While several dissed Facebook’s cryptocurrency venture, Libra, a few others envisioned the social media giant’s move to be a boost to the crypto-industry, due to its global reach. However, the regulatory climate that surrounds the project has been hindering its launch. Recently, the five companies that backed Libra, namely, Visa, Mastercard, eBay, Stripe and Mercado Pago, followed the footsteps of PayPal and announced that they would no longer be part of this project.
Director, Digital Assets Startegy at VanEck , Gabor Gurbacs, is the latest to comment on the issue, claiming that these companies are being urged to leave the crypto-project. He took to Twitter and said,
“Every company that is leaving #Libra is likely, in some ways, forced to do that. It’s unfortunate and I am sorry that capital markets aren’t free.
Now you have a first-hand understanding why censorship-resistance is important!
> Welcome to #Bitcoin!”
Recently, these companies received letters from a few US senators, urging them to withdraw from the project. The letter stated that if the companies didn’t steer away from the project, they would have to encounter regulatory obligations. Gurbacs addressed the same in his tweet and said that regulatory burdens have hindered these companies from experimenting and innovating. He concluded his tweet by saying,
“America can do better!”
Recently, the New York-based investment giant, VanEck, withdrew its Bitcoin Exchange Traded Fund [ETF] application, a month before the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission [SEC] was scheduled to give its final verdict about the approval or rejection of the application.
Additionally, the SEC also rejected Bitwise’s application that seeked the approval of a Bitcoin ETF. The asset management platform had submitted the application back in January. However, the SEC after delaying a verdict several times over the year, has finally dismissed it.
