It seems that, when it comes to Bitcoin, Facebook giveth and Facebook taketh away. Just a few weeks after the announcement of Libra helped push Bitcoin over the $10,000 mark and as high as $14,000, the leading cryptocurrency is currently slumping and has fallen back down below that five-figure floor. This bearish retreat comes as regulators and lawmakers continue to take their shots at Libra and, in some cases, the concept of cryptocurrencies themselves.
As we’ve previously discussed, Facebook’s Libra has been scrutinized by congressional committees, the Federal Reserve, and others. In fact this week the company made it clear that the cryptocurrency won’t launch until regulators are fully informed of and satisfied with the plans. However the argument over Libra has evolved into a discussion of other cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin.
Last week President Trump took to Twitter to share his disapproval of crypto, writing, “I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air. Unregulated Crypto Assets can facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade and other illegal activity.” Then this week, as Forbes reports, United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin echoed those sentiments, telling reporters that cryptocurrencies were “indeed a national security issue.” The secretary continued, “Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin have been exploited to support billions of dollars of illicit activity like cyber crime, tax evasion, extortion, ransomware, illicit drugs, and human trafficking.” He also asserted that Libra “could be misused by money launderers and terrorist financiers.”
While the words of both men may sound pretty damning, some crypto enthusiasts actually had positive reactions. Among them is Elliptic chief scientist Tom Robinson who told Forbes, “Steve Mnuchin’s press conference [was] actually bullish news for the future of cryptocurrencies long term.” Robinson went on to note, “The U.S. has had a clear anti-money laundering regulatory framework around cryptocurrencies for several years now, while the rest of the world, led by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), is rapidly adopting anti-money laundering regulation focused on maintaining oversight of cryptocurrency service providers.”
