Crypto was designed to eventually serve as a complete replacement for fiat currencies like the US dollar as the entire world moves into a fully digital age, so money itself can more easily and quickly be managed without the requirement of a third-party intermediary.
But it wasn’t until Facebook, one of the largest and most powerful corporations in the entire world, announced their plans to launch a crypto asset called Libra that was designed as a 1:1 replacement for the dollar and other fiat currencies that US regulators began to take a defensive and potentially reactive stance against crypto, Bitcoin, and Facebook Libra itself. And now, as that controversy heats up, Ripple is siding with US regulators, saying that a “new fiat currency” isn’t needed and that the dollar is perfectly suitable – an even makes negative comments towards Bitcoin and Ethereum in an attempt to distance his company from the rest of the crypto space and divert the attention towards the competition.
Ripple CEO Makes Splash Condemning Crypto Competitors, Saves Face with Regulators
Following weeks of controversy surrounding Facebook Libra, fears over the corporation becoming too powerful when privacy is an issue, and concerns over what it could mean for the US dollar, the once bullish crypto market has begun to take caution that stiff regulation may be ahead.
Related Reading | The United States’ Distrust in Facebook Libra Is Spilling Into Crypto
During a recent conversation on Bloomberg TV regarding the much-discussed, hot-button financial and technology topic, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse lashed out at Facebook Libra, Bitcoin, and Ethereum, and took every step possible to align with chief financial regulators in the US and divert negative attention away from his company’s native crypto token, XRP.
"I think the U.S. dollar works pretty well. We don't need a new fiat currency"– Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse on why he thinks Facebook took an arrogant approach with Librahttps://t.co/faVtrXTMej pic.twitter.com/aAs8YyyiEU
— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) July 29, 2019
Garlinghouse first claims that while Facebook’s efforts are “ambitious,” but also “arrogant” for trying to replace fiat currency. “We don’t need a new fiat currency,” he added.
“Financial regulation matters. Know your customer and anti-money laundering, and anti-terrorist financing… these are important foundational pieces of our financial system, and we need to make sure that the future constructs keep that in mind,” Garlinghouse told Bloomberg.
He worries that “legitimate projects working on taking advantage of crypto to solve real problems get caught in the” US government versus Facebook crossfire, and says President Donald Trump’s blanket statement that all cryptocurrencies are bad is akin to not liking an internet company in 1997, suggesting that the industry is young, will mature and change, and many of the early, hype-driven projects will fizzle out long before crypto is widely adopted.
Garlinghouse hoping to play nice with financial regulators in their home country of the United States, makes perfect sense, especially in response to Libra being major competition for the brand. The segment host even comments on how Facebook’s Libra crypto asset is in opposition to XRP, Ripple’s native token.
Related Reading | SWIFT Approaching Ripple (XRP) Speeds In Latest Cross-Border Payment Trial
Rather than stopping with Libra, the Ripple CEO also took jabs at Bitcoin and Ethereum, and strategically pushing buttons of US regulators that may be watching. He says that Ripple is working “with banks, with regulators,” unlike Bitcoin and Ethereum that are “controlled by Chinese miners.”
In the end, the CEO is protecting his brand, product, and investors by attacking Bitcoin and Ethereum, and fueling additional concerns around Libra, Garlinghouse will need to be careful not to drag the entire crypto industry through the mud while he does so, or risk tarnishing his own brand in the process.