I'm doing a dive into differences of stablecoins. I wrote an article comparing the design of Bitflate and Libra. Different designs yield tradeoffs.
Original post:
https://bitflate.org/post/2019/10/22/building-stablecoin-bitflate-vs-libra.htmlBitflate is a cryptocurrency with a constant inflation of 7%. It’s designed to be a digital native and decentralized stablecoin. Price stabilization is done through inflation.
Libra is a cryptocurrency backed by Facebook. It is managed and operated by the Libra Association, a membership organization of companies and organizations.
In this article, I compare Bitflate and Libra. I also rate the advantages of each cryptocurrency. These ratings are my personal opinion.
PermissionBitflate is a permissionless blockchain. It is a fork of Bitcoin. Bitflate uses Proof of Work. Coins are generated through mining. Anyone can download the client and verify their transactions. The software is open source and can be compatible with other open source software.
Libra is a permissioned blockchain. Participants need to ratify Libra Association charter and pay membership fees. Users probably will need to go through an intermediary agency to interact with Libra.
I think decentralization is a major innovation of cryptocurrency. People are in control of the currency and can independently verify the system themselves. For Permission, I rate:
Bitflate wins.PriceBitflate is a decentralized blockchain. It will inflate 7% per year. The reward and schedule is fixed. We won’t be able to change the coin supply. Its price can be volatile. Although inflation will cause price drop, I predict price would become stable as demand increases. Bitflate price will not be completely stable, but somewhat stable.
Libra is backed by financial assets to avoid volatility. The Libra Association will be able to control its price relative to other assets and currencies. For Price, I rate:
Libra wins.Energy UseBitflate makes use of Proof of Work. So it will consume energy through mining.
Libra is governed by the Libra Association. So it will not need mining and consume energy.
For Energy Use, I rate:
Libra wins.DecentralizationBitflate is decentralized. Blocks are produced every 2.5 minutes. Rewards are known ahead of time.
The Libra Association is a consortium of companies and organizations. It is a central authority of Libra. But it is somewhat decentralized as members can vote through its charter. So Libra is somewhat decentralized. I call this model semi-decentralized.
For Decentralization, I rate:
Bitflate wins.Regulatory RisksBitflate is decentralized and digital native. It is governed by consensus similar to Bitcoin. There is no central authority. It can work across border. It is accessible to users anywhere.
The Libra Association is the central authority of Libra. It is founded and headquartered in Switzerland. I think its backers understand regulatory risks. They are sorting through these mundane issues. Governments in Europe and the United States already applied regulatory pressure on the Libra Association.
For Regulatory Risks, I rate:
Bitflate wins.Mainnet (as of October 2019)Bitflate is live on mainnet. Miners have been producing blocks and processing transactions. The network expects to reach 50k blocks and 2.5 million coin supply. You can buy Bitflate on exchange.
Libra is facing regulatory pressure. On October 15, 2019, 21 initial members signed the Libra Association charter. But this is only the first step. Libra mainnet launch is not going to happen in the near future.
For Mainnet, I rate:
Bitflate wins.ConclusionI think Bitflate and Libra are two categories of stablecoins. Each comes with their own advantages and disadvantages. However, they can both be beneficial to users. I hope both will succeed. I am optimistic and look forward to being able to use these currencies in the future.
