As I prepare to move to a new job in Germany, two big stories have caught my eye that together produce a troubling message for Europe: Facebook’s plan for a new digital currency and the woes of Deutsche Bank.
Facebook says Libra will make international payments as cheap and easy as text messages. The digital coin will launch next year, backed by a basket of global currencies, and aiming to undercut the juicy $22 in fees that banks charge on an average $200 remittance payment. But so far the reaction has been mostly negative.
Oh no, the critics cry, Libra is a gift for money launderers and watch out for “Facebank” abusing your financial data. There are even worries that Libra could suck deposits out of the banking system and hamper central banks’ control over monetary policy.