[leodriesch]

Why crypto? WhatsApp users are not particular tech-savvy, why not just use Fiat?

The use of crypto in here just makes it more difficult to understand for the end user, or am I missing something?

[reginold]

There are four options for Facebook to add payments:

1. Their own Paypal-like system

2. Partner with a Paypal

3. Their own cryptocurrency (ie Libra)

4. Partner with a cryptocurrency

Do I have that right? And for some reason #4 allows them to be global and not face antitrust concerns in the USA.

[TomSwirly]

Apparently so. How that works as a matter of law escapes me.

Had you told me in the 1980s that anonymous individuals would create thousands of new currencies backed for the most part by nothing at all, with the stated intent of evading all government regulation (what I would have called "crime" back then), and that the regulatory agencies would simply pretend it didn't exist, I would have laughed.

[JumpCrisscross]

> Why crypto?

Plausible claims to being exempted from the rules for a while?

[josefx]

Hard to understand for the end user, barely regulated, as an international multi billion dollar company what more do you need? Except for even less regulation, but that is a given.

[crate_barre]

Sort of frees up Facebook from additional government oversight. Let the crypto people handle that fight.

[vineyardmike]

For some reason its hard to send money overseas. This seems to be universally true in "real" finance world. Not sure why, probably regulation? If you want to use things like Western Union et al. then you can expect (relatively) high per-tx fees. Crypto doesn't have this property.

[yannoninator]

why not both? nothing wrong with having both at all.