PayPal

PayPal Holdings, Inc. is a multinational financial technology company that operates a digital payments platform enabling individuals and businesses to make online and mobile payments. It began in 1998 as Confinity, merging with Elon Musk’s X.com and adopting the PayPal name. The company was acquired by eBay in 2002 and remained part of eBay until the business was spun off as an independent company in 2015. It is headquartered in San Jose, California, and trades publicly on the NASDAQ under the ticker PYPL.

PayPal’s core product is its online wallet, which allows users to link bank accounts, credit or debit cards, and a balance to send and receive money, pay for online purchases, or transfer funds to other users. The company also offers a range of services for merchants, including payment processing, checkout solutions, and related value-added services. In addition, PayPal operates several subsidiary brands and services: Venmo, a mobile app for person-to-person payments in the United States; Xoom, a cross-border money transfer service; and Braintree, a payments platform for developers and merchants that supports mobile apps and marketplaces. PayPal Credit (in some regions) provides consumer financing for purchases.

Funding for PayPal transactions can come from a user’s PayPal balance, a linked bank account, or a funded card, with certain transaction types subject to fees and currency conversion charges. The company emphasizes buyer and seller protections and dispute resolution processes. It maintains security measures such as encryption, fraud monitoring, and compliance with anti-money laundering and know-your-customer regulations. PayPal’s revenue primarily derives from payment-processing fees, financing interest, and related services.