PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) is a leading global digital payments platform that enables individuals and businesses to send and receive payments electronically. The company’s core offerings include its flagship PayPal wallet, which allows users to pay online, send money to friends and family, and securely store payment information. In addition to its primary wallet service, PayPal provides localized solutions such as Venmo in the United States, PayPal Credit for consumer financing, Braintree and Hyperwallet for merchant payment processing, and Xoom for cross-border money transfers.
PayPal’s services cater to a range of customers, from small- and medium-sized enterprises seeking seamless integration of online checkout capabilities to large retailers and marketplaces requiring scalable payment infrastructure. Its platform supports transactions in multiple currencies and integrates fraud detection and buyer protection tools, helping merchants reduce payment risk and improve conversion rates. Through developer-friendly APIs and partnerships with e-commerce platforms, PayPal continues to expand its suite of value-added services, including invoicing, subscription billing, and merchant working capital solutions.
The company traces its origins back to 1998 when it was founded as Confinity, a digital wallet company, before merging with X.com, an online banking venture founded by Elon Musk. Renamed PayPal, it went public in 2002 and was acquired by eBay later that year. In July 2015, PayPal was spun off as an independent publicly traded company. Since the spin-off, PayPal has pursued strategic acquisitions and product innovations to reinforce its position in the fast-growing digital payments sector.
Headquartered in San Jose, California, PayPal operates in over 200 markets globally, serving tens of millions of active accounts. Its leadership team is led by President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Schulman, under whose tenure the company has focused on broadening financial inclusion and enhancing cross-border commerce capabilities. With a network that spans consumers, merchants, and developers, PayPal continues to invest in new technologies such as cryptocurrencies and buy-now-pay-later offerings to address evolving payment trends worldwide.
