Facebook’s crypto wallet Calibra, is stressing the project’s trust and regulatory compliance, while some senators are not convinced. Senator Jon Tester asked about Libra's ability to make assurances against fraudulent purchases or loss of funds, along the line of credit cards or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Marcus responded that “we will do our best to resolve those types of issues …

The United States Senate Banking Committee has released the opening statements of David Marcus, head of Facebook’s crypto wallet Calibra today, July 15. The statements come ahead of a hearing on the Libra cryptocurrency project tomorrow in the Senate, in which Marcus will testify. In his testimony, Marcus raised the issue of Facebook’s upcoming stablecoin Libra and its associated digital wallet Calibra, which have previously drawn criticism from both community members, lawmakers and leading industry players. Specifically, Marcus delivered comments on the structure and management of Libra and Calibra and their implications for commerce and consumers. Marcus writes that no …

Facebook’s unveiling of its Libra cryptocurrency has generated a lot of attention in the financial world, as well as in the crypto space. So far, the company has announced that its Libra blockchain network will be launched in 2020 and backed by a separate entity, the Libra Foundation. The cryptocurrency is set to enable users to make faster and cheaper international payments online, using platforms such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. The Libra currency Just like any other cryptocurrency, Libra is set to have its own wallet called Calibra. Users would be able to send and receive Libra through this …

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said there needs to be broad satisfaction with the way Facebook is handling regulatory concerns regarding its forthcoming stablecoin Libra. Powell gave his comments in a hearing before the House Financial Services Committee on July 10. Rep. Steve Stivers asked Powell during the meeting, “if Facebook can’t sufficiently answer your questions about anti-money laundering, Know Your Customer, what would your message be to the banks that provide banking to Facebook, and what would your advice to Facebook be?” Powell replied: “ … I just think it cannot go forward without there being broad satisfaction with …

David Marcus, the head of Calibra at Facebook, has written a letter to Chairwoman Maxine Waters and members of the House Financial Services Committee in preparation for the upcoming Libra hearings, according to a report by The Hill on July 9. According to the report, Marcus wrote, "I want to give you my personal assurance that we are committed to taking the time to do this right.” In addition to being the head of the Calibra wallet, LinkedIn lists David Marcus as the co-creator of Libra. Marcus’ letter is only the latest in a lengthy rally between Congress and Facebook …