In this March 29, 2018, file photo is the Facebook logo on screens at the Nasdaq MarketSite, in New York's Times Square. A once-ambitious Facebook-backed digital currency project — formerly known as Libra, now called Diem — is shifting operations from Switzerland to the U.S. and said it plans to launch a cryptocurrency tied to the U.S. dollar later in 2021. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
By Barbara Ortutay
A once-ambitious Facebook-backed digital currency project — formerly known as Libra, now called Diem — is shifting operations from Switzerland to the U.S. and said it plans to launch a cryptocurrency tied to the U.S. dollar later this year.
As part of the move, Diem said it is also withdrawing its application for a payment system license from the Swiss Financial Markets Authority, which it has not been able to secure thus far.
The Diem Association, which includes Facebook and 25 other companies, said Wednesday has it entered a partnership with Silvergate Capital Corp. to issue a “stablecoin” backed by the U.S. dollar. A stablecoin is a digital currency backed by real-world assets such as national currencies or other commodities.
As the name implies, stablecoins are designed to not fluctuate wildly in value. That's in sharp contrast to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, whose value is not tied to a real-world currency and whose price has ranged between roughly $9,000 and $63,000 over the past year.
Facebook announced the Libra project in 2019, at the time envisioning it as a stablecoin based on a basket of national currencies. Since then, the effort has been scaled back considerably amid regulatory and commercial backlash. It underwent a name change in December 2020.
Wednesday's announcement represents a further scaling back as Diem shifts focus to the U.S. from its original ambitions to become a global currency for the unbanked around the world.
The Senate Banking Committee held a hearing Thursday on the cannabis bill the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking — a first step toward what advocates hope will be a full vote on the Senate Floor.
Wall Street saw another day of losses in the market amid continued concerns over the banking sector and as investors digest the latest inflation data. Francis Oh, Asia-Pacific CEO of Qraft Technologies, joined Cheddar News to break down what can be expected with the Federal Reserve's move on interest rates and what to look out for with A.I. stocks, which are seeing big gains.
Adidas has decided to try to sell a portion of its remaining Yeezy shoe inventory and donate the proceeds to chartitable organizations, CEO Bjørn Gulden said Thursday.
Peloton is recalling more than 2 million exercise bikes over a safety concern with its bike seat post, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission said it's received some injury reports.
Peloton is recalling more than 2 million of its exercise bikes because the bike’s seat post assembly can break during use, posing fall and injury hazards.
