The launch of Novi is coming

Facebook would finally be on the verge of officially launching its digital wallet called Novi on the market. An umpteenth announcement while the project has known these last months multiple rebounds.

FACTS

• Facebook has been working for several months on developing its own crypto-currency. Novi (ex-Calibra) interoperable digital wallet of Facebook, is at the heart of this project. It should allow users of the social network to store their Diem (ex-Libra), a stable crypto-currency initiated by the social network.

• The project is presented as a promise made to the members of the social network to facilitate their exchanges thanks to a secure (stable coin backed by the Dollar) and international payment solution.

• This promise could soon become a reality as David Marcus, head of Facebook's financial services division, announced that Novi and Diem have received approval from the U.S. regulator to launch in several states.

• Other local and international negotiations are still underway, meanwhile, to ensure the service's expansion.

• Facebook's wallet will be accessible via its dedicated app or the group's messaging services such as Messenger or WhatsApp.

CHALLENGES

• Developing a broad financial support: Eventually, Facebook plans to make Novi a complete wallet allowing access to multiple bill payment services, from in-store payment via QR code scanning to the storage of transport tickets for example.

• Winning a battle: The war that the web giants are currently waging is particularly focused on financial services. The objective is to integrate these services into their ecosystems in order to strengthen their global position in the e-commerce sector.

• Lower costs: Diem and Novi should represent alternatives to the Facebook Pay service currently widely deployed by the web giant. However, money transfers currently supported by Facebook Pay have a cost related to the participation of intermediaries in the chain that are banks and schemes such as Visa or MasterCard. But by creating its own crypto-currency and wallet, Facebook could do without these intermediaries.

• Reassurance on the compliance register: Particularly expected, but also very long in its implementation, Facebook's stablecoin has attracted the attention of American and international regulators. That's why Facebook wants to be reassuring about the compliance of its stablecoin, especially in the current period with the setbacks of Tether USDT.

MARKET PERSPECTIVE

• Facebook's promise to offer an instant international currency transfer service to its 2.8 billion members worldwide dates back nearly two years.

• One of the ways the company has invested in its goal is in recruiting, as the current head of Facebook's financial services division, David Marcus, is a former president of PayPal.

KEY FIGURES

2010: Creation of the subsidiary Facebook Payment Inc.
2019 : Launch of Facebook Pay
160 countries already allow the use of Facebook Pay
Over $100 billion in payment volume recorded in the last 4 quarters
55 currencies covered