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."