News

Law

Asset Management

Investment Banking

Wealth

Hedge Funds

People

Newsletters

Events

Lists

Fintech

Taking Libra-ties: the ‘friction’ behind Facebook’s crypto push

The fate of a small blockchain start-up acquired by Facebook earlier this year shines a light on the debate over whether the social media giant’s Libra is a ‘true’ cryptocurrency

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Facebook Photo: David Paul Morris/Getty Images

Is Facebook’s much-hyped Libra a true cryptocurrency? The fate of a small London-based blockchain start-up, bought by the social-media giant in February, offers a clue to the controversy swirling in the crypto markets.

The purchase of Chainspace – founded in 2017 by six former researchers at University College London – was aimed at building Facebook’s crypto expertise in the run-up to Libra’s launch, according to investors who had put money behind the start-up.

WSJ Logo