Libra is distancing itself from Facebook not only through a name change, but also by attempting to draw attention toward its digital payment rail instead of the creation of alternative money.

High profile companies like Facebook, Square and PayPal have brought attention to using cryptocurrency for payments — but speed is more important than buzz in getting stores to view crypto as tender, according to a group of developers who are building connections to merchants.

For years, business models based around micropayments have been touted as an alternative to advertising, offering a new form of revenue for all kinds of content creators, enabling users to pay for the exact quantity of services they consume. They have even been suggested as a way to create alternative insurance products, for example forms of car insurance where drivers pay per journey.

Inflationary and macroeconomic pressures will position bitcoin as a new asset that acts as a recognized store of value against inflation, says FiCAS' Ali Mizani Oskui.

Bitcoin has underpinned the next generation of currencies, while showing that central banks are not necessarily needed as administrators or gatekeepers.

Bitcoin extended recent gains in Friday trading, continuing its slow progress toward $16,000 after joining a slew of assets from oil to Asian stocks that rallied in the wake of the U.S. election.

Bitcoin showed the world that software can be open source, censorship resistant, decentralized, permissionless and borderless, says Woorton's Zahreddine Touag.