• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

Facebook Reportedly Considering Its Own Cryptocurrency

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 11, 2018, 2:29 PM ET

Facebook may be interested in creating its own cryptocurrency.

That’s according to a report on Friday by the online video news network Cheddar that cited unnamed sources.

A possible Facebook cryptocurrency would let the company’s users more easily buy goods from each other through the social network “without government currencies” the report said.

It’s unclear how exactly Facebook (FB) would use its own cryptocurrency, but a possible Bitcoin-like coin could let people more easily sell goods internationally through the company’s growing Marketplace online classified section.

This week, Facebook created a new team dedicated to blockchain, the technology that underpins popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and XRP. The company moved the leader of its Messenger service, David Marcus, to the new blockchain unit that he will oversee.

Facebook did not say what it plans to do with its blockchain unit, but Marcus said that the company would be “starting from scratch.” Marcus, who is no stranger to online payments, was once the president of PayPal (PYPL) and he’s also a board member of the Coinbase cryptocurrency trading service.

A Facebook spokesperson told Fortune in an email, “Like many other companies Facebook is exploring ways to leverage the power of blockchain technology.”

“This new small team will be exploring many different applications,” the spokesperson said. “We don’t have anything further to share.”

On Friday, IBM’s (IBM) blockchain chief Bridget van Kralingen told Fortune that blockchain technology could help Facebook deal with some of the company’s recent data privacy controversies.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

She said that blockchain technology could be beneficial for privacy concerned people who want to better understand how their data is being used and shared via different advertising services “or on the personal side.”

“So I think it’s a technology that fits very well with some of the business model challenges that they’re actually facing, and I think they’re very right to take this very seriously,” van Kralingen said.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
The scientist who helped create AI says it’s only ‘a matter of time’ before every single job is wiped out—even safer trade jobs like plumbing
By Orianna Rosa RoyleDecember 19, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
As graduates face a ‘jobpocalypse,’ Goldman Sachs exec tells Gen Z they need to know their commercial impact 
By Preston ForeDecember 18, 2025
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
James Talarico says the biggest 'welfare queens' in America are 'the giant corporations that don't pay a penny in income taxes'
By Dave SmithDecember 20, 2025
17 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Sneaking unemployment rate means the U.S. economy is inching closer to a key recession indicator, says Moody’s
By Eleanor PringleDecember 19, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Meta’s 28-year-old billionaire prodigy says the next Bill Gates will be a 13-year-old who is ‘vibe coding’ right now
By Eva RoytburgDecember 19, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Congressmen who pushed to release Epstein files say massive blackout doesn't comply with law and start work on drafting articles of impeachment
By Jason MaDecember 19, 2025
1 day ago

Latest in Tech

EnergyData centers
Georgia regulators approve 50% power capacity boost, betting that massive AI data center demand will eventually materialize
By Jeff Amy and The Associated PressDecember 20, 2025
4 hours ago
Big TechCEO salaries and executive compensation
Elon Musk adds to his $679 billion fortune after Delaware court reverses its earlier decision and awards him a $55 billion Tesla pay package
By Michael Liedtke and The Associated PressDecember 20, 2025
5 hours ago
Bill Gates and Phoebe Gates attend the 2022 TIME100 Gala on June 08, 2022 in New York City.
TechBill Gates
Bill Gates identifies the biggest burden being passed on to his children after seeing his daughter harassed online 
By Eleanor PringleDecember 20, 2025
8 hours ago
AIOpenAI
OpenAI vs. Apple? Sam Altman is setting his sights on winning what could be an even higher-stakes AI battle
By Alyson ShontellDecember 20, 2025
11 hours ago
Photo of Elon Musk
TechTesla
Tesla’s chief designer accidentally smashed a $61K Cybertruck’s ‘armor glass’ window with a metal ball. Now he says it was a ‘great marketing moment’
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 20, 2025
14 hours ago
Scott Anthony
Future of WorkColleges and Universities
‘They’ll lose their humanity’: Dartmouth professor says he’s surprised just how scared his Gen Z students are of AI
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 20, 2025
15 hours ago