Libra versus mobile money in developing markets: operators weigh potential scale effect

With the formal announcement of Libra in June, Facebook has made clear its intention to break into the blockchain space. Its ambition is to create a global currency for digital transactions, to extend the utility of its existing products and reduce the unbanked population, which amounts to 1.7 billion people. While Libra will purportedly reduce friction by cutting out transactional intermediaries, its path to success is fraught with regulatory headwinds. We take a critical stance on the intersection between Libra and existing operator-led mobile money services and examine the competitive tensions arising between the two, especially in developing markets.