Facebook's Libra has failed in current form: Swiss president

[December 28, 2019]    ZURICH (Reuters) - Facebook's <FB.O> Libra project has failed in its current form and needs reworking to be approved, said the president of Switzerland where the cryptocurrency is seeking regulatory consent.

A small toy figure is seen on representations of the virtual currency on a displayed European Union flag and the Facebook Libra logo in this illustration picture, October 20, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

"I don't think (Libra has a chance in its current form), because central banks will not accept the basket of currencies underpinning it," Ueli Maurer, who is Switzerland's finance minister and outgoing president, told Swiss broadcaster SRF.

"The project, in this form, has thus failed," he added in an interview.

Libra did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Plans for the Facebook-led digital currency, which is to be issued and governed by the Geneva-based Libra Association, have raised concerns among regulators and politicians ranging from privacy to its potential to influence monetary policy and change the global financial landscape.

Officials running the project, including co-creator David Marcus of Facebook, have said regulatory hurdles could see the launch delayed beyond the planned June date.

The cryptocurrency is to be backed by a reserve of assets such as bank deposits and government debt held by a network of custodians. That structure is meant to foster trust and avoid the price swings that plague other cryptocurrencies.

(Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

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