PayPal Holdings

What does PayPal own?
PayPal owns a portfolio of digital payment brands: PayPal (digital wallet and online payments), Venmo (peer-to-peer payments), Braintree (enterprise merchant payments), Zettle (point-of-sale for small businesses), Xoom (international money transfers), Honey (coupon and savings browser extension), and PayPal Credit / Pay Later (consumer credit and buy-now-pay-later products). The company serves 439 million active accounts across approximately 200 markets.

Is PayPal publicly traded?
Yes, PayPal Holdings, Inc. trades on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol PYPL. The company has been publicly traded since its spin-off from eBay on July 20, 2015. It has no controlling shareholder, with ownership distributed among institutional investors including Vanguard Group and BlackRock.

What is PayPal's annual revenue?
For FY2025, PayPal reported net revenues of $33.2 billion, up 4% from $31.8 billion in FY2024. The company processed $1.79 trillion in total payment volume and 25.4 billion payment transactions. GAAP operating income was $6.1 billion, up 14% year over year.

Who is the CEO of PayPal?
Enrique Lores is the President and CEO of PayPal Holdings, effective March 1, 2026. He succeeded Alex Chriss, who departed on February 2, 2026. Lores previously served as President and CEO of HP for more than six years and had served on PayPal's board for nearly five years, including as Chair since July 2024. Jamie Miller, Chief Financial and Operating Officer, served as Interim CEO from February 2 to March 1, 2026.

Who founded PayPal?
PayPal was founded in 1998 through the merger of Confinity (founded by Peter Thiel and Max Levchin) and X.com (founded by Elon Musk). Other co-founders include Luke Nosek, Ken Howery, and Yu Pan. The company rebranded as PayPal in 2001 and was acquired by eBay in 2002 before being spun off as an independent company in 2015.

What is Venmo?
Venmo is a peer-to-peer payment app owned by PayPal that allows users to send and receive money from friends and family. Venmo is particularly popular among younger American consumers and has expanded into merchant payments and crypto trading. In FY2025, Venmo revenue grew approximately 20% to $1.7 billion. PayPal acquired Venmo as part of its 2013 acquisition of Braintree.

When did PayPal separate from eBay?
PayPal was spun off from eBay as an independent publicly traded company on July 20, 2015. eBay had acquired PayPal in 2002 for approximately $1.5 billion. The separation was driven by activist investor pressure and the strategic rationale that both companies would perform better as independent entities.

How many active accounts does PayPal have?
As of December 31, 2025, PayPal had 439 million active accounts, an increase of 1.1% (4.7 million) compared to the prior year. Monthly active accounts grew to 227 million. Transactions per active account (excluding PSP) increased 5%.

PayPal's origins trace to 1998, when Max Levchin and Peter Thiel co-founded Confinity, a company focused on security software for handheld devices. The company pivoted to digital payments, developing a service that allowed Palm Pilot users to beam money to each other. Separately, Elon Musk founded X.com in 1999 as an online financial services company.

Confinity and X.com merged in March 2000, with the combined company initially operating under the X.com name. Following internal debates about strategic direction, the company rebranded as PayPal in 2001, focusing on online payments. Peter Thiel served as CEO during this period, with Musk having been replaced as CEO before the rebranding.

PayPal went public in February 2002 in an IPO that raised approximately $61 million. The stock rose 55% on its first day of trading. Just months after the IPO, eBay acquired PayPal in October 2002 for approximately $1.5 billion in stock. The acquisition made strategic sense as PayPal had become the dominant payment method on eBay's marketplace.

During its years as an eBay subsidiary, PayPal grew substantially, expanding internationally and developing new payment products. The company acquired Braintree, a merchant payment platform, in 2013 for approximately $800 million. Venmo, a peer-to-peer payment app popular among younger consumers, was included in the Braintree acquisition.

In 2015, eBay spun off PayPal as an independent publicly traded company. The spin-off was driven by activist investor pressure, including from Carl Icahn, who argued that PayPal's growth was being constrained by its relationship with eBay. PayPal began trading as an independent company on NASDAQ under ticker PYPL on July 20, 2015.

Following the spin-off, PayPal pursued an aggressive acquisition and partnership strategy. The company acquired Xoom, an international money transfer service, in 2015 for approximately $890 million. In 2019, PayPal acquired Honey, a browser extension that finds coupon codes, for approximately $4 billion.

Dan Schulman served as CEO from 2014 to 2023, leading PayPal through its spin-off from eBay and its subsequent growth as an independent company. Alex Chriss became CEO in September 2023, succeeding Schulman. Chriss, who had previously led Intuit's small business division, focused on improving PayPal's branded checkout performance and transaction margin growth.

On February 2, 2026, the board replaced Chriss as CEO, stating that the pace of change and execution was not in line with expectations. Jamie Miller, Chief Financial and Operating Officer, served as Interim CEO from February 2 until March 1, 2026, when Enrique Lores assumed the role of President and CEO. Lores had served on PayPal's board for nearly five years and as Chair of the Board since July 2024. He previously served as President and CEO of HP for more than six years.

PayPal has developed sustainability initiatives focused on environmental responsibility, financial inclusion, and ethical business practices. The company has committed to achieving net-zero emissions from its operations by 2030 and has implemented programs to increase renewable energy usage in its data centers and facilities, achieving approximately 100% renewable energy usage in its major data centers.

PayPal has set science-based targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across its operations and supply chain. The company has invested in energy efficiency improvements and sustainable cloud computing processes across its global operations.

In financial inclusion, PayPal focuses on providing access to financial services for underserved communities. The company's products enable small businesses and individuals who may not have access to traditional banking services to participate in the digital economy. The PayPal Giving Fund supports charitable giving and disaster relief efforts worldwide.

PayPal addresses ethical considerations through its commitment to responsible data practices and ethical business conduct. The company maintains comprehensive data protection programs and has implemented privacy controls across its products and services.

PayPal has faced regulatory scrutiny and public controversy across several areas:

Cybersecurity: In January 2025, the New York State Department of Financial Services fined PayPal $2 million for cybersecurity lapses that exposed customer data in 2022. The NY DFS cited inadequate access controls, unqualified personnel, and optional multi-factor authentication as root causes of the breach that exposed sensitive Form 1099-K data.

Honey Controversy: PayPal's acquisition of Honey for approximately $4 billion in 2019 faced controversy in late 2024 when a prominent YouTuber alleged that Honey was intercepting affiliate commissions from content creators. PayPal disputed the characterization, but the controversy generated significant negative publicity.

Account Freezing Practices: PayPal has faced criticism regarding its account suspension and fund freeze practices, with customers reporting sudden account closures and funds being held for extended periods without clear explanations. These practices have drawn scrutiny from consumer advocates and regulators.

Polish Regulatory Action: In July 2024, Poland's Office of Competition and Consumer Protection ruled that PayPal used illegal contractual clauses, banning such practices and signaling ongoing friction in global markets.

Stablecoin Regulation: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission concluded a year-long investigation into PayPal's stablecoin, PYUSD, without enforcement action in 2025, removing a key regulatory overhang. However, the investigation highlighted increasing regulatory scrutiny of fintech companies operating in digital currency markets.

Acceptable Use Policy: In 2022, PayPal faced significant backlash after publishing an updated acceptable use policy that appeared to allow the company to fine users $2,500 for spreading "misinformation." PayPal quickly clarified that the policy was published in error and would not be implemented.