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A leading payments industry news source for more than 17 years. Glenbrook curates the news and keeps you abreast of the important daily headlines in payments.
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August 28, 2026
Top Post
Advent, Stripe Are Said to Abandon $50 Billion Pursuit of PayPal
Yahoo Finance
"A consortium of buyout firm Advent and payment processor Stripe has decided to abandon its pursuit of fintech pioneer PayPal Holdings Inc. (PYPL), according to people familiar with the matter."
August 14, 2026
Top Post
A PayPal Sale Is Back on the Table: What We Know About Stripe, Advent’s Bid
Yahoo Finance
"Stripe and Advent are reportedly in talks to acquire PayPal, according to the Wall Street Journal. Yahoo Finance's Josh Lipton outlines what we know so far. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the struggling payment company is in talks to sell itself to Stripe and Advent. Two companies offered 60 50 per share in July or $53 billion, which PayPal, remember, turned down, but now the journal is saying the companies have been in negotiations since then. PayPal shares spiking on that headline just before the close, finishing the day up nearly 2%."
August 13, 2026
On the web
PayPal Antitrust Suit Dismissed: No Private Route to Challenge Platform Fee Inflation
Tech Times
"A federal judge permanently closed the door on the most ambitious consumer antitrust challenge ever brought against PayPal's merchant payment rules, handing the company a complete legal victory on August 12 and revealing just how difficult it is for shoppers to prove that a payment platform's fees secretly inflated the prices they paid. The ruling, issued by US District Judge Jeffrey S. White of the Northern District of California, ended a nearly three-year legal battle in Sabol et al. v. PayPal Holdings Inc. et al. (No. 4:23-cv-05100)."
August 10, 2026
On the web
Google Play Now Takes Venmo Payments
Engadget
"You can now pay for your Google Play purchases with Venmo. Google has added the service as a payment option in the Play store, letting you purchase apps, subscriptions or in-app content with either your Venmo balance or your linked cards and bank accounts. Google recently opened the Play store to outside billing in the US, the UK and Europe as part of its settlement with Epic Games."
August 7, 2026
On the web
Africa: PayPal Expands PYUSD Stablecoin to 27 Additional Markets
APA News
"PayPal has announced the expansion of its PYUSD stablecoin to 27 additional African markets, a strategic move aimed at facilitating cross-border payments and remittances while strictly adhering to local regulatory frameworks. The rollout brings the total number of global markets where PYUSD is available to 70, significantly bolstering PayPal’s operational footprint within Africa’s rapidly expanding digital financial ecosystem."
July 20, 2026
On the web
How PayPal Went from Wall Street Favorite to Unwilling Merger Target
Forth
"Five years ago PayPal was a Wall Street favorite and a leader in digital payments. Owen Lau, an analyst at financial services firm Clear Street, said PayPal prioritized winning market share by pricing aggressively, but failed to charge enough to generate attractive returns. Lau added that growth has slowed across key parts of the business, including Venmo, while newer products such as buy now, pay later have not panned out. PayPal’s user base has plateaued, he said, making growth a secondary concern to boosting profits from existing customers."
July 15, 2026
Top Post
PayPal Draws $53 Billion Takeover Bid From Stripe and Advent
Yahoo Finance
"Stripe has teamed up with private equity firm Advent International to make a play for PayPal. Stripe and Advent submitted the offer earlier this month, following an initial approach in April, Reuters reported. Under the proposal, the two buyers would hold equal stakes and keep PayPal intact. PayPal has not responded yet. Stripe and Advent still hope to move talks forward within weeks. A deal would bring together two large payment networks under a single owner. Stripe owns Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure platform it bought for $1.1 billion in 2025."
July 2, 2026
On the wires
PayPal Joins the European Payments Council
PayPal Newsroom
"PayPal has officially joined the European Payments Council (EPC), marking an important milestone in our commitment to the future of payments in Europe."
June 26, 2026
Top Post
PayPal CEO Unveils AI Reset, $1.5B Savings Plan at Bernstein Conference
MarketBeat
"PayPal CEO Enrique Lores laid out a broad reset focused on simplifying the company, modernizing its pre-cloud technology stack, and making PayPal more AI-native while shifting more attention back to consumers. The company has reorganized into three core businesses — Checkout, consumer financial services and payment processing — and is now prioritizing sustainable profitability, stronger Venmo monetization, and added value services for Braintree and Checkout rather than pure volume growth."
June 23, 2026
On the web
PayPal Cooperates with PPRO to Add 30+ Local Payment Methods, Helping Merchants Convert More International Shoppers
PPRO
"PayPal is expanding its global payments platform with the addition of more than 30 local payment methods, introduced in cooperation with PPRO, its long-standing technology provider. The expansion helps merchants better serve international shoppers by offering the payment options people already know and trust in their local markets. New additions include Swish in Sweden, MB WAY in Portugal, and BLIK Pay Later in Poland, as well as popular options beyond Europe such as Pix in Brazil."
June 18, 2026
On the web
PayPal Ventures Shutters as Company Restructuring Continues
TechCrunch
"Five sources told Fortune that the corporate venture arm, will be winding down operations. A company spokesperson confirmed the news to TechCrunch, with a statement. PayPal Ventures has made more than 80 investments, including the crypto trading platform Talos Global, fintech infrastructure company Plaid, and the crypto bank Anchorage Digital. PayPal Ventures still exists on paper and has a few employees supporting its portfolio of startups. However, it has paused new investment activity — at least for now."
June 2, 2026
On the web
Hey Savi and PayPal Launch UK's First Agentic Commerce Platform with In-App Checkout [Video]
PayPal
"Hey Savi launched UK's first agentic commerce experience with native checkout powered by PayPal. The app is the first of its kind AI-powered, brand agnostic fashion search platform for women, making it easier for shoppers to find, compare and buy must-have styles without leaving the app. Debenhams Group - including the Group brands Debenhams, Karen Millen, Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing – is the first retailer in the UK to bring end-to-end AI-powered shopping to UK consumers."
May 20, 2026
On the web
PayPal’s Dollar-Backed Stablecoin Is Now Live Across Africa
Tech Labari
"The San José-based payments giant has announced that PayPal USD (PYUSD), its dollar-backed stablecoin, is now available to users across 70 markets, including a broad expansion across Africa. The move represents a dramatic scaling of the token’s reach: previously, PYUSD was only available for holding in the United States and the United Kingdom. The rollout now adds 68 new jurisdictions, with African countries including Uganda and Malawi among the newly supported markets."
May 19, 2026
On the web
PayPal Partners with Anthropic to Close the AI Gap for Small Businesses
PayPal Newsroom
"Eighty-two percent of small businesses surveyed say adopting AI is essential to staying competitive, but seventy-three percent say they don’t have the tools or training to do it. PayPal is partnering with Anthropic to close that gap. AI Fluency for Small Business is a free online course offering practical, expert-backed training built around real advice from small business owners. It’s a meaningful step toward our 2030 goal of supporting 25 million people and small businesses with the skills they need to thrive in the digital economy."
May 11, 2026
On the web
Venmo’s Biggest Makeover in Years Comes at a Very Interesting Time
Techcrunch
"Venmo is rolling out a significant redesign over the coming months that aims to make the app more useful, social, and easier to navigate. This is the peer-to-peer payments app’s biggest refresh since 2021. PayPal, which owns Venmo, is restructuring to spin Venmo off as a standalone business unit — a move widely seen as laying the groundwork for a potential sale. Stripe has reportedly expressed interest in buying PayPal outright. The rollout will begin this week, followed by additional features over the next few months."
PayPal and Google Cloud Say Crypto Rails Are Key to Scaling Agentic Commerce
MEXC
"Executives from both companies argued that traditional payment systems are not designed for AI-driven transactions. Rich Widmann, Global Head of Strategy for Web3 at Google Cloud, stressed that AI agent interaction in the current web environment is poorly designed. “An agent can’t get a bank account. It’s not just hard; it’s impossible, due to both technological and regulatory challenges,” he said. Widmann described crypto as an excellent machine-readable interface for payments."
On the wires
Seattle Seahawks and PayPal announce PayPal as the team's Official Fan-to-Fan Payments & Exclusive Digital Ticket Payment Processing Partner
PR Newswire
"The Seattle Seahawks and PayPal Holdings, Inc., a global leader in payments, announced today a new multi-year partnership to become the team's Official Fan-to-Fan Payments & Exclusive Digital Ticket Payment Processing Partner. The Seahawks become the first NFL club partner for PayPal, following the company's landmark announcement with the league in April."
April 30, 2026
On the web
Paypal’s New CEO Makes Venmo a Standalone Business Unit as Potential Buyers Circle
CNBC
"PayPal is separating Venmo into its own standalone unit for the first time, part of a broader reorganization that creates three distinct segments, CNBC has learned exclusively. The restructuring comes as PayPal faces takeover interest from potential buyers, including Stripe, with Venmo considered the company’s most valuable and most acquirable asset."
April 27, 2026
On the wires
PayPal Brings New Commerce-Grade Identity Solution to Advertising Industry
PR Newswire
"Most identity solutions in advertising are built on estimates, guesswork, or probabilistic signals. PayPal changes that by introducing something different: PayPal Ads ID, an advertising identifier grounded in verified commerce relationships. The digital advertising industry has long struggled with a foundational identity problem. According to the 2025 State of the Industry report , only 21% of brands, agencies, and publishers say they are very confident that they can accurately identify and reach their target audiences across digital channels."
April 16, 2026
On the web
Venmo Continues Its Evolution from a Peer-to-Peer App into a Money Movement App for the Next Generation
PayPal Newsroom
"Venmo today announced the expansion of Stash¹, its rewards program, giving customers a new way to earn cash back on everyday purchases from some of their favorite lifestyle brands. In addition to Venmo Debit Mastercard² purchases, customers can now earn up to 5% cash back when they pay with Venmo at select merchants in their chosen bundle¹. The expansion makes it easier than ever to turn the purchases customers are already making into tangible value each month."
April 15, 2026
On the web
The Moment Is Now: What PayPal Beyond Revealed About the Future of Commerce
PayPal Newsroom
"At PayPal Beyond 2026, the mood was clear: move with speed and intention. As leaders gathered in San Francisco, conversations centered on a simple but pressing reality – consumer behavior is shifting fast, powered by AI, and shaped by economic pressure and geopolitical uncertainty. For enterprises and partners gathered in San Francisco this week, the real question isn’t whether to adapt, it's how fast."
March 17, 2026
On the web
PayPal Eyes 70-Country PYUSD Expansion With Rewards For Its Stablecoin, Despite CLARITY Act Limbo
CoinDesk
"The expansion comes as the CLARITY Act remains stalled in the Senate due to disagreement over stablecoin rewards. As per the last proposal, PayPal would not be able to offer rewards on stablecoin holdings since it is not the issuer of PYUSD. Regulatory uncertainty could force PayPal to revise its rewards model or international strategy."
March 6, 2026
On the web
PPRO and PayPal Enable Swish Payments for Global eCommerce
IBS Intelligence
"PPRO has partnered with PayPal to enable Swedish mobile payment service Swish on PayPal’s platform, allowing millions of Swedish consumers to use their preferred domestic payment method when shopping with international online merchants. The integration connects Swish’s user base of around 8.7 million people to PayPal’s global merchant network, enabling them to pay at thousands of online stores worldwide using a payment method already widely adopted in Sweden."
February 24, 2026
Top Post
Stripe Is Considering Acquisition of All or Parts of PayPal, Bloomberg News Reports
Yahoo Finance-Reuters
"Payments firm Stripe is considering an acquisition of PayPal or parts of the digital payments pioneer, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Stripe, which is privately held and is among the industry's most valuable companies, has expressed a preliminary interest in a potential acquisition of PayPal or its assets, the report said."
On the web
PayPal Data Breach Led to Fraudulent Transactions
Security Week
"PayPal recently disclosed a data breach that affected customers’ personal information and led to fraudulent transactions. The personal information was exposed for nearly six months, between July 1 and Dec. 13, 2025. Exposed information included names, email addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, and business addresses combined with SSNs. The code that had introduced the error was rolled back; affected customers’ passwords were reset. In a statement, PayPal said it notified the roughly 100 customers affected by the incident.”
February 16, 2026
On the web
PayPal Makes Solana Default for PYUSD Stablecoin Payments
Live Bitcoin News
"PayPal has named Solana as the default blockchain for PYUSD stablecoin payments, marking a new step in its digital asset strategy. The company said the integration aims to provide faster settlement and near-zero transaction costs for users worldwide."
February 12, 2026
On the wires
Sabre, PayPal, and Mindtrip Partner to Deliver the Industry’s First End-To-End Agentic AI Experience for Travel
PR Newwire
"Sabre Corporation, PayPal Holdings, and Mindtrip, announced a strategic partnership to deliver a next-generation agentic AI experience that reimagines how consumers discover, plan, book, and manage travel. The collaboration unites Mindtrip's agentic consumer platform, PayPal's agentic commerce capabilities, and Sabre's enterprise-grade travel technology and agentic AI expertise. The companies are set to launch in Q2 2026."
February 3, 2026
On the web
PayPal Appoints Enrique Lores as Chief Executive Officer and David W. Dorman as Independent Board Chair
PayPal
"PayPal Holdings Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Enrique Lores as President and CEO, effective March 1, 2026. Lores, who has served on the PayPal Board for nearly five years and as Board Chair since July 2024, succeeds Alex Chriss. To ensure a seamless transition, Jamie Miller, Chief Financial and Operating Officer, will serve as Interim CEO until Lores assumes the role. David W. Dorman has been appointed as Independent Board Chair, effective immediately."
January 28, 2026
On the web
PayPal: Crypto Goes Mainstream: 4 in 10 U.S. Merchants Accept Digital Assets
PayPal Newsroom
"Cryptocurrency payments are quickly moving into the mainstream of U.S. commerce. According to new research from the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Americans understand and use crypto with confidence, and PayPal, nearly 4 out of 10 (39%) of merchants already accept cryptocurrency at checkout, and more than four in five merchants (84%) believe crypto payments will become common within the next five years, signaling a shift in how businesses respond to evolving customer preferences."
January 23, 2026
On the web
Education: Making Sense of the AI Shopping Protocol Moment
PayPal
"Over the past year, agentic commerce has moved rapidly from idea to reality. Instead of browsing websites themselves, customers are increasingly asking AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and others to discover products, compare options, and even make purchases on their behalf. To support these experiences, the industry is developing new technical specifications—known as protocols—that define how AI agents, merchants, and payments systems interact. Here’s a clear look at what agentic commerce protocols are, how the landscape is shaping up, and what it means for merchants navigating what comes next."
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