What Made PayPal Such a Groundbreaking FinTech Phenomenon? (2024)

Paypal is afintech companythat was established in 1998. The company allows people to send and receive money online without the need for a bank account or credit card. PayPal is different to other online payment processing solutions because it uses an innovative technology called ‘peer-to-peer’ (P2P) banking.

This means that PayPal transactions are processed directly between two people’s accounts instead of going through a bank. This makes PayPal much faster and more convenient than other methods of online payments.

The founders of PayPal were Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, Luke Nosek and Ken Howery. The company was initially started as a way to process payments for eBay’s online auction site. Since then, it has become one of the world’s largest online payment processors, with over 392 million users worldwide.

The technology behind PayPal is based on P2P banking, which allows direct transfers between two people’s accounts without needing a third party, such as a bank or credit card company. PayPal is also one of the first companies to offer ‘single-click’ payments, which makes it much easier and faster to make online purchases.

What Made PayPal Such a Groundbreaking FinTech Phenomenon? (1)

Source: Statista Number of PayPal Active User Accounts from Q1 2010 to Q1 2022

Between Q4 2021 and Q4 2020, PayPal grew its active user base by 13%. Indeed, PayPal’s annual revenues in billions of dollars amounted to $21.45 in 2020, up from $17.77 billion in 2019. PayPal is a widely accepted payment processing solution for a large and growing variety of e-commerce platforms and money transfer services.

For example, you can use PayPal to make payments on eBay, Amazon, and other online retailers. You can also use it to send money to friends and family or donate to charities. Plus, it’s the ideal payment solution for second secure banking for online gaming. You can use this banking method forPayPal casino gamesat reputable online operators.

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How does a PayPal Transaction Work?

When you sign up for a PayPal account, you must provide your email address and create a password. You will then be asked to link your bank account or credit card to your PayPal account. Once you have done this, you can make payments using your PayPal balance, bank account, or credit card.

To make a payment, you need to enter the email address of the person you send money to and the amount you wish to send. The recipient will receive an email notification from PayPal with instructions on how to claim the money. They can either withdraw the funds to their bank account or keep them in their PayPal balance for future use.

PayPal uses various security measures to protect your account, including encrypted passwords and two-factor authentication. You can also set up a security question to help you remember your password if you ever forget it. To protect your banking information, PayPal does not store your full bank account or credit card number on its servers.

Plus, when you register to use PayPal at an e-commerce platform, online retailer, online casino, or money transfer service, you also benefit from SSL encryption, firewall protection, and stringent security protocols on those websites.

Cost-wise, PayPal isn’t the cheapest option when receiving money, but no fees are involved when making purchases. As a result, PayPal’s prices are generally much lower than those of other payment processing solutions. For example, there is no fee when you make a purchase using your PayPal balance.

When you make a purchase using your bank account or credit card, the standard cost is around 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. This is much lower than the fees charged by Visa, MasterCard, andAmerican Express, which can be up to 3% + $0.30 per transaction.

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What Made PayPal Such a Groundbreaking FinTech Phenomenon? (2024)

FAQs

What Made PayPal Such a Groundbreaking FinTech Phenomenon? ›

The company allows people to send and receive money online without the need for a bank account or credit card. PayPal is different to other online payment processing solutions because it uses an innovative

innovative
Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entity, realizing or redistributing value".
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Innovation
technology called 'peer-to-peer' (P2P) banking.

Why is PayPal fintech? ›

PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support online money transfers; it serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods such as checks and money orders.

How did PayPal become so successful? ›

Key Milestones in PayPal's Journey

One such milestone was its acquisition by eBay in 2002, which helped fuel PayPal's growth and expand its user base exponentially. This partnership provided PayPal with access to millions of eBay users, giving it a significant advantage in the online marketplace.

How did PayPal impact the world? ›

For the first time in our history, our customers donated more than $20 billion on our platform to 1.4 million nonprofits and causes in a single calendar year. Our employees also demonstrated an incredible commitment to their communities and volunteered nearly 100,000 hours to nonprofits globally.

What is the technology behind PayPal? ›

Initially, the company emerged from x.com and Confinity as a crypto company, developing P2P payments and using PalmPilot's Beam technology. “Over time, we became an email-based payment solution, so just by having an email address, you could receive money,” says Sri Shivananda, PayPal EVP and CTO.

Is PayPal an example of fintech? ›

A prominent example of a company in the fintech (financial technology) industry is PayPal Holdings, Inc. PayPal is a global online payments system that facilitates money transfers and online transactions between individuals and businesses.

Is PayPal in the fintech industry? ›

PayPal is Still Dominant

PYPL stock ended 2022 with 79% market share among other fintech retailers and companies. While ApplePay is a significant competitor, PayPal still wins because of its broad reach and faster transactions with $1.6 trillion TPV in Q3.

What makes PayPal unique? ›

ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST PAYMENT NETWORKS IS AT YOUR SERVICE. PayPal lets you pay for your favorite things at millions of online stores in the U.S. and across 203 global markets—all without the hassle of converting currency. So it's just as easy to know how much you're spending as it is to spend it.

What was unique about PayPal? ›

PayPal is successful because the company is trusted by millions of companies and people. PayPal has a very sophisticated anti-hacking and anti-phishing method to protect its users. Sure, there are other payment schemes out there that offer protection.

Why is PayPal so important? ›

PayPal is fast and convenient. But the most important advantage of using PayPal is the strictest security and privacy measures to ensure your data is completely safe and any threat of hacking is eliminated. PayPal also offers customers an extra layer of security with Buyer Protection.

When did PayPal become successful? ›

Its rise to fame came when eBay acquired PayPal in 2002 for $1.5bn. After this monumental step, PayPal started to grow across the world, accepted by many online merchants. For the next couple of years, under eBay, PayPal grew its reach internationally.

What is fintech? ›

Fintech, a combination of the words “financial” and “technology,” refers to software that seeks to make financial services and processes easier, faster and more secure.

What is the point of fintech? ›

​​​At its core, fintech is utilized to help companies, business owners, and consumers better manage their financial operations, processes, and lives. It is composed of specialized software and algorithms that are used on computers and smartphones. Fintech, the word, is a shortened combination of “financial technology.”

What makes PayPal different from its competitors? ›

A feature of the apps developed by PayPal is a loyalty system that competitors' developments do not have. For example, stores can automatically offer discounts to customers through the app, and customers can pay for purchases through the retailer's app with their card linked to it.

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