PYPL 10-K diff: FY 2023-12-31 → FY 2024-12-31
Paragraph-level diff of Risk Factors (Item 1A) and Management's Discussion & Analysis (Item 7).
Item 1A · Risk Factors
+71 paragraphs −74 paragraphs ~71 changed
FY 2023-12-31 (earlier)
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, in addition to other information appearing in this Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes, for important information regarding risks and uncertainties that could affect us. These risk factors do not identify all risks we face, and additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that adversely affect our business. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, future prospects, and the trading price of our common stock could be materially and adversely affected.
CYBERSECURITY AND TECHNOLOGY RISKS
Cyberattacks and security vulnerabilities could result in serious harm to our reputation, business, and financial condition.The techniques used to attempt to obtain unauthorized or illegal access to systems and information (including customers’ personal data), disable or degrade service, exploit vulnerabilities, or sabotage systems are constantly evolving. In some circumstances, these attempts may not be recognized or detected until after they have been launched against a target. Unauthorized parties will continue to attempt to gain access to our systems or facilities through various means, including through hacking into our systems or facilities or those of our customers, partners, or vendors, and attempting to fraudulently induce users of our systems (including employees, vendor and partner personnel and customers) into disclosing user names, passwords, payment card information, multi-factor authentication application access or other sensitive information used to gain access to such systems or facilities. This information may, in turn, be used to access our customers’ confidential personal or proprietary information and financial instrument data that are stored on or accessible through our information technology systems and those of third parties with whom we partner. This information may also be used to execute fraudulent transactions or otherwise engage in fraudulent actions. Numerous and evolving cybersecurity threats, including advanced and persisting cyberattacks, cyberextortion, distributed denial-of-service attacks, ransomware, spear phishing and social engineering schemes, the introduction of computer viruses or other malware, and the physical destruction of all or portions of our information technology and infrastructure and those of third parties with whom we partner or that are part of our information technology supply chain, are becoming increasingly sophisticated and complex, may be difficult to detect, and could compromise the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of the data in our systems, as well as the systems themselves.
We believe that hostile actors, who may comprise individuals, coordinated groups, sophisticated organizations, or nation state supported entities may target PayPal due to our name, brand recognition, types of data (including sensitive payments- and identity-related data) that customers provide to us, and the widespread adoption and use of our products and services. We have experienced from time to time, and may experience in the future, cybersecurity incidents, including breaches of our security measures, network breaches, and compromise of personally identifiable customer information due to human error, deception, malfeasance, insider threats, system errors, defects, vulnerabilities, or other issues.
Any cybersecurity incidents, including cyberattacks or data security breaches affecting the information technology or infrastructure of companies we acquire or of our customers, partners, or vendors (including data center and cloud computing providers) could have similar negative effects.
Under payment card network rules and our contracts with our payment processors, if there is a breach of payment card information stored by us or our direct payment card processing vendors, we could be liable to the payment card issuing banks, including for their cost of issuing new cards and related expenses. Cybersecurity breaches and other exploited security vulnerabilities could subject us to significant costs and third-party liabilities, result in improper disclosure of data and violations of applicable privacy and other laws, require us to change our business practices, cause us to incur significant remediation costs, lead to loss of customer confidence in, or decreased use of, our products and services, damage our reputation and brands, divert the attention of management from the operation of our business, result in significant compensation or contractual penalties from us to our customers and their business partners as a result of losses to or claims by them, or expose us to litigation, regulatory investigations, and significant fines and penalties. While we maintain insurance policies intended to help offset the financial impact we may experience from these risks, our coverage may be insufficient to compensate us for all losses caused by security breaches and other damage to or unavailability of our systems.
Business interruptions or systems failures may impair the availability of our websites, applications, products or services, or otherwise harm our business.
Our systems and operations and those of our service providers and partners have experienced from time to time, and may experience in the future, business interruptions or degradation of service because of distributed denial-of-service and other cyberattacks, insider threats, hardware and software defects or malfunctions, human error, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires,
16Table of Contentsand other natural disasters, public health crises (including pandemics), power losses, disruptions in telecommunications services, fraud, military or political conflicts, terrorist attacks, computer viruses or other malware, or other events. The frequency and intensity of weather events related to climate change are increasing, which could increase the likelihood and severity of such disasters as well as related damage and business interruption. Our corporate headquarters are located in the San Francisco Bay Area, a seismically active region in California. A catastrophic event that could lead to a disruption or failure of our systems or operations could result in significant losses and require substantial recovery time and significant expenditures to resume or maintain operations. Further, some of our systems, including those of companies that we have acquired, are not fully redundant and any failure of these acquired systems, including due to a catastrophic event, may lead to operational outages or delays. While we engage in disaster recovery planning and testing intended to mitigate risks from outages or delays, our planning and testing may not be sufficient for all possible outcomes or events. As a provider of payments solutions, we are also subject to heightened scrutiny by regulators that may require specific business continuity, resiliency and disaster recovery plans, and rigorous testing of such plans, which may be costly and time-consuming to implement, and may divert our resources from other business priorities. Any of the foregoing risks could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, system failures, cyberattacks, unplanned outages, and other events or conditions from time to time that have and may interrupt the availability, or reduce or adversely affect the speed or functionality, of our products and services. A prolonged interruption of, or reduction in, the availability, speed, or functionality of our products and services could materially harm our business. Frequent or persistent interruptions in our services could permanently harm our relationship with our customers and partners and our reputation. If any system failure or similar event results in damage to our customers or their business partners, they could seek significant compensation or contractual penalties from us for their losses. These claims, even if unsuccessful, would likely be time-consuming and costly for us to address.
We continue to undertake system upgrades and re-platforming efforts designed to improve the availability, reliability, resiliency, and speed of our payments platform. These efforts are costly and time-consuming, involve significant technical complexity and risk, may divert our resources from new features and products, and may ultimately not be effective. Frequent or persistent site interruptions could lead to regulatory scrutiny, significant fines and penalties, and mandatory and costly changes to our business practices, and ultimately could cause us to lose existing licenses that we need to operate or prevent or delay us from obtaining additional licenses that may be required for our business.
We also rely on facilities, components, applications, software, and services supplied by third parties, including data center facilities and cloud data storage and processing services. From time to time, we have experienced interruptions in the provision of such facilities and services provided by these third parties. If these third parties experience operational interference or disruptions (including a cybersecurity incident), fail to perform their obligations, or breach their agreements with us, our operations could be disrupted or otherwise negatively affected, which could result in customer dissatisfaction, regulatory scrutiny, and damage to our reputation and brands, and materially and adversely affect our business. While we maintain insurance policies intended to help offset the financial impact we may experience from these risks, our coverage may be insufficient to compensate us for all losses caused by interruptions in our service due to systems failures and similar events.
In addition, any failure to successfully implement new information systems and technologies, or improvements or upgrades to existing information systems and technologies in a timely manner could adversely impact our business, internal controls, results of operations, and financial condition.If we cannot keep pace with rapid technological developments to provide new and innovative products and services, the use of our products and services and, consequently, our revenues, could decline.Rapid, significant, and disruptive technological changes impact the industries in which we operate, including payment technologies (including real-time payments, payment card tokenization, virtual currencies, distributed ledger and blockchain technologies, and proximity payment technology such as Near Field Communication and other contactless payments); internet browser technologies, that enable users to easily store their payment card information for use on any retail or e-commerce website; artificial intelligence and machine learning; developments in technologies supporting our regulatory and compliance obligations; and in-store, digital, and social commerce.
We expect that new technologies applicable to the industries in which we operate will continue to emerge and may be superior to, or render obsolete, the technologies we currently use in our products and services. We cannot predict the effects of technological changes on our business, which technological developments or innovations will become widely adopted, and how those technologies may be regulated. Developing and incorporating new technologies into new and existing products and services may require significant investment, take considerable time, and may not ultimately be successful. We rely in part on
17Table of Contentsthird parties, including some of our competitors, for the development of and access to new or evolving technologies. These third parties may restrict or prevent our access to, or utilization of, those technologies, as well as their platforms or products. Our ability to develop, provide or incorporate new technologies and adapt our existing products and services or develop future and new products and services using new technologies may be limited or restricted by industry-wide standards, platform providers, payments networks, changes to laws and regulations, changing customer expectations, third-party intellectual property rights, and other factors. If we are unable to develop and incorporate new technologies and adapt to technological changes and evolving industry standards in a timely or cost-effective manner, our business could be harmed.LEGAL, REGULATORY AND COMPLIANCE RISKS
Our business is subject to extensive government regulation and oversight. Our failure to comply with extensive, complex, overlapping, and frequently changing rules, regulations, and legal interpretations could materially harm our business.
Our business is subject to complex and changing laws, rules, regulations, policies, and legal interpretations in the markets in which we offer services directly or through partners, including, but not limited to, those governing: banking, credit, deposit taking, cross-border and domestic money transmission, prepaid access, foreign currency exchange, privacy, data protection, data governance, cybersecurity, banking secrecy, digital payments, cryptocurrency, payment services (including payment processing and settlement services), lending, fraud detection, consumer protection, antitrust and competition, economic and trade sanctions, anti-money laundering, and counter-terrorist financing.
Regulators and legislators globally have been establishing, evolving, and increasing their regulatory authority, oversight, and enforcement in a manner that impacts our business. As we introduce new products and services and expand into new markets, including through acquisitions, we expect to become subject to additional regulations, restrictions, and licensing requirements. As we expand and localize our international activities, we expect that our obligations in the markets in which we operate will continue to increase. In addition, because we facilitate sales of goods and provide services to customers worldwide, one or more jurisdictions may claim that we or our customers are required to comply with their laws, which may impose different, more specific, or conflicting obligations on us, as well as broader liability.Any failure or perceived failure to comply with existing or new laws, regulations, or orders of any government authority (including changes to or expansion of their interpretation) may subject us to significant fines, penalties, criminal and civil lawsuits, forfeiture of significant assets, and enforcement actions in one or more jurisdictions; result in additional compliance and licensure requirements; cause us to lose existing licenses or prevent or delay us from obtaining additional licenses that may be required for our business; increase regulatory scrutiny of our business; divert management’s time and attention from our business; restrict our operations; lead to increased friction for customers; force us to make changes to our business practices, products, or operations; require us to engage in remediation activities; or delay planned transactions, product launches, or improvements. Any of the foregoing could, individually or in the aggregate, harm our reputation, damage our brands and business, and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. The complexity of U.S. federal and state and international regulatory and enforcement regimes, coupled with the global scope of our operations and the evolving global regulatory environment, could result in a single event prompting a large number of overlapping investigations and legal and regulatory proceedings by multiple government authorities in different jurisdictions. While we have implemented policies and procedures designed to help ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors, and agents will not violate such laws and regulations.Payments RegulationIn the U.S., PayPal, Inc. (a wholly-owned subsidiary) holds licenses to operate as a money transmitter (or its equivalent) in the states where such licenses are required, as well as in the District of Columbia and certain territories. If we fail to comply with applicable laws or regulations required to maintain our licenses, we could be subject to liability and/or additional restrictions, forced to cease doing business with residents of certain states or territories, forced to change our business practices, or required to obtain additional licenses or regulatory approvals, which could impose substantial costs and harm our business.
While we currently allow our customers to send payments from approximately 200 markets, we allow customers in only approximately half of those markets (including the U.S.) to also receive payments, in some cases with significant restrictions on the manner in which customers can hold balances or withdraw funds. These restrictions may limit our ability to grow our business.Outside of the U.S., we principally provide our services to customers in the European Economic Area (“EEA”) through PayPal (Europe) S.à.r.l. et Cie, S.C.A. (“PayPal (Europe)”), our wholly-owned subsidiary that is licensed and subject to regulation as a credit institution in Luxembourg and PayPal U.K. Limited (“PayPal U.K.”), a wholly-owned subsidiary that is subject to
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regulation as an electronic money institution in the United Kingdom (“U.K.”) by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”). PayPal (Europe) or PayPal U.K. may be subject to enforcement actions and significant fines if either violates applicable requirements. If the business activities of PayPal (Europe) exceed certain thresholds, or if the European Central Bank (“ECB”) so determines, PayPal (Europe) may be deemed a significant supervised entity and certain activities of PayPal (Europe) would become directly supervised by the ECB, rather than by the Luxembourg Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier. PayPal (Europe) is also subject to regulation by the ECB under the oversight framework for electronic payment instruments, schemes and arrangements (PISA). Compliance with applicable laws and regulations could become more costly and operationally difficult to manage due to additional supervision, potentially inconsistent interpretations, and domestic regulations by various countries in the region. Applicable regulation relating to payments, anti-money laundering, and digital services, which are key focus areas of regulators and subject to extensive new regulation, could subject us to additional and complex obligations, risks, and associated costs, and impact our ability to expand our business in Europe.
In many of the other markets outside the U.S. in which we do business, we serve our customers through PayPal Pte. Ltd., our wholly-owned subsidiary based in Singapore. PayPal Pte. Ltd. is supervised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (“MAS”). As of July 1, 2023, PayPal Pte. Ltd. has been issued a Major Payment Institution license by the MAS under the Payment Services Act 2019 to continue providing payments services. In order to maintain this license and certain other licenses or registrations we hold in certain markets, we are required to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, which will result in increased operational complexity and costs for our Singapore and international operations.
In many of the markets outside the U.S. (other than Singapore) served by PayPal Pte. Ltd. or by local branches or subsidiaries subject to local regulatory supervision or oversight, as the case may be, there may be uncertainty whether our Singapore-based service is subject only to Singapore law or also to other local laws, and whether such local laws might require a payment processor like us to be licensed as a payments service, bank, financial institution, or otherwise.
There are substantial costs and potential product and operational changes involved in maintaining and renewing licenses, certifications, and approvals, and we could be subject to enforcement actions, fines, and litigation if we are found to violate any of these requirements. There can be no assurance that we will be able to (or decide to) continue to apply for or obtain any licenses, renewals, certifications, and approvals in any jurisdiction. In certain markets, we may need to rely on local banks or other partners to process payments and conduct foreign currency exchange transactions in local currency, and local regulators may use their authority over such local partners to prohibit, restrict, or limit us from doing business. Any of the foregoing could, individually or in the aggregate, result in substantial additional costs, delay or preclude planned transactions, product launches or improvements, require significant and costly operational changes, impose restrictions, limitations, or additional requirements on our business, products and services, or prevent or limit us from providing our products or services in a given market.Cryptocurrency Regulation and Related RisksOur customer cryptocurrency offerings could subject us to additional regulations, licensing requirements, or other obligations or liabilities. Within the U.S., we are regulated by the New York Department of Financial Services as a virtual currency business, which does not qualify us to engage in securities brokerage or dealing activities. The regulatory status of particular cryptocurrencies is unclear under existing law. For example, if the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) were to assert that any of the cryptocurrencies we support are securities, the SEC could assert that our activities involving that cryptocurrency require securities broker-dealer registration or other obligations under the federal securities laws. The rapidly evolving regulatory landscape with respect to cryptocurrency may subject us to additional licensing and regulatory obligations or to additional inquiries or investigations from the SEC or other regulators and governmental authorities, and require us to make product changes, restrict or discontinue product offerings in certain markets, implement additional and potentially costly controls, or take other actions.
In August 2023, a third-party issuer with which we have partnered commercially (the “PYUSD Issuer”) launched a U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoin named PayPal USD (“PYUSD”), which was initially available to PayPal U.S. customers and subsequently made available to Venmo customers in September 2023. These PayPal and Venmo customers may, if provisioned for external transfers and subject to our sanctions and anti-money laundering controls, send PYUSD to external wallets not controlled by PayPal. The PYUSD Issuer may also allow institutional users to directly purchase PYUSD from the PYUSD Issuer (as per the PYUSD Issuer’s stablecoin terms and conditions). The regulatory treatment of stablecoins is evolving and has drawn significant attention from legislative and regulatory bodies around the world, including the SEC. There are uncertainties on how ongoing changes to federal, state, and international laws and regulations would apply to stablecoins in practice, and we and the PYUSD Issuer may face substantial costs to operationalize and comply with any additional or changed requirement. If we or the PYUSD Issuer fail to comply with regulations, requirements, prohibitions or other obligations applicable to us, we could face regulatory or other enforcement actions, potential fines, and other consequences. In addition, we could face
19Table of Contentsreputational harm through our relationship with the PYUSD Issuer if the PYUSD Issuer were to face regulatory scrutiny, PYUSD is deemed to be a security, or PYUSD is alleged to be used for transactions in connection with illicit or illegal activities.
We hold our customers’ cryptocurrency assets through one or more third-party custodians. Financial and third-party risks related to our customer cryptocurrency offerings, such as inappropriate access to, theft, or destruction of cryptocurrency assets held by our custodians, insufficient insurance coverage by a custodian to reimburse us for all such losses, a custodian’s failure to maintain effective controls over the custody and settlement services provided to us, a custodian’s inability to purchase or liquidate cryptocurrency holdings, the failure of the PYUSD Issuer to maintain sufficient reserve assets backing PYUSD and defaults on financial or performance obligations by a custodian, banks with which the PYUSD Issuer maintains reserve assets or counterparty financial institutions, could expose our customers and us to loss, and therefore significantly harm our business, financial performance, and reputation.
We have selected custodian partners and the PYUSD Issuer, and may in the future select additional custodian partners and stablecoin issuing entities, that are subject to regulatory oversight, capital requirements, maintenance of audit and compliance industry certifications, and cybersecurity procedures and policies. Nevertheless, operational disruptions at any such custodian or issuer, or such custodians’ or issuer’s failure to safeguard cryptocurrency holdings (or reserve assets) could result in losses of customer assets, expose us to customer claims, reduce consumer confidence and materially impact our operating results and our cryptocurrency product offerings.Custodial arrangements to safeguard cryptocurrency assets involve unique risks and uncertainties in the event of a custodian’s bankruptcy. While other types of assets and some custodied cryptocurrencies have been deemed not to be part of the custodian’s bankruptcy estate under various regulatory regimes, bankruptcy courts have not yet definitively determined the appropriate treatment of custodial holdings of digital assets in a bankruptcy proceeding. In the event of a custodian’s bankruptcy, the lack of precedent and the highly fact-dependent nature of the determination could delay or preclude the return of custodied cryptocurrency assets to us or to our customers. Although we contractually require our custodians to segregate our customer assets and not commingle them with proprietary or other assets, we cannot be certain that these contractual obligations, even if duly observed by a custodian, will be effective in preventing such assets from being treated as part of the custodian’s estate under bankruptcy or other insolvency law. In that event, our claim on behalf of such customers against a custodian’s estate for our customers’ cryptocurrency assets could be treated as a general unsecured claim against the custodian, in which case our customers could seek to hold us liable for any resulting losses.In addition, our cryptocurrency product offerings could have the effect of heightening or exacerbating many of the risk factors described in this “Risk Factors” section.Lending RegulationWe hold a number of U.S. state lending licenses for our U.S. consumer short-term installment loan product, which is subject to federal and state laws governing consumer credit and debt collection. While the consumer short-term installment loan products that we offer outside the U.S. are generally exempt from primary consumer credit legislation, certain consumer lending laws, consumer protection or banking transparency regulations continue to apply to these products. Increased global regulatory focus on short-term installment products and consumer credit more broadly could result in laws or regulations requiring changes to our policies, procedures, operations, and product offerings, and restrict or limit our ability to offer credit products.Consumer ProtectionViolations of federal and state consumer protection laws and regulations, including the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (“EFTA”) and Regulation E as implemented by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), could result in the assessment of significant actual damages or statutory damages or penalties (including treble damages in some instances) and plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees. We are subject to, and have paid amounts in settlement of, lawsuits containing allegations that our business violated the EFTA and Regulation E or otherwise advance claims for relief relating to our business practices (e.g., that we improperly held consumer funds or otherwise improperly limited consumer accounts).
In addition, the CFPB, pursuant to its market-monitoring authority, may require us to provide extensive information on our products and offerings. From time to time, we have received orders from the CFPB pursuant to such market-monitoring authority requiring us to provide, among other items, extensive information on our payment products, including with respect to the collection, use of, and access to data and consumer protections, as well as our Buy Now, Pay Later offerings.
20Table of ContentsFollowing the departure of the U.K. from the European Union (“EU”) and the EEA on January 31, 2020 (commonly referred to as “Brexit”), effective November 1, 2023, PayPal’s wholly-owned U.K. subsidiary received authorizations from the FCA as an electronic money institution and consumer credit firm, and registration as a cryptoasset business, subject to certain conditions that will require further implementation action by us. If we are unable to meet these requirements, our U.K. business and operations may be impacted and we may be subject to enforcement actions.Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing; Economic and Trade SanctionsRegulators globally continue to increase standards and expectations regarding anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing, and to expand the scope of existing laws and regulations to emerging products and markets, which may require us to further revise or expand our compliance program globally and/or in specific jurisdictions, including the procedures we use to verify the identity of our customers and to monitor international and domestic transactions. Such changes could have the effect of making compliance more costly and operationally difficult to manage, lead to increased friction for customers, and result in a decrease in business. Regulators regularly re-examine the transaction volume thresholds at which we must obtain and keep applicable records or the circumstances in which we must verify identities of customers, and any change to such obligations could result in greater compliance costs and impact our business. We are also required to comply with economic and trade sanctions administered by the U.S., the EU and its member states, the U.K., and other jurisdictions in which we operate. Non-compliance with anti-money laundering laws and regulations or economic and trade sanctions may subject us to significant fines, penalties, lawsuits, and enforcement actions, result in regulatory sanctions and additional compliance requirements, increase regulatory scrutiny of our business, restrict our operations, and damage our reputation and brands. Our compliance history may be considered by OFAC and other regulators as part of any potential future investigation of our sanctions regulation.Privacy and Protection of Customer DataThe legal and regulatory environment relating to privacy and data protection laws continues to develop and evolve in ways we cannot predict, including with respect to technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cryptocurrency, and blockchain technology. Any failure or alleged failure by us to comply with our privacy policies as communicated to customers or with privacy and data protection laws relating to our collection, use, storage, transfer, or sharing of customer data with third parties could result in proceedings or actions against us by data protection authorities, other government agencies, or others, which could subject us to significant fines, penalties, judgments, and negative publicity, require us to change our business practices, increase the costs and complexity of compliance, result in reputational harm, and materially harm our business. Compliance with inconsistent privacy and data protection laws may also restrict or limit our ability to provide products and services to our customers.
PayPal relies on a variety of compliance methods to transfer personal data of EEA individuals to the U.S., including Binding Corporate Rules for internal transfers of certain types of personal data and Standard Contractual Clauses (“SCCs”) as approved by the European Commission for transfers to and from third parties. Additionally, in July 2023, the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, the U.K. Extension to the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, and the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework became effective as additional mechanisms to enable transfers of personal data to the U.S. from the EU/EEA, the U.K., and Switzerland, respectively. The new Data Protection Framework (DPF) replaces prior transatlantic personal data transfer regimes that were invalidated by the Court of Justice of the European Union. As such, there are risks in solely relying on the DPF for internal transfers of personal data to the U.S. While PayPal intends to continue to rely on Binding Corporate Rule and SCCs and will evaluate the circumstances under which the DPF may be leveraged for transfers of personal data to the U.S., we may be subject to regulatory enforcement actions if our approach is deemed to be noncompliant.
Many jurisdictions in which we operate globally have enacted, or are in the process of enacting, data privacy legislation or regulations aimed at creating and enhancing individual privacy rights. For example, numerous U.S. states have enacted or are in the process of enacting state level data privacy laws and regulations governing the collection, use, and retention of their residents’ personal information. The continued proliferation of privacy laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate is likely to result in a disparate array of privacy rules with unaligned or conflicting provisions, accountability requirements, individual rights, and national or local enforcement powers, which may subject us to increased regulatory scrutiny and business costs and could lead to unintended consumer confusion.
We are subject to regulatory scrutiny and may be subject to legal proceedings under antitrust and competition laws.
We are subject to scrutiny by various government agencies regarding antitrust and competition laws and regulations in the U.S. and internationally, including in connection with proposed or implemented business combinations, acquisitions, investments,
21Table of Contentspartnerships, commercial agreements and business practices. Some jurisdictions also provide private rights of action for competitors or consumers to assert claims of anticompetitive conduct. Companies and government agencies have in the past alleged, and may in the future allege, that our actions violate the antitrust or competition laws in the U.S. or other jurisdictions in which we operate or otherwise constitute unfair competition, or that our products and services are used so broadly that otherwise uncontroversial business practices could be deemed anticompetitive. Any claims or investigations, even if without merit, may be costly to defend or respond to, involve negative publicity, and cause substantial diversion of management’s time and effort, and could result in reputational harm, significant judgments, fines and other remedial actions against us, require us to change our business practices, make product or operational changes, or delay or preclude planned transactions, product launches or improvements.We are regularly subject to general litigation, regulatory scrutiny, and government inquiries.We are regularly subject to claims, individual and class action lawsuits, arbitration proceedings, government and regulatory investigations, inquiries, actions or requests, and other proceedings alleging violations of laws, rules, and regulations with respect to competition, antitrust, intellectual property, privacy, data protection, information security, anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, sanctions, anti-bribery, anti-corruption, consumer protection (including unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices), the terms of our customer agreements, fraud, accessibility, securities, tax, labor and employment, commercial disputes, services, charitable fundraising, contract disputes, escheatment of unclaimed or abandoned property, product liability, use of our services for illegal purposes, the matters described in “Note 13—Commitments and Contingencies—Litigation and Regulatory Matters—General Matters” to our consolidated financial statements, and other matters. The number and significance of these disputes and inquiries is expected to continue to increase as our products, services, and business expand in complexity, scale, scope, and geographic reach, including through acquisitions of businesses and technology. Investigations and legal proceedings are inherently uncertain, expensive and disruptive to our operations, and could result in substantial judgments, fines, penalties or settlements, negative publicity, substantial diversion of management’s time and effort, reputational harm, criminal sanctions, or orders that prevent or limit us from offering certain products or services; require us to change our business practices or customer agreement terms in ways that may increase costs or reduce revenues, develop non-infringing or otherwise altered products or technologies, or pay substantial royalty or licensing fees; or delay or preclude planned transactions or product launches or improvements. Determining legal reserves or possible losses from such matters involves significant estimates and judgments and may not reflect the full range of uncertainties and unpredictable outcomes. We may be exposed to losses in excess of the amount recorded, and such amounts could be material. If our estimates and assumptions change or prove to have been incorrect, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.Third parties may allege that we are infringing their patents and other intellectual property rights.We are frequently subject to litigation based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. Intellectual property infringement claims against us may result from, among other things, our expansion into new business areas, including through acquisitions of businesses and technology, or new or expanded products and services and their convergence with technologies not previously associated with areas related to our business, products, and services. The ultimate outcome of any allegation or claim is often uncertain and any such claim, with or without merit, may be time-consuming to defend, result in costly litigation, divert management’s time and attention from our business, result in reputational harm, and require us to, among other things, redesign or stop providing our products or services, pay substantial amounts to settle claims or lawsuits, satisfy judgments, or pay substantial royalty or licensing fees.We may be unable to protect or enforce our intellectual property.The protection of our proprietary rights, including our trademarks, copyrights, domain names, trade dress, patents and trade secrets, is important to the success of our business. Effective protection of our proprietary rights may not be available in every jurisdiction in which we offer our products and services. Although we have generally taken measures to protect our intellectual property, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in protecting or enforcing our rights in every jurisdiction, that our contractual arrangements will prevent or deter third parties from infringing or misappropriating our intellectual property, or that third parties will not independently develop equivalent or superior intellectual property rights. We may be required to expend significant time and resources to prevent infringement and enforce our rights, and we may be unable to discover or determine the extent of any unauthorized use of our proprietary rights. If we are unable to prevent third parties from infringing or otherwise violating our proprietary rights, the uniqueness and value of our products and services could be adversely affected, the value of our brands could be diminished, and our business could be adversely affected. We expect to continue to license in the future certain of our proprietary rights, such as trademarks or copyrighted material, to others. These licensees may take actions that diminish the value of our proprietary rights or harm our reputation. Any failure to adequately protect or enforce our
22Table of Contentsproprietary rights, or significant costs incurred in doing so, could diminish the value of our intangible assets and materially harm our business.BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS RISKS
We face substantial and increasingly intense competition worldwide in the global payments industry.The global payments industry is highly competitive, dynamic, highly innovative, and increasingly subject to regulatory scrutiny and oversight. Many of the areas in which we compete evolve rapidly with innovative and disruptive technologies, shifting user preferences and needs, price sensitivity of merchants and consumers, and frequent introductions of new products and services. Competition also may intensify as new competitors emerge, businesses enter into business combinations and partnerships, and established companies in other segments expand to become competitive with various aspects of our business.
We compete with a wide range of businesses in every aspect of our business. Some of our current and potential competitors are or may be larger than we are, have larger customer bases, greater brand recognition, longer operating histories, a dominant or more secure position, broader geographic scope, volume, scale, resources, and market share than we do, or offer products and services that we do not offer. Other competitors are or may be smaller or younger companies that may be more agile in responding to regulatory and technological changes and customer preferences. Our competitors may devote greater resources to the development, promotion, and sale of products and services, and/or offer lower prices or more effectively offer their own innovative programs, products, and services. We often partner with other businesses, and the ability to continue establishing these partnerships is important to our business. Competition for relationships with these partners is intense, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to establish, grow, or maintain these partner relationships. If we are unable to differentiate our products and services from those of our competitors, drive value for our customers, or effectively and efficiently align our resources with our goals and objectives, we may not be able to compete effectively. See “Item 1. Business— Competition ” of this Form 10-K for further discussion of the competitive environment in the markets where we operate.Changes to payment card networks or bank fees, rules, or practices could harm our business.
To process certain transactions, we must comply with applicable payment card, bank or other network (collectively, “network”) rules. The rules govern all aspects of a transaction on the networks, including fees and other practices. From time to time, the networks have increased the fees and assessments that they charge for transactions that access their networks. Certain networks have also imposed special fees or assessments for transactions that are executed through a digital wallet such as the one that PayPal offers. Our payment processors may have the right to pass any increases in fees and assessments on to us and to increase their own fees for processing. Any increase in interchange fees, special fees, or assessments for transactions that we pay to the networks or our payment processors could make our pricing less competitive, increase our operating costs, and reduce our operating income, which could materially harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.In some jurisdictions, government regulations have required payment card networks to reduce or cap interchange fees. Any changes in interchange fee rates or limitations, or their applicability to PayPal, could adversely affect our competitive position against payment card service providers and the revenue we earn from our branded card programs, require us to change our business practices, and harm our business.
We may also be subject to fines and other penalties assessed by networks resulting from any rule violations by us or our merchants. The networks set and interpret their rules, and have alleged from time to time that various aspects of our business model violate these rules, or our agreements with the networks. Such allegations may result in significant fines, penalties, damages, or other liabilities, adversely impact benefits to us under the agreements, or require changes in our business practices that may be costly and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. The network rules may also increase the cost of, impose restrictions on, or otherwise impact the development of, our products which may negatively affect product deployment and adoption. The networks could adopt new operating rules or interpret or re-interpret existing rules that we or our payment processors might find difficult or impractical to follow, or costly to implement, which could require us to make significant changes to our products, increase our operational costs, and negatively impact our business. If we become unable or limited in our ability to accept certain payment types such as debit or credit cards, our business would be materially and adversely affected.
Changes in how consumers fund their PayPal transactions could harm our business.
We pay transaction fees when consumers fund payment transactions using credit cards, lower fees when consumers fund payments with debit cards, and nominal fees when consumers fund payment transactions by electronic transfer of funds from bank accounts, from an existing PayPal account balance or Venmo account balance, or through our PayPal branded consumer
23Table of Contentscredit products. Our financial performance is sensitive to changes in the rate at which our consumers fund payments using payment cards, which can significantly increase our costs. Although we provide consumers in certain markets with the opportunity to use their existing PayPal account balance or Venmo account balance to fund payment transactions, some of our consumers may prefer to use payment cards, which may offer features and benefits not provided as part of their PayPal accounts. Any increase in the portion of our payment volume funded using payment cards or in fees associated with our funding mix, or other events or developments that make it more difficult or costly for us to fund transactions with lower-cost funding options, could materially and adversely affect our financial performance and significantly harm our business.Our credit products expose us to additional risks.
We offer credit products to a wide range of consumers and merchants in the U.S. and various international markets. The financial success of these products depends largely on the effective management of related risk. The credit decision-making process for our consumer credit products uses proprietary methodologies and credit algorithms and other analytical techniques designed to analyze the credit risk of specific consumers based on, among other factors, their past purchase and transaction history with PayPal or Venmo and their credit scores. Similarly, proprietary risk models and other indicators are applied to assess merchants who desire to use our merchant financing offerings to help predict their ability to repay. These risk models may not accurately predict the creditworthiness of a consumer or merchant due to inaccurate assumptions, including those related to the particular consumer or merchant, market conditions, economic environment, or limited transaction history or other data. The accuracy of these risk models and the ability to manage credit risk related to our credit products may also be affected by legal or regulatory requirements, changes in consumer behavior, changes in the economic environment, issuing bank policies, and other factors.We generally rely on the activities and charters of unaffiliated financial institutions to provide PayPal and Venmo branded consumer credit and merchant financing offerings to our U.S. customers. As a service provider to these unaffiliated financial institutions, which are federally supervised U.S. financial institutions, we are subject from time to time to examination by their federal banking regulators. In the event of any termination or interruption in a partner bank’s ability or willingness to lend, our ability to offer consumer credit and merchant financing products could be interrupted or limited, which could materially and adversely affect our business. We may be unable to reach a similar arrangement with another unaffiliated financial institution on favorable terms or at all. Obtaining and maintaining the lending licenses required for us to originate such loans ourselves would be a costly, time-consuming and uncertain process, and would subject us to additional laws and regulatory requirements, which could significantly increase our costs and compliance obligations and require us to change our business practices.Merchant loans under our U.S. PayPal Working Capital (“PPWC”) and PayPal Business Loan (“PPBL”) products and certain U.S. installment loan products are provided by a state-chartered industrial bank under a program agreement with us, and we acquire the receivables generated by those loans from the state-chartered bank after origination. In June 2020, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) approved a final rule clarifying that loans validly originated by state-chartered banks or insured branches of foreign banks remain valid throughout the lifetime of the loan, reflecting a similar rule finalized by the Office of the Comptroller of Currency (“OCC”) in May 2020 for nationally chartered banks. The final rule reaffirms and codifies the so-called “valid-when-made doctrine,” which provides that the permissibility of an interest rate for a loan is determined when the loan is made and will not be affected by subsequent events such as sale, assignment, or other transfer. While a number of state attorneys general have unsuccessfully challenged these FDIC and OCC rules, there remains some uncertainty whether non-bank entities purchasing loan receivables originated by FDIC-insured, state-chartered banks may rely on federal preemption of state usury laws and other state laws. An adverse outcome of these or similar challenges, or changes to applicable laws and regulations or regulatory policy, could materially impact our U.S. PPWC, PPBL, certain installment products, and our business.
We are subject to the risk that account holders who use our credit products will default on their payment obligations. The non-payment rate among account holders may increase due to, among other factors, changes to underwriting standards, risk models not accurately predicting the creditworthiness of a user, worsening economic conditions, such as a recession or government austerity programs, increases in prevailing interest rates, and high unemployment rates. Account holders who miss payments often fail to repay their loans, and account holders who file for protection under the bankruptcy laws generally do not repay their loans. Any deterioration in the performance of loans facilitated through our platform or unexpected losses on such loans may increase the risk of potential charge-offs, increase our allowance for loans and interest receivable, negatively impact our revenue share arrangement with an independent chartered financial institution with respect to our U.S. consumer credit products, and materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations .
We currently purchase receivables related to our U.S. PayPal-branded merchant financing offerings and certain U.S. consumer installment loan products and extend credit for our consumer and merchant products outside the U.S. through our international
24Table of Contentssubsidiaries. In June 2023, we entered into a multi-year agreement to sell up to €40 billion of U.K. and European buy now, pay later (“BNPL”) loan receivables originated by PayPal (Europe) and PayPal U.K., consisting of the sale of a substantial majority of the U.K. and European BNPL loan portfolio held on PayPal (Europe)’s balance sheet at the closing of the transaction and a forward-flow arrangement for the sale of future originations of eligible loans, and in October 2023, we began selling those receivables. The sale of future eligible receivables is subject to certain conditions. If these conditions are not satisfied or waived or if the parties are unable to fulfill their obligations under these arrangements, the sale of these receivables could be delayed and we may not realize the expected benefits of this arrangement.
From time to time, we may consider other third-party sources of funding (including asset sales, warehouse facilities, forward-flow arrangements, securitizations, partnerships or other funding structures) for our credit portfolio or other receivables. The availability of such third-party funding is subject to a number of factors, including economic conditions and interest rates, and there can be no assurance that any such funding arrangements can be obtained on favorable terms or at all. If we are unable to fund our credit products or the purchase of the receivables related to our credit products and offerings adequately or in a cost-effective manner, the growth of our credit products and our results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely impacted.We rely on third parties in many aspects of our business, which creates additional risk.We rely on third parties in many aspects of our business, including networks, banks, payment processors, and payment gateways that link us to the payment card and bank clearing networks to process transactions; unaffiliated third-party lenders to originate our U.S. credit products to consumers, U.S. merchant financing, and branded credit card products; branded debit card and savings products issued by unaffiliated banks; cryptocurrency custodial service providers; and external business partners and contractors who provide key functions (e.g., outsourced customer support and product development functions; facilities; information technology, data center facilities and cloud computing). We are subject to additional risks inherent in engaging and relying upon third-party providers, including legal, regulatory, information security, reputational and operational risks. We are undertaking efforts to diversify our reliance on a small number of third-party payment processors in various markets. We are working with our primary payment processor in the U.S. to facilitate the migration of our arrangements to other payment processors over a transition period in connection with the wind-down of our agreement; however, if we are unable to timely and efficiently migrate our business to other payment processors or experience disruptions in connection with this transition, our business could be harmed. If we are unable to effectively manage our third-party relationships, these third parties are unable to meet their obligations to us, or we experience substantial disruptions in these relationships, our operations, results of operations, and financial results could be adversely impacted. Additionally, our relationships with third parties inherently involve a lesser degree of control over business operations, governance, and compliance, which potentially increases our financial, legal, reputational, and operational risk.Any factors that reduce cross-border trade or make such trade more difficult could harm our business.Cross-border trade (i.e., transactions where the merchant and consumer are in different countries) is an important source of our revenues and profits. Cross-border transactions generally provide higher revenues and operating income than similar transactions that take place within a single country or market. In certain markets, cross-border trade represents our primary (and in some instances our only) presence.
Cross-border trade may be negatively impacted by various factors including foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, tariffs, trade barriers or restrictions, sanctions, import or export controls, and the interpretation and application of laws of multiple jurisdictions in the context of cross-border trade and foreign exchange. Any factors that increase the costs of cross-border trade for us or our customers or that restrict, delay, or make cross-border trade more difficult or impractical could reduce our cross-border transactions and volume, negatively impact our revenues and profits, and harm our business.Failure to deal effectively with fraud, abusive behaviors, bad transactions, and negative customer experiences may increase our loss rate and could negatively impact our business and severely diminish merchant and consumer confidence in and use of our services.We expect that third parties will continue to attempt to abuse access to and misuse our payments services to commit fraud by, among other things, creating fictitious PayPal accounts using stolen or synthetic identities or personal information, making transactions with stolen financial instruments, abusing or misusing our services for financial gain, or fraudulently inducing users of our systems into engaging in fraudulent transactions. Due to the nature of PayPal’s digital payments services, third parties may seek to engage in abusive schemes or fraud attacks that are often difficult to detect and may be deployed at a scale that would otherwise not be possible in physical transactions. Measures to detect and reduce the risk of fraud and abusive
25Table of Contentsbehavior are complex, require continuous improvement, and may not be effective in detecting and preventing fraud, particularly new and continually evolving forms of fraud or in connection with new or expanded product offerings. If these measures are not effective, our business could be negatively impacted. We also incur substantial losses from erroneous transactions and situations where funding instruments used for legitimate transactions are closed or have insufficient funds to satisfy payments, or the payment is initiated to an unintended recipient in error. Numerous and evolving fraud schemes and misuse of our payments services could subject us to significant costs and liabilities, require us to change our business practices, cause us to incur significant remediation costs, lead to loss of customer confidence in, or decreased use of, our products and services, damage our reputation and brands, divert the attention of management from the operation of our business, and result in significant compensation or contractual penalties from us to our customers and their business partners as a result of losses or claims. While we actively seek to recover transaction losses where possible, such recoveries may be insufficient to compensate us for such losses.
Our Purchase and Seller Protection Programs (“protection programs”) are intended to reduce the likelihood of losses for consumers and merchants from unauthorized and fraudulent transactions. Our Purchase Protection Program also protects consumers who do not receive the item ordered or who receive an item that is significantly different from its description. We incur substantial losses from our protection programs as a result of disputes filed by our customers. We seek to recover losses from our protection programs from the merchant, but may not be able to fully recover our losses (for example, if the merchant is unwilling or unable to pay, the transaction involves a fraudulent merchant, or the merchant provides sufficient evidence that the item was delivered).
In addition, consumers who pay through PayPal or Venmo may have reimbursement rights from their payment card issuer, which in turn will seek recovery from us. If losses incurred by us related to payment card transactions become excessive, we could lose the ability to accept payment cards for payment, which would negatively impact our business. Regulators and card networks may also adapt error resolution and chargeback requirements to account for evolving forms of fraud, which could increase PayPal’s exposure to fraud losses and impact the scope of coverage of our protection programs. Increases in our loss rate, including as a result of changes to the scope of transactions covered by our protection programs, could negatively impact our business. See “Note 13—Commitments and Contingencies— Protection Programs ” to our consolidated financial statements.
Failure to effectively monitor and evaluate the financial condition of our merchants may expose PayPal to losses. In the event of the bankruptcy, insolvency, business failure, or other business interruption of a merchant that sells goods or services in advance of the date of their delivery or use (e.g., airline, cruise, or concert tickets, custom-made goods, and subscriptions), we could be liable to the buyers of such goods or services, including through our Purchase Protection Program or through chargebacks on payment cards used by customers to fund their purchase. Allowances for transaction losses that we have established may be insufficient to cover incurred losses.Use of our payments services for illegal activities or improper purposes could harm our business.We expect that users will continue to attempt to use our payments platform for illegal activities or improper uses, including money laundering, terrorist financing, sanctions evasion, illegal online gambling, fraudulent sales of goods or services, illegal telemarketing activities, illegal sales of prescription medications or controlled substances, piracy of software, movies, music, and other copyrighted, trademarked or digital goods, bank fraud, child pornography, human trafficking, prohibited sales of alcoholic beverages or tobacco products, securities fraud, pyramid or Ponzi schemes, or the facilitation of other illegal or improper activity. Moreover, certain activity that may be legal in one jurisdiction may be illegal in another jurisdiction, and a merchant may be found responsible for intentionally or inadvertently importing or exporting illegal goods, resulting in liability for us. Owners of intellectual property rights or government authorities may seek to bring legal action against providers of payments solutions, including PayPal, that are peripherally involved in the sale of infringing or allegedly infringing items by a user. While we invest in measures intended to prevent and detect illegal activities that may occur on our payments platform, these measures require continuous improvement and may not be effective in detecting and preventing illegal activity or improper uses.
Any illegal or improper uses of our payments platform or failure by us to detect or prevent illegal or improper activity by our users may subject us to claims, individual and class action lawsuits, and government and regulatory requests, inquiries, or investigations that could result in liability, restrict our operations, impose additional restrictions or limitations on our business or require us to change our business practices, harm our reputation, increase our costs, and negatively impact our business.
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Table of ContentsAcquisitions, dispositions, strategic investments, and other strategic transactions could result in operating difficulties and could harm our business.We expect to continue to consider and evaluate a wide array of potential strategic transactions as part of our overall business strategy, including business combinations, acquisitions, and dispositions of certain businesses, technologies, services, products, and other assets; strategic investments; and commercial and strategic partnerships (collectively, “strategic transactions”). At any given time, we may be engaged in discussions or negotiations with respect to one or more strategic transactions, any of which could, individually or in the aggregate, be material to our financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in identifying, negotiating, consummating and integrating transaction opportunities. Strategic transactions may involve additional significant challenges, uncertainties, and risks, including challenges of obtaining regulatory or other approvals, integrating new employees, products, systems, technologies, operations, and business cultures; challenges associated with operating acquired businesses in markets or business areas in which we may have limited or no experience; disruption of our ongoing operations and diversion of our management’s attention; inadequate data security, cybersecurity, or operational and information technology resilience; failure to identify, or our underestimation of, commitments, liabilities, deficiencies and other risks associated with acquired businesses or assets; potential exposure to new or incremental risks associated with acquired businesses and entities, strategic investments or other strategic transactions, including potential new or increased regulatory oversight and uncertain or evolving legal, regulatory, and compliance requirements, particularly with respect to companies in new or developing businesses or industries; challenges associated with dispositions of business or operations, including disruption to other parts of our business, potential loss of employees or customers, the transfer of technology and/or certain intellectual property rights to third-party purchasers, or exposure to unanticipated liabilities or ongoing obligations to us following any such dispositions; failure of the transaction to advance our business strategy or for its anticipated benefits to materialize; potential impairment of goodwill or other acquisition-related intangible assets; and the potential for our acquisitions to result in dilutive issuances of our equity securities or the incurrence of significant additional debt. Strategic transactions are inherently risky, may not be successful, and may harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.Strategic investments in which we have a minority ownership stake inherently involve a lesser degree of influence over business operations. The success of our strategic investments may be dependent on controlling shareholders, management, or other persons or entities that may have business interests, strategies, or goals that are inconsistent with ours. Business decisions or other actions or omissions of the controlling shareholders, management, or other persons or entities who control companies in which we invest may adversely affect the value of our investment, result in litigation or regulatory action against us, and damage our reputation.
Our international operations subject us to increased risks, which could harm our business.Our international operations generate a significant portion of our net revenues. Our international operations subject us to significant challenges, uncertainties, and risks, including local regulatory, licensing, reporting, and legal obligations; costs and challenges associated with operating in markets in which we may have limited or no experience, including effectively localizing our products and services and adapting them to local preferences; difficulties in developing, staffing, and simultaneously managing a large number of varying foreign operations as a result of distance, language, and cultural differences and in light of varying laws, regulations, and customs; differing employment practices and the existence of works councils; difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified employees and maintaining our company culture; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; exchange control regulations; profit repatriation restrictions; potential tariffs, sanctions, fines, or other trade barriers or restrictions; import or export regulations; compliance with U.S. and foreign anti-bribery, anti-corruption, sanctions, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing laws and regulations; the interpretation and application of laws of multiple jurisdictions; and national or regional political, economic, or social instability.Our international operations also may heighten many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section. Any violations of the complex foreign and U.S. laws, rules and regulations that may apply to our international operations may result in lawsuits, enforcement actions, criminal actions, or sanctions against us and, our directors, officers, and employees; prohibit or require us to change our business practices; and damage our reputation. Although we have implemented policies and procedures designed to promote compliance with these laws, there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors, or agents will not violate our policies. These risks are inherent in our international operations, may increase our costs of doing business internationally, and could materially and adversely affect our business.
Global and regional economic conditions could harm our business.27Table of ContentsAdverse global and regional economic conditions such as turmoil affecting the banking system or financial markets, including, but not limited to, tightening in the credit markets, extreme volatility or distress in the financial markets (including the fixed income, credit, currency, equity, and commodity markets), higher unemployment, high consumer debt levels, recessionary or inflationary pressures, supply chain issues, reduced consumer confidence or economic activity, government fiscal, monetary and tax policies, U.S. and international trade relationships, agreements, treaties, tariffs and restrictive actions, the inability of a government to enact a budget in a fiscal year, government shutdowns, government austerity programs, and other negative financial news or macroeconomic developments could have a material adverse impact on the demand for our products and services, including a reduction in the volume and size of transactions on our payments platform. Additionally, any inability to access the capital markets when needed due to volatility or illiquidity in the markets or increased regulatory liquidity and capital requirements may strain our liquidity position. Such conditions may also expose us to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates or interest rates that could materially and adversely affect our financial results.If our reputation or our brands are damaged, our business and operating results may be harmed.Our reputation and brands are globally recognized, important to our business, and affect our ability to attract and retain our customers. There are numerous ways our reputation or brands could be damaged. We may experience scrutiny or criticism from customers, partners, employees, government entities, media, advocacy groups, and other influencers or stakeholders that disagree with, among other things, our product offering decisions or public policy positions. Damage to our reputation or our brands may result from, among other things, new features, products, services, operational efforts, or terms of service (or changes to the same), or our decisions regarding user privacy, data practices, or information security. The proliferation of social media may increase and compound the likelihood, speed, magnitude, and unpredictability of negative brand events. If our brands or reputation are damaged, our business and operating results may be adversely impacted.Real or perceived inaccuracies in our key metrics may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business.Our key metrics are calculated using internal company data based on the activity we measure on our payments platform and compiled from multiple systems, including systems that are internally developed or acquired through business combinations. While the measurement of our key metrics is based on what we believe to be reasonable methodologies and estimates, there are inherent challenges and limitations in measuring our key metrics globally at scale. The methodologies used to calculate our key metrics require significant judgment.
We regularly review our processes for calculating these key metrics, and from time to time we may make adjustments to improve the accuracy or relevance of our metrics. For example, we continuously apply models, processes and practices designed to detect and prevent fraudulent account creation on our platforms, and work to improve and enhance those capabilities. When we detect a significant volume of illegitimate activity, we generally remove the activity identified from our key metrics. Although such adjustments may impact key metrics reported in prior periods, we generally do not update previously reported key metrics to reflect these subsequent adjustments unless the retrospective impact of process improvements or enhancements is determined by management to be material. Further, as our business develops, we may revise or cease reporting metrics if we determine that such metrics are no longer appropriate measures of our performance. If investors, analysts, or customers do not consider our reported measures to be sufficient or to accurately reflect our business, we may receive negative publicity, our reputation may be harmed, and our business may be adversely impacted.Environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) issues may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and damage our reputation.Investors, customers, employees, regulators, legislators and other stakeholders are increasingly focused on ESG matters and related disclosures, including with respect to cybersecurity, data privacy and protection, global talent and climate. If we are unable to comply with new laws and regulations or changes to legal or regulatory requirements concerning ESG matters, or fail to meet investor, industry or stakeholder expectations and standards, our reputation may be harmed, customers may choose to refrain from using our products and services, we may be subject to fines, penalties, regulatory or other enforcement actions, and our business or financial condition may be adversely affected. We may also experience additional scrutiny or criticism from investors, customers, partners, media, government entities, and other stakeholders if they perceive PayPal to not have acted appropriately with respect to ESG matters. If our ESG-related data, processes and reporting are incomplete or inaccurate, or if we fail to achieve progress with respect to ESG-related goals on a timely basis, or at all, our reputation, business, financial performance and growth could be adversely affected.
We specifically recognize the inherent physical climate-related risks where we conduct business. Our primary locations may be vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. For example, California, where our headquarters are located, has
28Table of Contentshistorically experienced, and is projected to continue to experience, extreme weather and natural disaster events more frequently, including drought, water scarcity, flooding, heat waves, wildfires and resultant air quality impacts, and power shutoffs associated with wildfire prevention. Such events may disrupt our business and may cause us to experience additional costs to maintain or resume operations and higher attrition.
If one or more of our counterparty financial institutions default on their financial or performance obligations to us or fail, we may incur significant losses.
We have significant amounts of cash, cash equivalents, receivables outstanding, and other investments on deposit or in accounts with banks or other financial institutions in the U.S. and international jurisdictions. As part of our foreign currency hedging activities, we regularly enter into transactions involving derivative financial instruments with various financial institutions. Certain banks and other financial institutions are also lenders under our credit facilities. We regularly monitor our concentration of, and exposure to counterparty risk, and actively manage this exposure to mitigate the associated risk. Despite these efforts, we may be exposed to the risk of default on obligations by, or deteriorating operating results or financial condition or failure of, these counterparty financial institutions. If one of our counterparty financial institutions were to become insolvent, placed into receivership, or file for bankruptcy, our ability to recover losses incurred as a result of default or to access or recover our assets that are deposited, held in accounts with, or otherwise due from, such counterparty may be limited due to the insufficiency of the failed institutions’ estate to satisfy all claims in full or the applicable laws or regulations governing the insolvency, bankruptcy, or resolution proceedings. In the event of default on obligations by, or the failure of, one or more of these counterparties, we could incur significant losses, which could negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.If we are unable, or perceived as unable, to effectively manage customer funds, our business could be harmed.
We hold a substantial amount of funds belonging to our customers, including balances in customer accounts and funds being remitted to sellers of goods and services or recipients of person-to-person transactions. In certain jurisdictions where we operate, we are required to comply with applicable regulatory requirements with respect to customer balances. Our success is reliant on public confidence in our ability to effectively manage our customers’ balances and handle substantial transaction volumes and amounts of customer funds. Any failure to manage customer funds in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, or any public loss of confidence in us or our ability to effectively manage customer balances, could lead customers to discontinue or reduce their use of our products or reduce customer balances held with us, which could significantly harm our business.
There are risks associated with our indebtedness.
We have incurred indebtedness, and we may incur additional indebtedness in the future. Our ability to pay interest and repay the principal for our indebtedness is dependent upon our ability to manage our business operations and generate sufficient cash flows to service such debt. Our outstanding indebtedness and any additional indebtedness we incur may have significant consequences, including the need to use a significant portion of our cash flow from operations and other available cash to service our indebtedness, thereby reducing the funds available for other purposes, including capital expenditures, acquisitions, strategic investments, and share repurchases; the reduction of our flexibility in planning for or reacting to changes in our business, competitive pressures and market conditions; and limits on our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, strategic investments, share repurchases, or other general corporate purposes.
Our revolving credit facilities and the indentures for our senior unsecured notes pursuant to which certain of our outstanding debt securities were issued contain financial and other covenants that restrict or could restrict, among other things, our business and operations. If we fail to pay amounts due under a debt instrument or breach any of its covenants, the lenders or noteholders would typically have the right to demand immediate repayment of all borrowings thereunder (subject in certain cases to a grace or cure period). Moreover, any such acceleration and required repayment of, or default in respect of, our indebtedness could, in turn, constitute an event of default under other debt instruments, thereby resulting in the acceleration and required repayment of our indebtedness. Any of these events could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition.
Changes by any rating agency to our outlook or credit rating could negatively affect the value of both our debt and equity securities and increase our borrowing costs. If our credit ratings are downgraded or other negative action is taken, the interest rates payable by us under our indebtedness may increase, and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future on favorable terms or at all could be adversely affected.29
Table of ContentsChanges in tax laws, exposure to unanticipated additional tax liabilities, or implementation of reporting or record-keeping obligations could have a material adverse effect on our business.An increasing number of U.S. states, the U.S. federal government, and governments of foreign jurisdictions, such as the EU Commission, as well as international organizations, such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”), are focused on tax reform and other legislative or regulatory action to increase tax revenue. For example, various countries have proposed or enacted digital services taxes and global minimum tax provisions under the Pillar Two OECD model rules. These actions may materially and adversely affect our effective tax rate, net income, and cash flows.The determination of our worldwide provision for income taxes and other tax liabilities requires estimation and significant judgment, and there are many transactions and calculations for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. We are currently undergoing a number of investigations, audits, and reviews by tax authorities in multiple U.S. and foreign tax jurisdictions. Any adverse outcome of any such audit or review could result in unforeseen tax-related liabilities that differ from the amounts recorded in our financial statements, which may, individually or in the aggregate, materially affect our financial results in the periods for which such determination is made. While we have established reserves based on assumptions and estimates that we believe are reasonable to cover such eventualities, these reserves may prove to be insufficient.In addition, our future income taxes could be adversely affected by the incurrence of losses or earnings being lower than anticipated in jurisdictions that have lower statutory tax rates, and earnings being higher than anticipated in jurisdictions that have higher statutory tax rates; by changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities, including as a result of gains on our foreign currency exchange risk management program; by changes in tax laws, regulations, or accounting principles; or by certain discrete items.A number of U.S. states, the U.S. federal government, and foreign jurisdictions have implemented and may impose reporting or record-keeping obligations on companies that engage in or facilitate e-commerce to improve tax compliance. A number of jurisdictions are also reviewing whether payment service providers and other intermediaries could be deemed to be the legal agent of merchants for certain tax purposes. We have modified our systems to meet applicable requirements and expect that further modifications will be required to comply with future requirements, which may negatively impact our customer experience and increase operational costs. Any failure by us to comply with these and similar reporting and record-keeping obligations could result in substantial monetary penalties and other sanctions, adversely impact our ability to do business in certain jurisdictions, and harm our business.
We may be unable to attract, retain, and develop the highly skilled employees we need to support our business.
Competition for key and other highly skilled personnel is intense, especially for executive talent, software engineers, and other technology talent. We may be limited in our ability to recruit or hire internationally, including due to restrictive laws or policies on immigration, travel, or availability of visas for skilled workers. The loss of the services of any of our key personnel, or our inability to attract, hire, develop, motivate and retain key and other highly qualified and diverse talent, whether in a remote or in-office environment, or protect the safety, health and productivity of our workforce could harm our overall business and results of operations.
We are subject to risks associated with information disseminated through our products and services.We may be subject to claims relating to information disseminated through our online services, including claims alleging defamation, libel, harassment, hate speech, breach of contract, invasion of privacy, negligence, copyright or trademark infringement, or other theories based on the nature and content of the materials disseminated through the services, among other things. We invest in measures intended to detect and block activities that may occur on our payments platform in violation of our policies and applicable laws. These measures require continuous improvement and may not be sufficiently effective in detecting and preventing the exchange of information in violation of our policies and applicable laws. If these measures are not sufficiently effective, our business could be negatively impacted. If the laws or regulations that provide protections for online dissemination of information are invalidated or are modified to reduce protections available to us and we become liable for information provided by our customers and carried on our products and services, we could be directly harmed and we may be forced to implement new measures to reduce our exposure, including expending substantial resources or discontinuing certain product or service offerings, which could harm our business.
FY 2024-12-31 (later)
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, in addition to other information appearing in this Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes, for important information regarding risks and uncertainties that could affect us. These risk factors do not identify all risks we face, and additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that adversely affect our business. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, future prospects, and the trading price of our common stock could be materially and adversely affected.
CYBERSECURITY AND TECHNOLOGY RISKS
Cyberattacks and security vulnerabilities could result in serious harm to our reputation, business, and financial condition.The techniques used to attempt to obtain unauthorized or illegal access to systems and information (including customers’ personal data), disable or degrade service, exploit vulnerabilities, or sabotage systems are continuously evolving. In some circumstances, these attempts may not be recognized or detected until after they have been launched against a target. Unauthorized parties continuously attempt to gain access to our systems or facilities through various means, including through hacking into our systems or facilities or those of our customers, partners, or vendors, and attempting to fraudulently induce users of our systems (including employees, vendor and partner personnel and customers) into disclosing user names, passwords, payment card information, multi-factor authentication application access or other sensitive information used to gain access to such systems or facilities. This information may, in turn, be used to access our customers’ confidential personal or proprietary information and financial instrument data that are stored on or accessible through our information technology systems and those of third parties with whom we partner. This information may also be used to execute fraudulent transactions or otherwise engage in fraudulent actions. Numerous and evolving cybersecurity and related threats, including advanced and persisting cyberattacks, cyberextortion, distributed denial-of-service attacks, ransomware, spear phishing and social engineering schemes, the introduction of computer viruses or other malware, and the physical destruction of all or portions of our information technology and infrastructure and those of third parties with whom we partner or that are part of our information technology supply chain, are becoming increasingly sophisticated and complex, may be difficult to detect, and could compromise the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of the data in our systems, as well as the systems themselves.
We believe that hostile actors, who may comprise individuals, coordinated groups, sophisticated organizations, or nation state supported entities, may target PayPal due to our name, brand recognition, types of data (including sensitive payments- and identity-related data) that customers provide to us, and the widespread adoption and use of our products and services. We have experienced from time to time, and may experience in the future, cybersecurity incidents, including breaches of our security measures, network breaches, and compromise of personally identifiable customer information due to human error, deception, malfeasance, insider threats, system errors, defects, vulnerabilities, or other issues. Any of the foregoing events may subject us to fines, penalties, regulatory or other enforcement actions, and our business, reputation or financial condition may be adversely affected.
Any cybersecurity incidents, including cyberattacks or data security breaches affecting the information technology or infrastructure of our customers, partners, or vendors (including data center and cloud computing providers) or of companies we acquire, could have similar negative effects.
Under payment card network rules and our contracts with our payment processors, if there is a breach of payment card information stored by us or our direct payment card processing vendors, we could be liable to the payment card issuing banks, including for their cost of issuing new cards and related expenses. We have experienced, and may experience in the future, breaches involving customer information for which we have notified, and may notify, regulators, customers and other third parties. These or other cybersecurity breaches and other exploited security vulnerabilities have subjected us and could further subject us to significant costs and third-party liabilities, result in improper disclosure of data and violations of applicable privacy and other laws, require us to change our business practices, cause us to incur significant remediation costs, lead to loss of customer confidence in, or decreased use of, our products and services, damage our reputation and brands, divert the attention of management from the operation of our business, result in significant compensation or contractual penalties from us to our customers and their business partners as a result of losses to or claims by them, or expose us to litigation, regulatory investigations, and significant fines and penalties. Moreover, under payment card network rules and our contracts with our payment processors, if there is a breach of payment card information stored by us or our direct payment card processing vendors, we could be liable to the payment card issuing banks, including for their cost of issuing new cards and related expenses. While we maintain insurance policies intended to help offset the financial impact we may experience from these risks, our coverage may be insufficient to compensate us for all losses caused by security breaches and other damage to or
14Table of Contentsunavailability of our systems.
Business interruptions or systems failures may impair the availability of our websites, applications, products or services, or otherwise harm our business.
Our systems and operations and those of our service providers and partners have experienced from time to time, and may experience in the future, business interruptions or degradation of service because of distributed denial-of-service and other cyberattacks, insider threats, hardware and software defects or malfunctions, human error, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires, and other natural disasters, public health crises (including pandemics), power losses, disruptions in telecommunications services, fraud, military or political conflicts, terrorist attacks, computer viruses or other malware, or other events. The frequency and intensity of weather events related to climate change are increasing, which could increase the likelihood and severity of such disasters as well as related damage and business interruption. Our corporate headquarters are located in the San Francisco Bay Area, a seismically active region in California. A catastrophic event that could lead to a disruption or failure of our systems or operations could result in significant losses and require substantial recovery time and significant expenditures to resume or maintain operations. Further, some of our systems, including those of companies that we have acquired, are not fully redundant and any failure of these acquired systems, including due to a catastrophic event, may lead to operational outages or delays. While we engage in disaster recovery planning and testing intended to mitigate risks from outages or delays, our planning and testing may not be effective or sufficient for all possible outcomes or events. As a provider of payments solutions, we are also subject to heightened scrutiny by regulators that may require specific business continuity, resiliency and disaster recovery plans, and rigorous testing of such plans, which may be costly and time-consuming to implement, and may divert our resources from other business priorities. Any of the foregoing risks could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, system failures, cyberattacks, unplanned outages, and other events or conditions from time to time that have and may interrupt the availability, or reduce or adversely affect the speed or functionality, of our products and services. While we continue to undertake system upgrades and re-platforming efforts designed to improve the availability, reliability, resiliency, and speed of our payments platform, these efforts are costly and time-consuming, involve significant technical complexity and risk, may divert our resources from new features and products, and may ultimately not be effective. A prolonged interruption of, or reduction in, the availability, speed, or functionality of our products and services could materially harm our business and financial condition. Frequent or persistent interruptions in our services could permanently harm our relationship with our customers and partners and our reputation. If any system failure or similar event results in damage to our customers or their business partners, they could seek significant compensation or contractual penalties from us for their losses. These claims, even if unsuccessful, would likely be time-consuming and costly for us to address.
We also rely on facilities, components, applications, software, and services supplied by third parties, including data center facilities and cloud data storage and processing services. From time to time, we have experienced interruptions in the provision of such facilities and services provided by these third parties. If these third parties experience operational interference or disruptions (including a cybersecurity incident), fail to perform their obligations, or breach their agreements with us, our operations could be disrupted or negatively affected, which could result in customer dissatisfaction, regulatory scrutiny, and damage to our reputation and brands, and materially and adversely affect our business. While we maintain insurance policies intended to help offset the financial impact we may experience from these risks, our coverage may be insufficient to compensate us for all losses caused by interruptions in our service due to systems failures and similar events.
In addition, any failure to successfully implement new information systems and technologies or improvements or upgrades to existing information systems and technologies in a timely manner could lead to regulatory scrutiny, significant fines and penalties, and mandatory and costly changes to our business, adversely impact our business, internal controls, results of operations, and financial condition, and ultimately could cause us to lose existing licenses that we need to operate or prevent or delay us from obtaining additional licenses that may be required for our business.If we cannot keep pace with rapid technological developments to provide new and innovative products and services, the use of our products and services and, consequently, our revenues, could decline.Rapid, significant, and disruptive technological changes impact the industries in which we operate, including payment technologies (including real-time payments, payment card tokenization, virtual currencies, distributed ledger and blockchain technologies, and proximity payment technology such as Near Field Communication and other contactless payments); internet browser technologies that enable users to easily store their payment card information for use on any retail or e-commerce website; artificial intelligence (“AI”) and machine learning; developments in technologies supporting our regulatory and
15Table of Contentscompliance obligations; and in-store, digital, and social commerce.
We expect that new technologies applicable to the industries in which we operate, including the development, adoption, and use of generative AI technologies, will continue to emerge and may be superior to, or render obsolete, the technologies we currently use in our products and services. We cannot predict the effects of technological changes on our business, which technological developments or innovations will become widely adopted, and how those technologies may be regulated. Developing and incorporating new technologies into new and existing products and services may require significant investment, take considerable time, and may not ultimately be successful. For example, AI algorithms that we use may be flawed or may be based on datasets that are biased or insufficient. In addition, any latency, disruption, or failure in our AI systems or infrastructure could result in delays or errors in our offerings. There also may be real or perceived social harm, unfairness, or other outcomes that undermine public confidence in the use of our products or of AI. In addition, third parties may deploy AI technologies in a manner that reduces customer demand for our products and services.
We rely in part on third parties, including some of our competitors, for the development of and access to new or evolving technologies. These third parties may restrict or prevent our access to, or utilization of, those technologies, as well as their platforms or products. Our ability to develop, provide or incorporate new technologies and adapt our existing products and services or develop future and new products and services using new technologies may be limited or restricted by industry-wide standards, platform providers, payments networks, changes to laws and regulations, changing customer expectations, third-party intellectual property rights, and other factors. If we are unable to develop and incorporate new technologies and adapt to technological changes and evolving industry standards in a timely or cost-effective manner, our business, results of operations, or reputation could be harmed.LEGAL, REGULATORY AND COMPLIANCE RISKS
Our business is subject to extensive government regulation and oversight. Our failure to comply with extensive, complex, overlapping, and frequently changing rules, regulations, and legal interpretations could materially harm our business.
Our business is subject to complex and changing laws, rules, regulations, policies, and legal interpretations in the markets in which we offer services directly or through partners, including, but not limited to, those governing: banking, credit, deposit taking, cross-border and domestic money transmission, prepaid access, foreign currency exchange, privacy, data protection, data governance, cybersecurity, banking secrecy, digital payments, cryptocurrency, payment services (including payment processing and settlement services), lending, fraud detection, consumer protection, antitrust and competition, economic and trade sanctions, anti-money laundering, and counter-terrorist financing.
Regulators and legislators globally have been establishing, evolving, and increasing their regulatory authority, oversight, and enforcement in a manner that impacts our business. As we introduce new products and services and expand into new markets, including through acquisitions, we expect to become subject to additional regulations, restrictions, and licensing requirements. As we expand and localize our international activities, we expect that our obligations in the markets in which we operate will continue to increase. In addition, because we facilitate sales of goods and provide services to customers worldwide, one or more jurisdictions may claim that we or our customers are required to comply with their laws, which may impose different, more specific, or conflicting obligations on us, as well as broader liability.Any failure or perceived failure to comply with existing or new laws, regulations, or orders of any government authority (including changes to or expansion of their interpretation) may subject us to significant fines, penalties, monetary damages, injunctive relief, criminal and civil lawsuits, forfeiture of significant assets, and enforcement actions in one or more jurisdictions; result in additional compliance and licensure requirements; cause us to lose existing licenses or prevent or delay us from obtaining additional licenses that may be required for our business; increase regulatory scrutiny of our business; divert management’s time and attention from our business; restrict our operations; lead to increased friction for customers; force us to make changes to our business practices, products, or operations; require us to engage in remediation activities; or delay planned transactions, product launches, or improvements. Any of the foregoing could, individually or in the aggregate, harm our reputation, damage our brands and business, and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. The complexity of U.S. federal and state and international regulatory and enforcement regimes, coupled with the global scope of our operations and the evolving global regulatory environment, could result in a single event prompting a large number of overlapping investigations and legal and regulatory proceedings by multiple government authorities in different jurisdictions. While we have implemented policies and procedures designed to help ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors, and agents will not violate such laws and regulations.Payments Regulation16
Table of ContentsIn the U.S., PayPal, Inc. (a wholly-owned subsidiary) holds licenses to operate as a money transmitter (or its equivalent) in the states where such licenses are required, as well as in the District of Columbia and certain territories. If we fail to comply with applicable laws or regulations required to maintain our licenses, we could be subject to liability and/or additional restrictions, forced to cease doing business with residents of certain states or territories, forced to change our business practices, or required to obtain additional licenses or regulatory approvals, which could impose substantial costs and harm our business.
While we currently allow our customers to send payments from approximately 200 markets, we allow customers in only approximately half of those markets (including the U.S.) to also receive payments, in some cases with significant restrictions on the manner in which customers can hold balances or withdraw funds. These restrictions may limit our ability to grow our business.We principally provide our services to customers in the European Economic Area (“EEA”) through PayPal (Europe) S.à.r.l. et Cie, S.C.A. (“PayPal (Europe)”), our wholly-owned subsidiary that is licensed and subject to regulation as a credit institution in Luxembourg and PayPal U.K. Limited (“PayPal U.K.”), a wholly-owned subsidiary that is subject to regulation as an electronic money institution and a consumer credit firm (and registration as a crypto asset business) in the United Kingdom (“U.K.”) by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”). PayPal (Europe) or PayPal U.K. may be subject to enforcement actions and significant fines and penalties if either violates applicable requirements. If the business activities of PayPal (Europe) exceed certain thresholds, or if the European Central Bank (“ECB”) so determines, PayPal (Europe) may be deemed a significant supervised entity and certain activities of PayPal (Europe) would become directly supervised by the ECB, rather than by the Luxembourg Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier. PayPal (Europe) is also subject to regulation by the ECB under the oversight framework for electronic payment instruments, schemes and arrangements (“PISA”). Compliance with applicable laws and regulations could become more costly and operationally difficult to manage due to additional supervision, potentially inconsistent interpretations, and domestic regulations by various countries in the region. Applicable regulation relating to payments, anti-money laundering, and digital services, which are key focus areas of regulators and subject to extensive new regulation, could subject us to additional and complex obligations, risks, and associated costs, and impact our ability to expand our business in Europe.
For many of the other markets outside the U.S., we provide services on a cross-border basis through PayPal Pte. Ltd., our wholly-owned subsidiary based in Singapore. PayPal Pte. Ltd. is supervised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (“MAS”). As of July 1, 2023, PayPal Pte. Ltd. has been issued a Major Payment Institution license by the MAS under the Payment Services Act 2019. In order to maintain this license and certain other licenses or registrations we hold in certain markets, we are required to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, which have imposed and will continue to impose increasing operational complexity and costs for our Singapore and international operations. Moreover, in many non-U.S. markets (other than Singapore) where customers of PayPal Pte. Ltd. or local branches or subsidiaries subject to local regulatory supervision or oversight, as the case may be, are located, there may be uncertainty whether our Singapore-based service is subject only to Singapore law or also to other local laws, and whether such local laws might require a payment processor like us to be licensed as a payments service, bank, financial institution, or otherwise.
There are substantial costs and potential product and operational changes involved in maintaining and renewing licenses, certifications, and approvals, and we could be subject to enforcement actions, fines, penalties, and litigation if we are found to violate any of these requirements. There can be no assurance that we will be able to (or decide to) continue to apply for or obtain any licenses, renewals, certifications, and approvals in any jurisdiction. In certain markets, we may need to rely on local banks or other partners to process payments and conduct foreign currency exchange transactions in local currency, and local regulators may use their authority over such local partners to prohibit, restrict, or limit us from doing business. Any of the foregoing could, individually or in the aggregate, result in substantial additional costs, delay or preclude planned transactions, geographical expansions, or product launches or improvements, require significant and costly operational changes, impose restrictions, limitations, or additional requirements on our business, products and services, or prevent or limit us from providing our products or services in a given market.Cryptocurrency Regulation and Related RisksOur customer cryptocurrency offerings could subject us to additional regulations, licensing requirements, or other obligations or liabilities. Within the U.S., we are regulated by the New York State Department of Financial Services as a virtual currency business, which does not qualify us to engage in securities brokerage or dealing activities. The regulatory status of particular cryptocurrencies is unclear under existing law. For example, if the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) were to assert that any of the cryptocurrencies we support are securities, the SEC could assert that our activities involving that cryptocurrency require securities broker-dealer registration or other obligations under the federal securities laws. The rapidly evolving
17Table of Contentslegislative and regulatory landscapes with respect to cryptocurrency may subject us to additional licensing and regulatory obligations or to additional inquiries or investigations from the SEC or other regulators and governmental authorities, and require us to make product changes, restrict or discontinue product offerings in certain markets, implement additional and potentially costly controls, or take other actions.
In August 2023, a third-party issuer with which we have partnered commercially (the “PYUSD Issuer”) launched a U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoin named PayPal USD (“PYUSD”), which is available to PayPal U.S. customers and Venmo customers. These PayPal and Venmo customers may, if provisioned for external transfers and subject to our sanctions and anti-money laundering controls, send PYUSD to external wallets not controlled by PayPal. The PYUSD Issuer may also allow institutional users to directly purchase PYUSD from the PYUSD Issuer (as per the PYUSD Issuer’s stablecoin terms and conditions). The regulatory treatment of stablecoins is evolving and has drawn significant attention from legislative and regulatory bodies around the world, including the SEC. There are uncertainties on how ongoing changes to federal, state, and international laws and regulations would apply to stablecoins in practice, and we and the PYUSD Issuer may face substantial costs to operationalize and comply with any additional or changed requirement. If we or the PYUSD Issuer fail to comply with regulations, requirements, prohibitions or other obligations applicable to us, we could face regulatory or other enforcement actions, potential fines, penalties, and other consequences. In addition, we could face reputational harm through our relationship with the PYUSD Issuer if the PYUSD Issuer were to face regulatory scrutiny, PYUSD is deemed to be a security, or PYUSD is alleged to be used for transactions in connection with illicit or illegal activities.
We hold our customers’ cryptocurrency assets through one or more third-party custodians. Financial and third-party risks related to our customer cryptocurrency offerings, such as inappropriate access to, theft, or destruction of cryptocurrency assets held by our custodians, insufficient insurance coverage by a custodian to reimburse us for all such losses, a custodian’s failure to maintain effective controls over the custody and settlement services provided to us, a custodian’s inability to purchase or liquidate cryptocurrency holdings, the failure of the PYUSD Issuer to maintain sufficient reserve assets backing PYUSD and defaults on financial or performance obligations by a custodian, banks with which the PYUSD Issuer maintains reserve assets or counterparty financial institutions, could expose our customers and us to loss, and significantly harm our business, financial condition, and reputation.
We have selected custodian partners and the PYUSD Issuer, and may in the future select additional custodian partners and stablecoin issuing entities, that are subject to regulatory oversight, capital requirements, maintenance of audit and compliance industry certifications, and cybersecurity procedures and policies. Nevertheless, any operational disruptions at any such custodian or issuer, or such custodians’ or issuer’s failure to safeguard cryptocurrency holdings (or reserve assets), could result in losses of customer assets, expose us to customer claims, reduce consumer confidence and materially impact our cryptocurrency product offerings and our operating results.Custodial arrangements to safeguard cryptocurrency assets involve unique risks and uncertainties in the event of a custodian’s bankruptcy. While other types of assets and some custodied cryptocurrencies have been deemed not to be part of the custodian’s bankruptcy estate under various regulatory regimes, bankruptcy courts have not yet definitively determined the appropriate treatment of custodial holdings of digital assets in a bankruptcy proceeding. In the event of a custodian’s bankruptcy, the lack of precedent and the highly fact-dependent nature of the determination could delay or preclude the return of custodied cryptocurrency assets to us or to our customers. Although we contractually require our custodians to segregate our customer assets and not commingle them with proprietary or other assets, we cannot be certain that these contractual obligations, even if duly observed by a custodian, will be effective in preventing such assets from being treated as part of the custodian’s estate under bankruptcy or other insolvency law. In that event, our claim on behalf of such customers against a custodian’s estate for our customers’ cryptocurrency assets could be treated as a general unsecured claim against the custodian, in which case our customers could seek to hold us liable for any resulting losses.Lending RegulationWe hold a number of U.S. state lending licenses for our U.S. consumer short-term installment loan product, which is subject to federal and state laws governing consumer credit and debt collection. Similarly, the consumer short-term installment loan products that we offer outside the U.S. may be subject to consumer credit legislation, licensing requirements, consumer lending laws, consumer protection or banking transparency regulations. Increased global regulatory focus on short-term installment products and consumer credit more broadly could result in laws or regulations requiring changes to our policies, procedures, operations, and product offerings, and restrict or limit our ability to offer credit products.Consumer Protection18Table of ContentsViolations of consumer protection law in applicable jurisdictions, including both federal and state laws and regulations in the U.S., such as the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (“EFTA”) and Regulation E as implemented by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), could result in the assessment of significant actual damages or statutory damages or penalties (including treble damages in some instances) and plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees. We are subject to, and have paid amounts in settlement of, lawsuits containing allegations that our business violated the EFTA and Regulation E or otherwise advance claims for relief relating to our business practices (e.g., that we improperly held consumer funds or otherwise improperly limited consumer accounts).
In addition, the CFPB, pursuant to its market-monitoring authority, may require us to provide extensive information on our products and offerings. From time to time, we have received orders from the CFPB pursuant to such market-monitoring authority requiring us to provide, among other items, extensive information on our payment products, including with respect to the collection, use of, and access to data and consumer protections, as well as our Buy Now, Pay Later offerings.Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing; Economic and Trade SanctionsRegulators globally continue to increase standards and expectations regarding anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing, and to expand the scope of existing laws and regulations to emerging products and markets, which may require us to revise or expand our compliance program globally and/or in specific jurisdictions, including the procedures we use to verify the identity of our customers and to monitor international and domestic transactions. Such changes could have the effect of making compliance more costly and operationally difficult to manage, lead to increased friction for customers, and result in a decrease in business. Regulators regularly re-examine the transaction volume thresholds at which we must obtain and keep applicable records or the circumstances in which we must verify identities of customers, and any change to such obligations could result in greater compliance costs and impact our business. We are also required to comply with economic and trade sanctions administered by the U.S., the European Union (“EU”) and its member states, the U.K., and other jurisdictions in which we operate. Non-compliance with anti-money laundering laws and regulations or economic and trade sanctions may subject us to significant fines, penalties, lawsuits, and enforcement actions, result in regulatory sanctions and additional compliance requirements, increase regulatory scrutiny of our business, restrict our operations, and damage our reputation and brands. In the ordinary course of business we may identify and voluntarily report, and have reported, potential compliance issues to regulatory authorities, including the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), and our compliance history may be considered by OFAC and other regulators as part of any potential future investigation of our sanctions regulation.Privacy and Protection of Customer DataThe legal and regulatory environment relating to privacy and data protection laws continues to develop and evolve in ways we cannot predict, including with respect to technologies such as cloud computing, (generative) AI, machine learning, cryptocurrency, and blockchain technology. Any failure or alleged failure by us to comply with our privacy policies as communicated to customers or with privacy and data protection laws relating to our collection, use, storage, transfer, or sharing of customer data with third parties could result in proceedings or actions against us by data protection authorities, other government agencies, our customers or others, which could subject us to significant fines, penalties, judgments, and negative publicity, require us to change our business practices, increase the costs and complexity of compliance, result in reputational harm, and materially harm our business. Compliance with inconsistent privacy and data protection laws may also restrict or limit our ability to provide products and services to our customers.
Many jurisdictions in which we operate globally have enacted, or are in the process of enacting, data privacy legislation or regulations aimed at creating and enhancing individual privacy rights, including with respect to the use of personal data for personalization and cross-contextual advertising. For example, numerous U.S. states have enacted or are in the process of enacting state level data privacy laws and regulations governing the collection, use, and retention of their residents’ personal information as well as specific privacy obligations around youth. The continued proliferation of privacy laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate is likely to result in a disparate array of privacy rules with unaligned or conflicting provisions, accountability requirements, individual rights, and national or local enforcement powers, which may subject us to increased regulatory scrutiny and business costs and could lead to unintended consumer confusion.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The legal and regulatory landscape surrounding AI technologies is rapidly evolving and uncertain, including in the areas of consumer protection, intellectual property, cybersecurity, and privacy and data protection. In addition, there is uncertainty around the validity and enforceability of intellectual property rights related to the use, development, and deployment of AI-
19Table of Contentsgenerated outputs. Compliance with new and emerging laws, regulations or industry standards relating to AI in the U.S. and internationally, such as U.S. state regulations and the Artificial Intelligence Act in the EU, may impose significant operational costs and may limit our ability to develop, deploy or use existing or future AI technologies. As a result, our ability to adapt our existing products and services or develop future and new products and services using AI may be limited or restricted, which could adversely impact our business.
We are subject to regulatory scrutiny and may be subject to legal proceedings under antitrust and competition laws.
We are subject to scrutiny by various government agencies regarding antitrust and competition laws and regulations in the U.S. and internationally, including in connection with proposed or implemented business combinations, acquisitions, investments, partnerships, commercial agreements and business practices. Some jurisdictions also provide private rights of action for competitors or consumers to assert claims of anticompetitive conduct. Companies and government agencies have in the past alleged, and may in the future allege, that our actions (or actions of companies with which we have commercial agreements) violate the antitrust or competition laws in the U.S. or other jurisdictions in which we operate or otherwise constitute unfair competition, or that our products and services are used so broadly that otherwise uncontroversial business practices could be deemed anticompetitive. Any claims or investigations, even if without merit, may be costly to defend or respond to, involve negative publicity, cause substantial diversion of management’s time and effort, and could result in reputational harm, significant judgments, fines and other remedial actions against us, require us to change our business practices, make product or operational changes, or delay or preclude planned transactions, product launches or improvements.We are regularly subject to general litigation, regulatory scrutiny, and government inquiries.We are regularly subject to claims, individual and class action lawsuits, arbitration proceedings, government and regulatory investigations, inquiries, actions or requests, and other proceedings alleging violations of laws, rules, and regulations with respect to competition, antitrust, intellectual property, privacy, data protection, information security, anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, sanctions, anti-bribery, anti-corruption, consumer protection (including unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices), the terms of our customer agreements, fraud, accessibility, securities, tax, labor and employment, commercial disputes, services, charitable fundraising, contract disputes, escheatment of unclaimed or abandoned property, product liability, use of our services for illegal purposes, the matters described in “Note 13—Commitments and Contingencies— Litigation and Regulatory Matters—General Matters ” to our consolidated financial statements, and other matters. We expect that the number and significance of these disputes and inquiries will continue to increase as our products, services, and business expand in complexity, scale, scope, and geographic reach, including through acquisitions of businesses and technology. Investigations and legal proceedings are inherently uncertain, expensive and disruptive to our operations, and could result in substantial judgments, fines, penalties or settlements, substantial diversion of management’s time and effort, negative publicity, reputational harm, criminal sanctions, or orders that prevent or limit us from offering certain products or services; require us to change our business practices or customer agreement terms in ways that may increase costs or reduce revenues, develop non-infringing or otherwise altered products or technologies, or pay substantial royalty or licensing fees; or delay or preclude planned transactions or product launches or improvements. Determining legal reserves or possible losses from such matters involves significant estimates and judgments and may not reflect the full range of uncertainties and unpredictable outcomes. We may be exposed to losses in excess of the amount recorded, and such amounts could be material. If our estimates and assumptions change or prove to have been incorrect, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.Third parties may allege that we are infringing their patents and other intellectual property rights.We are frequently subject to litigation based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. Intellectual property infringement claims against us may result from, among other things, our expansion into new business areas, including through acquisitions of businesses and technology, or new or expanded products and services and their convergence with technologies not previously associated with areas related to our business, products and services. The ultimate outcome of any allegation or claim is often uncertain and any such claim, with or without merit, may be time-consuming to defend, result in costly litigation, divert management’s time and attention from our business, result in reputational harm, and require us to, among other things, redesign or stop providing our products or services, pay substantial amounts to settle claims or lawsuits, satisfy judgments, or pay substantial royalty or licensing fees.We may be unable to protect or enforce our intellectual property.The protection of our proprietary rights, including our trademarks, copyrights, domain names, trade dress, patents and trade secrets, is important to the success of our business. Effective protection of our proprietary rights may not be available in every jurisdiction in which we offer our products and services. Although we have generally taken measures to protect our intellectual
20Table of Contentsproperty, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in protecting or enforcing our rights in every jurisdiction, that our contractual arrangements will prevent or deter third parties from infringing or misappropriating our intellectual property, or that third parties will not independently develop equivalent or superior intellectual property rights. We may be required to expend significant time and resources to prevent infringement and enforce our rights, and we may be unable to discover or determine the extent of any unauthorized use of our proprietary rights. If we are unable to prevent third parties from infringing or otherwise violating our proprietary rights, the uniqueness and value of our products and services could be adversely affected, the value of our brands could be diminished, and our business could be adversely affected. We expect to continue to license in the future certain of our proprietary rights, such as trademarks or copyrighted material, to others. These licensees may take actions that diminish the value of our proprietary rights or harm our reputation. Any failure to adequately protect or enforce our proprietary rights, or significant costs incurred in doing so, could diminish the value of our intangible assets and materially harm our business.BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS RISKS
We face substantial and increasingly intense competition worldwide in the global payments industry.The global payments industry is highly competitive, dynamic, and innovative, and increasingly subject to regulatory scrutiny and oversight. Many of the areas in which we compete evolve rapidly with innovative and disruptive technologies, shifting user preferences and needs, price sensitivity of consumers and merchants, and frequent introductions of new products and services. Competition also may intensify as new competitors emerge, businesses combine or enter into new partnerships, and established companies in other segments expand to become competitive with various aspects of our business.
We compete with a wide range of businesses in every aspect of our business. Some of our current and potential competitors are or may be larger than we are, have larger customer bases, greater brand recognition, longer operating histories, a dominant or more secure position, broader geographic scope, volume, scale, resources, and market share than we do, or offer products and services that we do not offer. Other competitors are or may be smaller or younger companies that may be more agile in responding to regulatory and technological changes and customer preferences. Our competitors may devote greater resources to the development, promotion, and sale of products and services, and/or offer lower prices or more effectively offer their own innovative programs, products, and services. We often partner with other businesses, and the ability to continue developing these partnerships is important to our business. Competition for relationships with these partners is intense, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to establish, grow, or maintain these partner relationships. If we are unable to differentiate our products and services from those of our competitors, drive value for our customers and adoption of our products and services, or effectively and efficiently align our resources with our goals and objectives, we may not be able to compete effectively, which could negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.Changes to payment card networks or bank fees, rules, or practices could harm our business.
To process certain transactions, we must comply with applicable payment card, bank or other network (collectively, “network”) rules. The rules govern all aspects of a transaction on the networks, including fees and other practices. From time to time, the networks have increased the fees and assessments that they charge for transactions that access their networks. Certain networks have also imposed special fees or assessments for transactions that are executed through a digital wallet such as the one that PayPal offers. Our payment processors may have the right to pass any increases in fees and assessments on to us and to increase their own fees for processing. Any increase in interchange fees, special fees, or assessments for transactions that we pay to the networks or our payment processors could make our pricing less competitive, increase our operating costs, and reduce our operating income, which could materially harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.In some jurisdictions, government regulations have required payment card networks to reduce or cap interchange fees. Any changes in interchange fee rates or limitations, or their applicability to PayPal’s products and services, could adversely affect our competitive position against payment card service providers and the revenue we earn from our branded card programs, require us to change our business practices, and harm our business.
We may also be subject to fines and other penalties assessed by networks resulting from any rule violations by us or our merchants. The networks set and interpret their rules, and have alleged from time to time that various aspects of our business model violate these rules, or our agreements with the networks. Such allegations may result in significant fines, penalties, damages, or other liabilities, adversely impact benefits to us under the agreements, or require changes in our business practices that may be costly and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. The network rules may also increase the cost of, impose restrictions on, or otherwise impact the development of, our products which may negatively affect product deployment and adoption. The networks could adopt new operating rules or interpret or re-interpret existing rules that
21Table of Contentswe or our payment processors might find difficult or impractical to follow, or costly to implement, which could require us to make significant changes to our products, increase our operational costs, and negatively impact our business. If we become unable or limited in our ability to accept certain payment types such as debit or credit cards, our business would be materially and adversely affected.
Changes in how consumers fund their PayPal transactions could harm our business.
We pay transaction fees when consumers fund payment transactions using credit cards, lower fees when consumers fund payments with debit cards, and nominal fees when consumers fund payment transactions by electronic transfer of funds from bank accounts, from an existing PayPal account balance or Venmo account balance, or through our PayPal branded consumer credit products. Our financial performance is sensitive to changes in the rate at which our consumers fund payments using payment cards, which can significantly increase our costs. Although we provide consumers in certain markets with the opportunity to use their existing PayPal account balance or Venmo account balance to fund payment transactions, some of our consumers may prefer to use payment cards, which may offer features and benefits not provided as part of their PayPal accounts. Any increase in the portion of our payment volume funded using payment cards or in fees associated with our funding mix, or other events or developments that make it more difficult or costly for us to fund transactions with lower-cost funding options, could materially and adversely affect our financial performance and significantly harm our business.Our credit products expose us to additional risks.
We offer credit products to a wide range of consumers and merchants in the U.S. and various international markets. The financial success of these products depends largely on the effective management of related risk. The credit decision-making process for our consumer credit products uses proprietary methodologies and credit algorithms and other analytical techniques designed to analyze the credit risk of specific consumers based on, among other factors, their past purchase and transaction history with PayPal or Venmo and their credit scores. Similarly, proprietary risk models and other indicators are applied to assess merchants who desire to use our merchant financing offerings to help predict their ability to repay. These risk models may not accurately predict the creditworthiness of a consumer or merchant due to inaccurate assumptions, including those related to the particular consumer or merchant, market conditions, economic environment, or limited transaction history or other data. The accuracy of these risk models and the ability to manage credit risk related to our credit products may also be affected by legal or regulatory requirements, changes in consumer behavior, changes in the economic environment, issuing bank policies, and other factors.We are subject to the risk that account holders who use our credit products will default on their payment obligations. The non-payment rate among account holders may increase due to, among other factors, changes to underwriting standards, risk models not accurately predicting the creditworthiness of a user, worsening economic conditions, such as a recession or government austerity programs, increases in prevailing interest rates, and high unemployment rates. Account holders who miss payments often fail to repay their loans, and account holders who file for protection under the bankruptcy laws generally do not repay their loans. Further, laws or regulations may limit the assessment of late fees or penalties on certain credit products, which could negatively impact our revenue share arrangement with an independent chartered financial institution with respect to our U.S. consumer credit products. Any deterioration in the performance of loans facilitated through our platform or unexpected losses on such loans may increase the risk of potential charge-offs, increase our allowance for loans and interest receivable, negatively impact our revenue share arrangement (as discussed in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Key Metrics and Financial Results ”), and materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations .We generally rely on the activities and charters of unaffiliated financial institutions to provide PayPal and Venmo branded consumer credit and merchant financing offerings to our U.S. customers. As a service provider to these unaffiliated financial institutions, which are federally supervised U.S. financial institutions, we are subject from time to time to examination by their federal banking regulators. In the event of any termination or interruption in a partner bank’s ability or willingness to lend, our ability to offer consumer credit and merchant financing products could be interrupted or limited, which could materially and adversely affect our business. We may be unable to reach a similar arrangement with another unaffiliated financial institution on favorable terms or at all. Obtaining and maintaining the lending licenses required for us to originate such loans ourselves would be a costly, time-consuming and uncertain process, and would subject us to additional laws and regulatory requirements, which could significantly increase our costs and compliance obligations and require us to change our business practices.Merchant loans under our U.S. PayPal Working Capital (“PPWC”) and PayPal Business Loan (“PPBL”) products and certain U.S. installment loan products are provided by a state-chartered industrial bank under a program agreement with us, and we acquire the receivables generated by those loans from the state-chartered bank after origination. In June 2020, the Federal
22Table of ContentsDeposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) approved a final rule clarifying that loans validly originated by state-chartered banks or insured branches of foreign banks remain valid throughout the lifetime of the loan, reflecting a similar rule finalized by the Office of the Comptroller of Currency (“OCC”) in May 2020 for nationally chartered banks. The final rule reaffirms and codifies the so-called “valid-when-made doctrine,” which provides that the permissibility of an interest rate for a loan is determined when the loan is made and will not be affected by subsequent events such as sale, assignment, or other transfer. While a number of state attorneys general have unsuccessfully challenged these FDIC and OCC rules, there remains some uncertainty whether non-bank entities purchasing loan receivables originated by FDIC-insured, state-chartered banks may rely on federal preemption of state usury laws and other state laws. An adverse outcome of these or similar challenges, or changes to applicable laws and regulations or regulatory policy, could materially impact our U.S. PPWC and PPBL products, certain installment products, and our business.
We currently purchase receivables related to our U.S. PayPal-branded merchant financing offerings and certain U.S. consumer installment loan products and extend credit for our consumer and merchant products outside the U.S. through our international subsidiaries. In June 2023, we entered into a multi-year agreement to sell U.K. and European buy now, pay later (“BNPL”) loan receivables originated by PayPal (Europe) and PayPal U.K., consisting of the sale of a substantial majority of the U.K. and European BNPL loan portfolio held on PayPal (Europe)’s balance sheet at the closing of the transaction and a forward-flow arrangement for the sale of future originations of eligible loans. The sale of future eligible receivables is subject to certain conditions. If these conditions are not satisfied or waived or if the parties are unable to fulfill their obligations under these arrangements, the sale of these receivables could be delayed and we may not realize the expected benefits of this arrangement.We rely on third parties in many aspects of our business, which creates additional risk.We rely on third parties in many aspects of our business, including, but not limited to, networks, banks, payment processors, and payment gateways that link us to the payment card and bank clearing networks to process transactions; unaffiliated third-party lenders to originate our U.S. credit products to consumers, U.S. merchant financing, and branded credit card products; branded debit card and savings products issued by unaffiliated banks; cryptocurrency custodial service providers; and external business partners and contractors who provide key functions (including, but not limited to, data center facilities and cloud computing, information technology, and outsourced customer support and product development functions). We are subject to additional risks inherent in engaging and relying upon third-party providers, including operational, legal, regulatory, information security, reputational, commercial, and resiliency risks. If we are unable to effectively manage our third-party relationships, these third parties are unable to meet their obligations to us, we are overly reliant on certain relationships, or we experience substantial disruptions in these relationships (including interruptions to the availability of our products and services), our operations, results of operations, and financial results could be adversely impacted. Additionally, our relationships with third parties inherently involve a lesser degree of control over business operations, governance, and compliance, which potentially increases our financial, legal, reputational, and operational risk.Any factors that reduce cross-border trade or make such trade more difficult could harm our business.Cross-border trade (i.e., transactions where the merchant and consumer are in different countries) is an important source of our revenues and profits. Cross-border transactions generally provide higher revenues and operating income than similar transactions that take place within a single country or market. In certain markets, cross-border trade represents our primary (and in some instances our only) offerings. Cross-border trade may be negatively impacted by various factors including foreign exchange rate fluctuations, tariffs, trade barriers or restrictions, sanctions, import or export controls, and the interpretation and application of laws of multiple jurisdictions in the context of cross-border trade and foreign exchange. Any factors that increase the costs of cross-border trade for us or our customers or that restrict, delay, or make cross-border trade more difficult or impractical could reduce our cross-border transactions and volume, negatively impact our revenues and profits, and harm our business.Failure to deal effectively with fraud, abusive behaviors, bad transactions, and negative customer experiences may increase our loss rate and could negatively impact our business and severely diminish merchant and consumer confidence in and use of our services.We expect that third parties will continue to attempt to abuse access to and misuse our payments services to commit fraud by, among other things, creating fictitious PayPal accounts using stolen or synthetic identities or personal information, taking over customer accounts or creating fraudulent accounts, making transactions with stolen financial instruments, abusing or misusing our services for financial gain, or fraudulently inducing users of our products and services into engaging in fraudulent transactions. Due to the nature of PayPal’s digital payments services, third parties may seek to engage in abusive schemes or fraud attacks that are often difficult to detect and may be deployed at a scale that would otherwise not be possible in physical
23Table of Contentstransactions. Measures to detect and reduce the risk of fraud and abusive behavior are complex, require continuous improvement, and may not be effective in detecting and preventing fraud, particularly new and continually evolving forms of fraud or in connection with new or expanded product offerings. If these measures are not effective, our business could be negatively impacted. We also incur substantial losses from erroneous transactions and situations where linked accounts designated by customers to fund PayPal transactions have insufficient funds or are otherwise unavailable to fund the payments, or the payment is initiated to an unintended recipient in error. Numerous and evolving fraud schemes and misuse of our payments services could subject us to significant costs and liabilities, require us to change our business practices, cause us to incur significant remediation costs, lead to loss of customer confidence in, or decreased use of, our products and services, damage our reputation and brands, divert the attention of management from the operation of our business, and result in significant compensation or contractual penalties from us to our customers and their business partners as a result of losses or claims. While we actively seek to recover transaction losses where possible, such recoveries may be insufficient to compensate us for such losses.
Our purchase and seller protection programs (“protection programs”) are intended to reduce the likelihood of losses for consumers and merchants from unauthorized and fraudulent transactions. Our purchase protection program also protects consumers who do not receive the item ordered or who receive an item that is significantly different from its description. We incur substantial losses from our protection programs as a result of disputes filed by our customers. While we may seek to recover losses from our protection programs from the merchant, we ultimately may not be able to fully recover such losses (for example, if the merchant is unwilling or unable to pay, the transaction involves a fraudulent merchant, or the merchant provides sufficient evidence that the item was delivered).
In addition, consumers who pay through PayPal or Venmo may have reimbursement rights from their payment card issuer, which in turn will seek recovery from us. If losses incurred by us related to payment card transactions become excessive, we could lose the ability to accept payment cards for payment, which would negatively impact our business. Regulators and card networks may also adapt error resolution and chargeback requirements to account for evolving forms of fraud, which could increase PayPal’s exposure to fraud losses and impact the scope of coverage of our protection programs. Increases in our loss rate, including as a result of changes to the scope of transactions covered by our protection programs, could negatively impact our business and results of operations. See “Note 13—Commitments and Contingencies— Protection Programs ” to our consolidated financial statements.
Failure to effectively monitor and evaluate the financial condition of our merchants may expose PayPal to losses. In the event of the bankruptcy, insolvency, business failure, or other business interruption of a merchant that sells goods or services in advance of the date of their delivery or use (e.g., airline, cruise, or concert tickets, custom-made goods, and subscriptions), we could be liable to the buyers of such goods or services, including through our purchase protection program or through chargebacks on payment cards used by customers to fund their purchase. Allowances for transaction losses that we have established may be insufficient to cover incurred losses.Use of our payments services for illegal activities or improper purposes could harm our business.We expect that users will continue to attempt to use our payments platform for illegal activities or improper uses, including money laundering, terrorist financing, sanctions evasion, illegal online gambling, fraudulent sales of goods or services, illegal telemarketing activities, illegal sales of prescription medications or controlled substances, piracy of software, movies, music, and other copyrighted, trademarked or digital goods, bank fraud, child pornography, human trafficking, prohibited sales of alcoholic beverages or tobacco products, securities fraud, pyramid or Ponzi schemes, or the facilitation of other illegal or improper activity. Moreover, certain activity that may be legal in one jurisdiction may be illegal in another jurisdiction, and a merchant may be found responsible for intentionally or inadvertently importing or exporting illegal goods, resulting in liability for us. Owners of intellectual property rights or government authorities may seek to bring legal action against providers of payments solutions, including PayPal, that are peripherally involved in the sale of infringing or allegedly infringing items by a user. While we invest in measures intended to prevent and detect illegal activities that may occur on our payments platform, these measures may not be effective in detecting and preventing illegal activity or improper uses, and we may be subject to claims, individual and class action lawsuits, and government and regulatory requests, inquiries, or investigations that could result in liability, restrict our operations, impose additional restrictions or limitations on our business or require us to change our business practices, harm our reputation, increase our costs, and negatively impact our business.Acquisitions, dispositions, strategic investments, and other strategic transactions could result in operating difficulties and could harm our business.We expect to continue to consider and evaluate a wide array of potential strategic transactions as part of our overall business
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strategy, including business combinations, acquisitions, and dispositions of certain businesses, technologies, services, products, and other assets; strategic investments; and commercial and strategic partnerships (collectively, “strategic transactions”). At any given time, we may be engaged in discussions or negotiations with respect to one or more strategic transactions, any of which could, individually or in the aggregate, be material to our financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in identifying, negotiating, consummating and integrating transaction opportunities. Strategic transactions may involve additional significant challenges, uncertainties, and risks, including challenges of obtaining regulatory or other approvals, integrating new employees, products, systems, technologies, operations, and business cultures; challenges associated with operating acquired businesses in markets or business areas in which we may have limited or no experience; disruption of our ongoing operations and diversion of our management’s attention; inadequate data security, cybersecurity, or operational and information technology resilience; failure to identify, or our underestimation of, commitments, liabilities, deficiencies and other risks associated with acquired businesses or assets; potential exposure to new or incremental risks associated with acquired businesses and entities, strategic investments or other strategic transactions, including potential new or increased regulatory oversight and uncertain or evolving legal, regulatory, and compliance requirements, particularly with respect to companies in new or developing businesses or industries; challenges associated with dispositions of business or operations, including disruption to other parts of our business, potential loss of employees or customers, the transfer of technology and/or certain intellectual property rights to third-party purchasers, or exposure to unanticipated liabilities or ongoing obligations to us following any such dispositions; failure of the transaction to advance our business strategy or for its anticipated benefits to materialize; potential impairment of goodwill or other acquisition-related intangible assets; and the potential for our acquisitions to result in dilutive issuances of our equity securities or the incurrence of significant additional debt. Strategic transactions are inherently risky, may not be successful, and may harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.Strategic investments in which we have a minority ownership stake inherently involve a lesser degree of influence over business operations. The success of our strategic investments may be dependent on controlling shareholders, management, or other persons or entities that may have business interests, strategies, or goals that are inconsistent with ours. Business decisions or other actions or omissions of the controlling shareholders, management, or other persons or entities who control companies in which we invest may adversely affect the value of our investment, result in litigation or regulatory action against us, and damage our reputation.
Our international operations subject us to increased risks, which could harm our business.Our international operations generate a significant portion of our net revenues. Our international operations subject us to significant challenges, uncertainties, and risks, including, but not limited to, local regulatory, licensing, reporting, and legal obligations; costs and challenges associated with operating in markets in which we may have limited or no experience, including effectively localizing our products and services and adapting them to local preferences; difficulties in developing, staffing, and simultaneously managing a large number of varying foreign operations as a result of distance, language, and cultural differences and in light of varying laws, regulations, and customs; differing employment practices and the existence of works councils; difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified employees and maintaining our company culture; fluctuations in foreign exchange rates; exchange control regulations; profit repatriation restrictions; potential tariffs, sanctions, fines, or other trade barriers or restrictions; import or export regulations; compliance with U.S. and foreign anti-bribery, anti-corruption, sanctions, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing laws and regulations; the interpretation and application of laws of multiple jurisdictions; and national or regional political, economic, or social instability. In addition, some countries have enacted or are considering data localization or residency laws, which require that certain data be maintained, stored and/or processed within their country of origin. Maintaining local data centers in individual countries could significantly increase our operating costs.Our international operations also may heighten many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section. Any violations of the complex foreign and U.S. laws, rules and regulations that may apply to our international operations may result in lawsuits, enforcement actions, criminal actions, or sanctions against us and, our directors, officers, and employees; prohibit or require us to change our business practices; and damage our reputation. Although we have implemented policies and procedures designed to promote compliance with these laws, there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors, or agents will not violate our policies. These risks are inherent in our international operations, may increase our costs of doing business internationally, and could materially and adversely affect our business.
Global and regional economic conditions could harm our business.Adverse global and regional economic conditions such as turmoil affecting the banking system or financial markets, including, but not limited to, tightening in the credit markets, extreme volatility or distress in the financial markets (including the fixed
25Table of Contentsincome, credit, currency, equity, and commodity markets), unemployment, consumer debt levels, recessionary or inflationary pressures, supply chain issues, reduced consumer confidence or economic activity, government fiscal, monetary and tax policies, U.S. and international trade relationships, agreements, treaties, tariffs and restrictive actions, the inability of a government to enact a budget in a fiscal year, government shutdowns, government austerity programs, geopolitical conditions or events, and other negative financial news or macroeconomic developments could have a material adverse impact on the demand for our products and services, including a reduction in the volume and size of transactions on our payments platform. Additionally, any inability to access the capital markets when needed due to volatility or illiquidity in the markets, liquidity needs due to unanticipated reductions in customer balances, or increased regulatory liquidity and capital requirements may strain our liquidity position. Such conditions may also expose us to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates or interest rates that could materially and adversely affect our financial results.If our reputation or our brands are damaged, our business and operating results may be harmed.Our reputation and brands are globally recognized, important to our business, and affect our ability to attract and retain our customers. There are numerous ways our reputation or brands could be damaged. We may experience scrutiny or criticism from customers, partners, employees, government entities, media, advocacy groups, and other influencers or stakeholders that disagree with, among other things, our product offering decisions, internal policies, or public policy positions. Damage to our reputation or our brands may result from, among other things, new features, products, services, operational efforts, or terms of service (or changes to the same), or our decisions regarding user privacy, data practices, or information security. The proliferation of social media may increase and compound the likelihood, speed, magnitude, and unpredictability of negative brand events. If our brands or reputation are damaged, our business and operating results may be adversely impacted.Real or perceived inaccuracies in our key metrics may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business.Our key metrics are calculated using internal company data based on the activity we measure on our payments platform and compiled from multiple systems, including systems that are internally developed or acquired through business combinations. While the measurement of our key metrics is based on what we believe to be reasonable methodologies and estimates, there are inherent challenges and limitations in measuring our key metrics globally at scale. The methodologies used to calculate our key metrics require significant judgment. We regularly review our processes for calculating these key metrics, and from time to time we may make adjustments to improve the accuracy or relevance of our metrics. For example, we continuously apply models, processes and practices designed to detect and prevent fraudulent account creation on our platforms, and work to improve and enhance those capabilities. When we detect a significant volume of illegitimate activity, we generally remove the activity identified from our key metrics. Although such adjustments may impact key metrics reported in prior periods, we generally do not update previously reported key metrics to reflect these subsequent adjustments unless the retrospective impact of process improvements or enhancements is determined by management to be material. Further, as our business develops, we may revise or cease reporting metrics if we determine that such metrics are no longer appropriate measures of our performance. If investors, analysts, or customers do not consider our reported measures to be sufficient or to accurately reflect our business, we may receive negative publicity, our reputation may be harmed, and our business may be adversely impacted.Environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) issues may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and damage our reputation.Various jurisdictions are adopting or considering new laws and regulations that expand mandatory disclosure, reporting and diligence requirements with respect to ESG matters. If we are unable to comply with new laws and regulations concerning ESG matters or fail to meet investor, industry or stakeholder expectations and standards, our reputation may be harmed, customers may choose to refrain from using our products and services, we may be subject to fines, penalties, regulatory or other enforcement actions, and our business or financial condition may be adversely affected. If our ESG-related data, processes and reporting are viewed as incomplete or inaccurate, or if we fail to achieve progress with respect to ESG-related goals on a timely basis or at all, we may be viewed negatively by stakeholders concerned about these matters. Moreover, investors, customers, partners, media, government entities, and other stakeholders (including those in support of or in opposition to ESG principles) may have a negative view of us to the extent we are perceived to have not responded appropriately to their ESG concerns or take positions that are contrary to their views or expectations.
We recognize that climate-related risks may impact our business. For example, California, where our headquarters are located, has historically experienced, and is projected to continue to experience, extreme weather and natural disaster events more frequently, including drought, flooding, heat waves, and wildfires. Such events may disrupt our business and may cause us to experience additional costs to maintain or resume operations.
26Table of ContentsIf one or more of our counterparty financial institutions default on their financial or performance obligations to us or fail,we may incur significant losses.
We have significant amounts of cash, cash equivalents, receivables outstanding, and other investments on deposit or in accounts with banks or other financial institutions in the U.S. and international jurisdictions. As part of our foreign exchange hedging activities, we regularly enter into transactions involving derivative financial instruments with various financial institutions. Certain banks and other financial institutions are also lenders under our credit facilities. We regularly monitor our concentration of, and exposure to counterparty risk, and actively manage this exposure to mitigate the associated risk. Despite these efforts, we may be exposed to the risk of default on obligations by, or deteriorating operating results or financial condition or failure of, these counterparty financial institutions. If one of our counterparty financial institutions were to become insolvent, placed into receivership, or file for bankruptcy, our ability to recover losses incurred as a result of default or to access or recover our assets that are deposited, held in accounts with, or otherwise due from, such counterparty may be limited due to the insufficiency of the failed institutions’ estate to satisfy all claims in full or the applicable laws or regulations governing the insolvency, bankruptcy, or resolution proceedings. In the event of default on obligations by, or the failure of, one or more of these counterparties, we could incur significant losses, which could negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.If we are unable, or perceived as unable, to effectively manage customer funds, our business could be harmed.
We hold a substantial amount of funds belonging to our customers, including balances in customer accounts and funds being remitted to sellers of goods and services or recipients of person-to-person transactions. In certain jurisdictions where we operate, we are required to comply with applicable regulatory requirements with respect to customer balances. Our success is reliant on public confidence in our ability to effectively manage our customers’ balances and handle substantial transaction volumes and amounts of customer funds. Any failure to manage customer funds in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, or any public loss of confidence in us or our ability to effectively manage customer balances, could lead customers to discontinue or reduce their use of our products or reduce customer balances held with us, which could significantly harm our business.
There are risks associated with our indebtedness.
We have incurred indebtedness, and we may incur additional indebtedness in the future. Our ability to pay interest and repay the principal for our indebtedness is dependent upon our ability to manage our business operations and generate sufficient cash flows to service such debt. Our outstanding indebtedness and any additional indebtedness we incur may have significant consequences, including the need to use a significant portion of our cash flow from operations and other available cash to service our indebtedness, thereby reducing the funds available for other purposes, including capital expenditures, acquisitions, strategic investments, and share repurchases; the reduction of our flexibility in planning for or reacting to changes in our business, competitive pressures and market conditions; and limits on our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, strategic investments, share repurchases, or other general corporate purposes.
Our revolving credit facilities and the indentures for our senior unsecured notes pursuant to which certain of our outstanding debt securities were issued contain financial and other covenants that restrict or could restrict, among other things, our business and operations. If we fail to pay amounts due under a debt instrument or breach any of its covenants, the lenders or noteholders would typically have the right to demand immediate repayment of all borrowings thereunder (subject in certain cases to a grace or cure period). Moreover, any such acceleration and required repayment of, or default in respect of, our indebtedness could, in turn, constitute an event of default under other debt instruments, thereby resulting in the acceleration and required repayment of our indebtedness. Any of these events could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition.
Changes by any rating agency to our outlook or credit rating could negatively affect the value of both our debt and equity securities and increase our borrowing costs. If our credit ratings are downgraded or other negative action is taken, the interest rates payable by us under our indebtedness may increase, and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future on favorable terms or at all could be adversely affected.Changes in tax laws, exposure to unanticipated additional tax liabilities, or implementation of reporting or record-keeping obligations could have a material adverse effect on our business.An increasing number of U.S. states, the U.S. federal government, and governments of foreign jurisdictions, such as the EU Commission, as well as international organizations, such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”), are focused on tax reform and other legislative or regulatory action to increase tax revenue. These actions may
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materially and adversely affect our effective tax rate, net income, and cash flows.
Specifically, the OECD has published model rules and is coordinating negotiations among participating countries with the goal of achieving consensus on significant changes to international tax rules, including the implementation of a global minimum tax rate of 15%, commonly referred to as Pillar Two. Each individual jurisdiction will need to enact minimum tax legislation which may result in various interpretations of the OECD model rules and applicable timelines. Certain countries in which we do business have enacted implementing legislation effective January 1, 2024. As additional jurisdictions enact similar legislation, transition rules expire, and other provisions of the minimum tax legislation become effective, our effective tax rate and cash tax payments could increase in future years. The impact will depend on several factors including U.S and foreign tax legislation as well as our overall tax profile. A number of details around the provisions are still uncertain as the OECD and individual jurisdictions continue to issue guidance.The determination of our worldwide provision for income taxes and other tax liabilities requires estimation and significant judgment, and there are many transactions and calculations for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. We are currently undergoing a number of investigations, audits, and reviews by tax authorities in multiple U.S. and foreign tax jurisdictions. Any adverse outcome of any such audit or review could result in unforeseen tax-related liabilities that differ from the amounts recorded in our financial statements, which may, individually or in the aggregate, materially affect our financial results in the periods for which such determination is made. While we have established reserves based on assumptions and estimates that we believe are reasonable to cover such eventualities, these reserves may prove to be insufficient.In addition, our future income taxes could be adversely affected by changes in our geographical mix of income and impacts of statutory tax rates; by changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities, including as a result of gains on our foreign exchange risk management program; by changes in tax laws, regulations, or accounting principles; or by certain discrete items.A number of U.S. states, the U.S. federal government, and foreign jurisdictions have implemented and may impose reporting or record-keeping obligations on companies that engage in or facilitate e-commerce to improve tax compliance. A number of jurisdictions are also reviewing whether payment service providers and other intermediaries could be deemed to be the legal agent of merchants for certain tax purposes. We have modified our systems to meet applicable requirements and expect that further modifications will be required to comply with future requirements, which may negatively impact our customer experience and increase operational costs. Any failure by us to comply with these and similar reporting and record-keeping obligations could result in substantial monetary penalties and other sanctions, adversely impact our ability to do business in certain jurisdictions, and harm our business.
We may be unable to attract, retain, and develop the highly skilled employees we need to support our business.
Competition for key and other highly skilled personnel is intense, especially for executive talent, software engineers, and other technology talent. We may be limited in our ability to recruit or hire internationally, including due to restrictive laws or policies on immigration, travel, or availability of visas for skilled workers. The loss of the services of any of our key personnel, or our inability to attract, hire, develop, motivate and retain key and other highly qualified and diverse talent, whether in a remote or in-office environment, or protect the safety, health and productivity of our workforce could harm our overall business and results of operations.
We are subject to risks associated with information disseminated through our products and services.We may be subject to claims relating to information disseminated through our online services by our customers and other third parties, including, but not limited to, claims alleging defamation, libel, harassment, hate speech, breach of contract, invasion of privacy, negligence, copyright or trademark infringement, or other theories based on the nature and content of the materials disseminated through the services. We invest in measures intended to detect and block activities that may occur on our payments platform in violation of our policies and applicable laws. These measures require continuous improvement and may not be sufficiently effective in detecting and preventing the exchange of information in violation of our policies and applicable laws, which could negatively impact our business. If the laws or regulations that provide protections for online dissemination of information are invalidated, modified, or supplemented to reduce protections available to us, or to increase requirements on us to remove certain information or implement other processes, we could be harmed and may be forced to implement new measures to reduce our potential liability for information provided by our customers and carried on our products and services. This increased risk could require us to expend substantial resources or discontinue certain product or service offerings, which could harm our business.
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Item 7 · Management's Discussion & Analysis
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FY 2023-12-31 (earlier)
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You should read the following “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes that appear in this report. Unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “our,” “us,” “the Company,” and “PayPal” refer to PayPal Holdings, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations focuses on a discussion of 2023 results as compared to 2022 results. For a discussion of 2022 results as compared to 2021 results, see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” within our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on February 10, 2023.BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
THE COMPANYWe are a leading technology platform that enables digital payments and simplifies commerce experiences on behalf of merchants and consumers worldwide. PayPal is committed to democratizing financial services to help improve the financial health of individuals and to increase economic opportunity for entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes around the world. Our goal is to enable our merchants and consumers to manage and move their money anywhere in the world in the markets we serve, anytime, on any platform, and using any device when sending payments or getting paid, including person-to-person payments.Regulatory environmentWe operate globally and in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment characterized by a heightened focus by regulators globally on all aspects of the payments industry, including countering terrorist financing, anti-money laundering, privacy, cybersecurity, and consumer protection. The laws and regulations applicable to us, including those enacted prior to the advent of digital payments, continue to evolve through legislative and regulatory action and judicial interpretation. New or changing laws and regulations, including changes to their interpretation and implementation, as well as increased penalties and enforcement actions related to non-compliance, could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. We monitor these areas closely and are focused on designing compliant solutions for our customers.Cybersecurity and information securityCybersecurity and information security risks for global payments and technology companies like us have increased significantly in recent years. Although we have developed systems and processes designed to protect the data we manage, prevent data loss and other security incidents, and enable us to effectively respond to known and potential risks, and expect to continue to expend significant resources to bolster these protections, we remain subject to these risks and there can be no assurance that our security measures will provide sufficient security or prevent breaches or attacks. For additional information regarding our cybersecurity and information security risks, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors— Cyberattacks and security vulnerabilities could result in serious harm to our reputation, business, and financial condition ” and “Item 1C. Cybersecurity.”
MACROECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
The broader implications of the macroeconomic environment, including uncertainty around recent international conflicts including the Russia and Ukraine conflict, supply chain shortages, a recession globally or in markets in which we operate, higher inflation rates, higher interest rates, and other related global economic conditions, remain unknown. A deterioration in macroeconomic conditions could continue to increase the risk of lower consumer spending, merchant and consumer bankruptcy, insolvency, business failure, higher credit losses, foreign currency exchange fluctuations, or other business interruption, which may adversely impact our business. If these conditions continue or worsen, they could adversely impact our future financial and operating results.
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OVERVIEW OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONSThe following table provides a summary of our consolidated financial results for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021:Year Ended December 31, Percent Increase/(Decrease)2023 2022 2021 2023 2022(In millions, except percentages and per share amounts)Net revenues $ 29,771 $ 27,518 $ 25,371 8 % 8 %
Operating expenses 24,743 23,681 21,109 4 % 12 %
Operating income 5,028 3,837 4,262 31 % (10) %
Operating margin 17 % 14 % 17 % ** **
Other income (expense), net 383 (471) (163) 181 % 189 %
Income tax expense (benefit) 1,165 947 (70) 23 % **
Effective tax rate 22 % 28 % (2) % ** **
Net income (loss) $ 4,246 $ 2,419 $ 4,169 76 % (42) %
Net income (loss) per diluted share $ 3.84 $ 2.09 $ 3.52 84 % (41) %Net cash provided by operating activities$ 4,843 $ 5,813 $ 5,797 (17) % — %All amounts in tables are rounded to the nearest million, except as otherwise noted. As a result, certain amounts may not recalculate using the rounded amounts provided.
** Not meaningful.Net revenues increased $2.3 billion, or 8%, in 2023 compared to 2022 driven primarily by growth in total payment volume (“TPV”, as defined below under “Key Metrics”) of 13%.
Total operating expenses increased $1.1 billion, or 4%, in 2023 compared to 2022 due primarily to an increase in transaction expense, partially offset by reductions in sales and marketing expense, restructuring and other, and technology and development expense.
Operating income increased $1.2 billion, or 31%, in 2023 compared to 2022 due to net revenues growing more than operating expenses. Our operating margin was 17% and 14% in 2023 and 2022, respectively, reflecting the positive impact of operating efficiencies in our business and gain on sale of a divested business, partially offset by the negative impact of an increase in transaction expense.
Net income increased by $1.8 billion, or 76%, in 2023 compared to 2022 due to the previously discussed increase in operating income of $1.2 billion and an increase of $854 million in other income (expense), net, driven primarily by net gains on strategic investments in the current period as compared to net losses and impairments on strategic investments in the prior period as well as higher interest income from an increase in interest rates, partially offset by an increase in income tax expense of $218 million primarily related to higher pre-tax income, inclusive of tax expense associated with net gains on strategic investments and the sale of a divested business.
IMPACT OF FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES
We have significant international operations that are denominated in foreign currencies, primarily the British pound, Euro, Australian dollar, and Canadian dollar, subjecting us to foreign currency exchange risk which may adversely impact our financial results. The strengthening or weakening of the United States (“U.S.”) dollar versus foreign currencies in which we conduct our international operations impacts the translation of our net revenues and expenses generated in these foreign currencies into the U.S. dollar. In 2023, 2022, and 2021, we generated approximately 42%, 43%, and 46% of our net revenues from customers domiciled outside of the U.S., respectively. Because we generate substantial net revenues internationally, we are subject to the risks of doing business outside of the U.S., including those discussed under “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”
We calculate the year-over-year impact of foreign currency exchange movements on our business using prior period foreign currency exchange rates applied to current period transactional currency amounts. While changes in foreign currency exchange rates affect our reported results, we have a foreign currency exchange exposure management program in which we use foreign currency exchange contracts, designated as cash flow hedges, intended to reduce the impact on earnings from foreign currency exchange rate movements. Gains and losses from these foreign currency exchange contracts are recognized as a component of transaction revenues or operating expenses (as applicable) in the same period the forecasted transactions impact earnings.
35Table of ContentsIn the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the year-over-year foreign currency exchange rate movements relative to the U.S. dollar had the following impact on our reported results:Year Ended December 31,2023 2022(In millions)Favorable (unfavorable) impact to net revenues (exclusive of hedging impact)
$ 128 $ (949)
Hedging impact 111 462
Favorable (unfavorable) impact to net revenues
239 (487)
(Unfavorable) favorable impact to operating expense
(29) 492
Net favorable impact to operating income $ 210 $ 5
While we enter into foreign currency exchange contracts to help reduce the impact on earnings from foreign currency exchange rate movements, it is impossible to predict or eliminate the total effects of this exposure.
We also use foreign currency exchange contracts, designated as net investment hedges, to reduce the foreign currency exchange risk related to our investment in certain foreign subsidiaries. Gains and losses associated with these instruments will remain in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) until the underlying foreign subsidiaries are sold or substantially liquidated.
Given that we also have foreign currency exchange risk on our assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of our subsidiaries, we have an additional foreign currency exchange exposure management program in which we use foreign currency exchange contracts to help offset the impact of foreign currency exchange rate movements on our assets and liabilities. The foreign currency exchange gains and losses on our assets and liabilities are recorded in other income (expense), net, and are offset by the gains and losses on the foreign currency exchange contracts. These foreign currency exchange contracts reduce, but do not entirely eliminate, the impact of foreign currency exchange rate movements on our assets and liabilities.
Additionally, in connection with transactions occurring in multiple currencies on our payments platform, we generally set our foreign currency exchange rates daily and may face financial exposure if we incorrectly set our foreign currency exchange rates or as a result of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates between the times that we set our foreign currency exchange rates and when transactions occur.KEY METRICS AND FINANCIAL RESULTS
KEY METRICS
TPV, number of payment transactions, active accounts, and number of payment transactions per active account are key non-financial performance metrics (“key metrics”) that management uses to measure the scale of our platform and the relevance of our products and services to our customers, and are defined as follows:
• TPV is the value of payments, net of payment reversals, successfully completed on our payments platform or enabled by PayPal via a partner payment solution, not including gateway-exclusive transactions.• Number of payment transactions are the total number of payments, net of payment reversals, successfully completed on our payments platform or enabled by PayPal via a partner payment solution, not including gateway-exclusive transactions.
• An active account is an account registered directly with PayPal or a platform access partner that has completed a transaction on our platform, not including gateway-exclusive transactions, within the past 12 months. A platform access partner is a third party whose customers are provided access to PayPal’s platform or services through such third party’s login credentials, including individuals and entities that utilize Hyperwallet’s payout capabilities. A user may register on our platform to access different products and may register more than one account to access a product. Accordingly, a user may have more than one active account. The number of active accounts provides management with additional perspective on the overall scale of our platform, but may not have a direct relationship to our operating results.
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• Number of payment transactions per active account reflects the total number of payment transactions within the previous 12-month period, divided by active accounts at the end of the period. The number of payment transactions per active account provides management with insight into the average number of times an account engages in payments activity on our payments platform in a given period. The number of times a consumer account or a merchant account transacts on our platform may vary significantly from the average number of payment transactions per active account.
As our transaction revenue is typically correlated with TPV growth and the number of payment transactions completed on our payments platform, management uses these metrics to gain insights into the scale and strength of our payments platform, the engagement level of our customers, and underlying activity and trends which may be indicators of current and future performance. We present these key metrics to enhance investors’ evaluation of the performance of our business and operating results.Our key metrics are calculated using internal company data based on the activity we measure on our payments platform and compiled from multiple systems, including systems that are internally developed or acquired through business combinations. While the measurement of our key metrics is based on what we believe to be reasonable methodologies and estimates, there are inherent challenges and limitations in measuring our key metrics globally at our scale. The methodologies used to calculate our key metrics require significant judgment.We regularly review our processes for calculating these key metrics, and from time to time we may make adjustments to improve the accuracy or relevance of our metrics. For example, we continuously apply models, processes, and practices designed to detect and prevent fraudulent account creation on our platforms, and work to improve and enhance those capabilities. When we detect a significant volume of illegitimate activity, we generally remove the activity identified from our key metrics. Although such adjustments may impact key metrics reported in prior periods, we generally do not update previously reported key metrics to reflect these subsequent adjustments unless the retrospective impact of process improvements or enhancements is determined by management to be material.
NET REVENUES
Our revenues are classified into the following two categories:
• Transaction revenues : Net transaction fees charged to merchants and consumers on a transaction basis based on the TPV completed on our payments platform. Growth in TPV is directly impacted by the number of payment transactions that we enable on our payments platform. We generate additional revenue from merchants and consumers: on transactions where we perform currency conversion, when we enable cross-border transactions (i.e., transactions where the merchant and consumer are in different countries), to facilitate the instant transfer of funds for our customers from their PayPal or Venmo account to their bank account or debit card, to facilitate the purchase and sale of cryptocurrencies, as contractual compensation from sellers that violate our contractual terms (for example, through fraud or counterfeiting), and other miscellaneous fees.• Revenues from other value added services: Net revenues derived primarily from revenue earned through partnerships, referral fees, subscription fees, gateway fees, and other services we provide to our merchants and consumers. We also earn revenues from interest and fees earned on our portfolio of loans receivable, and interest earned on certain assets underlying customer balances.Our revenues can be significantly impacted by a number of factors, including the following:
• The mix of merchants, products, and services;
• The mix between domestic and cross-border transactions;
• The geographic region or country in which a transaction occurs; and• The amount of our loans receivable outstanding with merchants and consumers.Refer to “Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K for further discussion on factors that may impact our revenue.37Table of Contents
Net revenue analysisThe components of our net revenues for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 were as follows (in millions):Transaction revenuesTransaction revenues grew by $1.7 billion, or 7%, in 2023 compared to 2022 driven primarily by growth in TPV and the number of payment transactions from our Braintree products and services, partially offset by a decline in revenues from our core PayPal products and services, including declines in contractual compensation of $190 million from sellers that violated our contractual terms predominantly in international markets. Transaction revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023 were also impacted unfavorably by lower net gains due to hedging activities as compared to the same period of the prior year.
The graphs below present the respective key metrics (in millions) for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021:*Reflects active accounts at the end of the applicable period.
The following table provides a summary of related metrics:
Year Ended December 31, Percent Increase/ (Decrease)2023 2022 2021 2023 2022
Number of payment transactions per active account 58.7 51.4 45.4 14 % 13 %Percent of cross-border TPV (1)12 % 13 % 16 % ** **(1) Cross-border TPV occurs primarily between two PayPal accounts in different countries and includes transactions initiated through our Xoom product.** Not meaningful
We had active accounts of 426 million and 435 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, a decrease of 2%. Number of payment transactions was 25.0 billion and 22.3 billion for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, an increase of 12%. TPV was $1.53 trillion and $1.36 trillion or the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, an increase of 13%.
38Table of ContentsTransaction revenues growth was lower than the growth in TPV and the number of payment transactions in 2023 due primarily to a decline in revenues from core PayPal products and services, an unfavorable impact from hedging, and declines in foreign currency exchange fees.Revenues from other value added servicesRevenues from other value added services increased by $602 million, or 26%, in 2023 compared to 2022 due primarily to increases in interest earned on certain assets underlying customer account balances resulting from higher interest rates, and to a lesser extent, interest and fee revenue on our loans receivable portfolio driven by consumer interest-bearing installment loans and consumer revolving loans. These drivers positively impacting revenues from other value added services were partially offset by a decline in revenue earned from our PayPal Honey product and a lower revenue share earned from an independent chartered financial institution (“partner institution”).
Consumers that have outstanding loans and interest receivable due to our partner institution may experience hardships that result in losses recognized by the partner institution, which may result in a decrease in our revenue share earned in future periods. In the event the overall return on the PayPal branded credit programs funded by the partner institution does not meet a minimum rate of return (“minimum return threshold”) in a particular quarter, our revenue share for that period would be zero. Further, in the event the overall return on the PayPal branded credit programs managed by the partner institution does not meet the minimum return threshold as measured over four consecutive quarters and in the following quarter, we would be required to make a payment to the partner institution, subject to certain limitations. Through December 31, 2023, the overall return on the PayPal branded credit programs funded by the partner institution exceeded the minimum return threshold.SeasonalityThe Company does not experience meaningful seasonality with respect to net revenues. No individual quarter in 2023, 2022, or 2021 accounted for more than 30% of annual net revenue.OPERATING EXPENSES
The following table summarizes our operating expenses and related metrics we use to assess the trends in each:
Year Ended December 31, Percent Increase/ (Decrease)2023 2022 2021 2023 2022(In millions, except percentages)Transaction expense $ 14,385 $ 12,173 $ 10,315 18 % 18 %
Transaction and credit losses 1,682 1,572 1,060 7 % 48 %
Customer support and operations 1,919 2,120 2,075 (9) % 2 %
Sales and marketing 1,809 2,257 2,445 (20) % (8) %
Technology and development 2,973 3,253 3,038 (9) % 7 %
General and administrative 2,059 2,099 2,114 (2) % (1) %Restructuring and other(84) 207 62 (141) % 234 %
Total operating expenses $ 24,743 $ 23,681 $ 21,109 4 % 12 %Transaction expense rate (1)0.94 % 0.90 % 0.83 % ** **Transaction and credit loss rate (2)0.11 % 0.12 % 0.09 % ** **(1) Transaction expense rate is calculated by dividing transaction expense by TPV.
(2) Transaction and credit loss rate is calculated by dividing transaction and credit losses by TPV.
** Not meaningful.39Table of Contents
Transaction expense
Transaction expense is primarily composed of the costs we incur to accept a customer’s funding source of payment. These costs include fees paid to payment processors and other financial institutions when we draw funds from a customer’s credit or debit card, bank account, or other funding source they have stored in their digital wallet. We refer to the allocation of funding sources used by our consumers as our “funding mix.” The cost of funding a transaction with a credit or debit card is generally higher than the cost of funding a transaction from a bank or through internal sources such as a PayPal or Venmo account balance or our consumer credit products. As we expand the availability and presentation of alternative funding sources to our customers, our funding mix may change, which could increase or decrease our transaction expense rate. The cost of funding a transaction is also impacted by the geographic region or country in which a transaction occurs, as we generally pay lower rates for transactions funded with credit or debit cards outside the U.S. Our transaction expense rate is impacted by changes in product mix, merchant mix, regional mix, funding mix, and fees paid to payment processors and other financial institutions. Macroeconomic environment changes may also result in behavioral shifts in consumer spending patterns affecting the type of funding source they use, which could also impact the funding mix.Transaction expense increased by $2.2 billion, or 18%, in 2023 compared to 2022 due primarily to an increase in TPV of 13% and unfavorable changes in product mix. The increase in transaction expense rate in 2023 compared to 2022 was also attributable to unfavorable changes in product mix with a higher proportion of TPV from unbranded card processing volume, which generally has higher expense rates than other products and services, partially offset by favorable changes in regional mix with respect to our core PayPal products and services. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, approximately 36%, 35%, and 39% of TPV, respectively, was generated outside of the U.S.Transaction and credit lossesTransaction losses include the expense associated with our customer protection programs, fraud, and chargebacks. Credit losses include the current expected credit losses associated with our merchant and consumer loans receivable portfolio. Our transaction and credit losses fluctuate depending on many factors, including TPV, product mix, current and projected macroeconomic conditions such as unemployment rates, retail e-commerce sales and household disposable income, merchant insolvency events, changes to and usage of our customer protection programs, the impact of regulatory changes, and the credit quality of loans receivable arising from transactions funded with our credit products for consumers and loans and advances to merchants. Estimating our current expected credit loss allowances for our loans receivable portfolios is an inherently uncertain process and the ultimate losses we incur may vary from the current estimates. We regularly update our allowance estimates as new facts become known and events occur that may impact the ultimate losses incurred. A deterioration in macroeconomic conditions or other factors beyond those considered in our estimates could result in credit losses that exceed our current estimated credit losses and adversely impact our future operating results.
40Table of ContentsThe components of our transaction and credit losses for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 were as follows (in millions):
Transaction and credit losses increased by $110 million, or 7%, in 2023 compared to 2022.
Transaction losses were approximately $1.2 billion for both 2023 and 2022, reflecting a slight increase of $22 million, or 2%. Transaction loss rate (transaction losses divided by TPV) was 0.08%, 0.09%, and 0.09% for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. The increase in transaction losses in 2023 was primarily attributable to lower recoveries compared to 2022 and higher losses related to fraud schemes, partially offset by a $39 million loss related to an ongoing merchant insolvency proceeding in 2022 with no activity of comparable individual magnitude in the current period.
Credit losses increased by $88 million in 2023 compared to 2022. The components of credit losses for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 were as follows (in millions):Year Ended December 31,2023 (3)
2022 2021Net charge-offs (1)$ 549 $ 267 $ 219
Reserve build (release) (2)
(59) 135 (312)
Credit losses $ 490 $ 402 $ (93)(1) Net charge-offs includes principal charge-offs partially offset by recoveries for consumer and merchant receivables.(2) Reserve build (release) represents change in allowance for principal receivables excluding foreign currency remeasurement.(3) Includes changes in the allowance due to the reclassification of loans and interest receivable to or from held for sale.The provision in the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was primarily attributable to loan originations during the respective periods and a deterioration in the credit quality of loans outstanding. During 2023 and 2022, allowances for our merchant and consumer portfolios included qualitative adjustments that took into account uncertainty with respect to macroeconomic conditions, and around the financial health of our borrowers, including the effectiveness of loan modification programs made available to merchants.Consumer loan portfolioAs of December 31, 2023, loans and interest receivable, held for sale was $563 million. Loans and interest receivable, held for sale, represents the portion of our installment consumer receivables that we intend to sell. This portfolio includes the substantial majority of our United Kingdom (“U.K.”) and other European buy now, pay later loan receivables. In June 2023, we entered into a multi-year agreement with a global investment firm to sell up to €40 billion of U.K. and other European buy now, pay later loan receivables, consisting of eligible loans and interest receivables, including a forward-flow arrangement for the sale of future originations of eligible loans over a 24-month commitment period (collectively, “eligible consumer installment receivables”). For additional information, see “Note 1—Overview and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the notes to the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.
41Table of ContentsThe consumer loans and interest receivable balance as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $4.8 billion and $5.9 billion, respectively, net of participation interest sold, representing a year-over-year decrease of 19% driven by the sale of eligible consumer installment receivables in the U.K. and other European countries, as discussed above, partially offset by the expansion of our revolving credit product in the U.K. and our installment credit products in Japan.The following table provides information regarding the credit quality of our consumer loans and interest receivable balance:
December 31,2023 2022
Percent of consumer loans and interest receivable current (1)
95.4 % 97.1 %
Percent of consumer loans and interest receivable > 90 days outstanding (1), (2)
2.2 % 1.4 %
Net charge-off rate (1), (3)
7.2 % 4.5 %
(1) Amounts as of December 31, 2023 exclude loans and interest receivable, held for sale.
(2) Represents percentage of balances which are 90 days past the billing date or contractual repayment date, as applicable.
(3) Net charge-off rate is the annualized ratio of net credit losses during the three months ended December 31, 2023, excluding fraud losses, on consumer loans as a percentage of the average daily amount of consumer loans and interest receivable balance during the same period.
The increase in net charge-off rate for consumer loans and interest receivable at December 31, 2023 as compared to December 31, 2022 was primarily due to the sale of eligible consumer installment receivables, as discussed above, and deterioration in the credit quality of the U.S. interest-bearing installment product.
We continue to evaluate and modify our acceptable risk parameters related to our consumer loan portfolio in response to the changing macroeconomic environment. In response to declining performance, a number of risk mitigation strategies were implemented in the third quarter of 2023, which resulted in reduced originations for our U.S. interest-bearing installment product.Merchant loan portfolioWe offer access to merchant finance products for certain small and medium-sized businesses, which we refer to as our merchant finance offerings. Total merchant loans, advances, and interest and fees receivable outstanding, net of participation interest sold, as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 was $1.2 billion and $2.1 billion, respectively, reflecting a decline of 44% due primarily to a decrease in originations related to our PayPal Business Loan (“PPBL”) products in the U.S.The following table provides information regarding the credit quality of our merchant loans, advances, and interest and fees receivable balance:
December 31,2023 2022
Percent of merchant loans, advances, and interest and fees receivable current 87.0 % 90.7 %Percent of merchant loans, advances, and interest and fees receivable > 90 days outstanding (1)5.6 % 3.7 %Net charge-off rate (2)18.8 % 4.5 %(1) Represents percentage of balances which are 90 days past the original expected or contractual repayment period, as applicable.(2) Net charge-off rate is the annualized ratio of net credit losses during the three months ended December 31, 2023, excluding fraud losses, on merchant loans and advances as a percentage of the average daily amount of merchant loans, advances, and interest and fees receivable balance during the same period.
The decrease in the percent of current merchant receivables, increase in percent of merchant receivables greater than 90 days outstanding, and increase in the net charge-off rate for merchant receivables at December 31, 2023 as compared to December 31, 2022 were primarily due to the expansion of acceptable risk parameters in 2022, which resulted in a decline in the overall credit quality of loans outstanding related to our PPBL product. The significant decline in the merchant receivable portfolio year-over-year due to repayments and reduced originations also resulted in higher delinquency and charge-off rates as a percentage of outstanding loan balance as of December 31, 2023.
We continue to evaluate and modify our acceptable risk parameters related to our merchant loan portfolio in response to the changing macroeconomic environment. In response to declining performance, a number of risk mitigation strategies were implemented throughout 2023, which resulted in reduced originations for our PPBL product.For additional information, see “Note 11—Loans and Interest Receivable” in the notes to the consolidated financial statements, and “Item 1A. Risk Factors— Our credit products expose us to additional risks ” included in this Form 10-K.42Table of Contents
Customer support and operationsCustomer support and operations includes costs incurred in our global customer operations centers, including costs to provide call support to our customers, costs to support our trust and security programs protecting our merchants and consumers, and other costs incurred related to the delivery of our products, including payment devices, card production, and customer onboarding and compliance costs.
Customer support and operations costs decreased $201 million, or 9%, in 2023 compared to 2022 due primarily to a decline in employee-related costs, contractors and consulting costs, and customer onboarding and compliance costs.Sales and marketing
Sales and marketing includes costs incurred for customer acquisition, business development, advertising, and marketing programs.Sales and marketing expenses decreased $448 million, or 20%, in 2023 compared to 2022 due primarily to lower spending on targeted user incentives and marketing campaigns, and to a lesser extent, a decline in amortization of acquired intangibles.
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Technology and development
Technology and development includes costs incurred in connection with the development of our payments platform, new products, and the improvement of our existing products, including the amortization of software and website development costs incurred in developing our payments platform, which are capitalized. It also includes acquired developed technology and our site operations and other infrastructure costs incurred to support our payments platform.Technology and development expenses decreased $280 million, or 9%, in 2023 compared to 2022 due primarily to lower intangible amortization and a decline in costs related to contractors and consultants.General and administrative
General and administrative includes costs incurred to provide support to our business, including legal, human resources, finance, risk and compliance, executive, and other support operations.General and administrative expenses decreased $40 million, or 2%, in 2023 compared to 2022 due primarily to a decline in depreciation expense and facilities costs.Restructuring and other
Restructuring and other primarily consist of restructuring expenses, asset impairment charges, gain on sale of divested business, and losses on loans and interest receivable, held for sale.Restructuring and other decreased by $291 million in 2023 compared to 2022 primarily resulting from gain on sale of a divested business, partially offset by restructuring charges, asset impairment charges, and fair value adjustments on loans and interest receivable, held for sale.
44Table of ContentsIn the fourth quarter of 2023, we completed the sale of Happy Returns and recorded a pre-tax gain of $339 million, net of transaction costs. For additional information on the divestiture, see “Note 4—Business Combinations and Divestitures” in the notes to the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.
During the first quarter of 2023, management initiated a global workforce reduction intended to focus resources on core strategic priorities, and improve our cost structure and operating efficiency. The associated restructuring charges during the year ended December 31, 2023 were $122 million. We primarily incurred employee severance and benefits costs, which were substantially completed in the fourth quarter of 2023. The estimated reduction in annualized employee-related costs associated with the impacted workforce was approximately $280 million, including approximately $85 million in stock-based compensation. We expect to reinvest a portion of the reduction in annual costs associated with the impacted workforce to drive business priorities.
During the first quarter of 2022, management initiated a strategic reduction of the existing global workforce intended to streamline and optimize our global operations to enhance operating efficiency. This effort focused on reducing redundant operations and simplifying our organizational structure. The associated restructuring charges during the year ended December 31, 2022 were $121 million. We primarily incurred employee severance and benefits costs, as well as associated consulting costs. The strategic actions associated with this plan were substantially completed by the fourth quarter of 2022.For information on the associated restructuring liabilities, see “Note 17—Restructuring and Other” in the notes to the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.Additionally, we are continuing to review our real estate and facility capacity requirements due to our new and evolving work models. We incurred asset impairment charges of $61 million and $81 million in the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, due to exiting certain leased properties, which resulted in a reduction of right-of-use lease assets and related leasehold improvements.In the year ended December 31, 2023, we recognized a gain of $17 million due to the sale of an owned property. We also incurred a loss of $14 million related to another owned property, which was previously held for sale, in the year ended December 31, 2023.During the year ended December 31, 2023, approximately $74 million of losses were recorded in restructuring and other, which included net loss on sale of loans and interest receivable previously held for sale (inclusive of transaction costs) and fair value adjustments in order to measure loans and interest receivable, held for sale, at the lower of cost or fair value.Other income (expense), netOther income (expense), net of $383 million in 2023 increased $854 million compared to $(471) million in 2022 due primarily to net gains on strategic investments in the current period compared to net losses and impairments in the prior period and higher interest income from an increase in interest rates.
Income tax expense (benefit)
Our effective income tax rate was 22% in 2023 and 28% in 2022. The decrease in our effective income tax rate in 2023 compared to 2022 was primarily attributable to higher tax expense in the prior year related to the intra-group transfer of intellectual property. See “Note 16—Income Taxes” to the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K for more information on our effective tax rate.LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCESWe require liquidity and access to capital to fund our global operations, including our customer protection programs, credit products, capital expenditures, investments in our business, potential acquisitions and strategic investments, working capital, and other cash needs. We believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents, and investments, cash expected to be generated from operations, and our expected access to capital markets, together with potential external funding through third party sources, will be sufficient to meet our cash requirements within the next 12 months and beyond.
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SOURCES OF LIQUIDITY
Cash, cash equivalents, and investmentsThe following table summarizes our cash, cash equivalents, and investments as of December 31, 2023 and 2022:Year Ended December 31,2023 2022(In millions)
Cash, cash equivalents, and investments (1)(2)$ 15,493 $ 13,723
(1) Excludes assets related to funds receivable and customer accounts of $38.9 billion and $36.3 billion as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
(2) Excludes total restricted cash of $3 million and $17 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and strategic investments of $1.8 billion and $2.1 billion at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Cash, cash equivalents, and investments held by our foreign subsidiaries were $10.0 billion at December 31, 2023 and $8.6 billion at December 31, 2022, or 64% and 62%, of our total cash, cash equivalents, and investments as of those respective dates. At December 31, 2023, all of our cash, cash equivalents, and investments held by foreign subsidiaries were subject to U.S. taxation under Subpart F, Global Intangible Low Taxed Income (“GILTI”) or the one-time transition tax under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“Tax Act”). Subsequent repatriations to the U.S. will not be taxable from a U.S. federal tax perspective, but may be subject to state income or foreign withholding tax.A significant aspect of our global cash management activities involves meeting our customers’ requirements to access their cash while simultaneously meeting our regulatory financial ratio commitments in various jurisdictions. Our global cash balances are required not only to provide operational liquidity to our businesses, but also to support our global regulatory requirements across our regulated subsidiaries. Accordingly, not all of our cash is available for general corporate purposes.
Cash flows
The following table summarizes our consolidated statements of cash flows:
Year Ended December 31,2023 2022 2021(In millions)
Net cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities$ 4,843 $ 5,813 $ 5,797Investing activities752 (3,328) (5,149)Financing activities(2,993) (1,203) (557)
Effect of exchange rates on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash 76 (155) (102)
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash $ 2,678 $ 1,127 $ (11)Operating activitiesCash flows from operating activities includes net income adjusted for certain non-cash expenses, timing differences between expenses recognized for provision for transaction and credit losses and actual cash transaction losses incurred, and changes in other assets and liabilities. Significant non-cash expenses for the period include depreciation and amortization and stock-based compensation. The cash impact from actual transaction losses incurred during a period is reflected as changes in other assets and liabilities. The expenses recognized during the period for provision for credit losses are estimates of current expected credit losses on our merchant and consumer credit products. Actual charge-offs of receivables related to our merchants and consumer credit products have no impact on cash from operating activities.
The net cash provided by operating activities of $4.8 billion in 2023 was due primarily to operating income of $5.0 billion, as well as adjustments for non-cash expenses including provision for transaction and credit losses of $1.7 billion, stock-based compensation of $1.5 billion, and depreciation and amortization of $1.1 billion. Cash flows from operating activities was also impacted by proceeds from repayments and sales of loans receivable, originally classified as held for sale, of $10.8 billion and changes in other assets of $203 million. These changes, which favorably impacted cash generated from operations, were offset by originations of loans receivable, held for sale of $11.5 billion, actual cash transaction losses incurred during the period of $1.2 billion, changes in deferred income taxes of $668 million, gain on divestiture of business, excluding transaction costs, of $356 million, net accretion of investments purchased at a discount of $367 million, and changes in liabilities of $222 million.
46Table of ContentsThe net cash provided by operating activities of $5.8 billion in 2022 was due primarily to operating income of $3.8 billion, as well as adjustments for non-cash expenses including provision for transaction and credit losses of $1.6 billion, depreciation and amortization of $1.3 billion, and stock-based compensation of $1.3 billion. Cash flows from operating activities was also impacted by net losses on our strategic investments of $304 million, and an increase in other liabilities of $856 million. These changes, which favorably impacted cash generated from operations, were partially offset by actual cash transaction losses incurred during the period of $1.2 billion and changes in deferred income taxes of $811 million.
Cash paid for income taxes, net in 2023, 2022, and 2021 was $2.1 billion, $878 million, and $474 million, respectively. Included within cash paid for income taxes for 2023 is $106 million related to the purchase of transferable tax credits as authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.Investing activitiesCash flows from investing activities includes purchases, maturities and sales of investments; cash paid for acquisitions and strategic investments; purchases and sales of property and equipment; purchases, originations, sales, and principal repayment of loans receivable, originally classified as held for investment; changes in funds receivable; and changes in collateral posted related to derivative instruments, net.
The net cash provided by investing activities of $752 million in 2023 was due primarily to proceeds from repayments and sales of loans receivable, originally classified as held for investment, of $26.7 billion, maturities and sales of investments of $24.3 billion, and proceeds from divestiture of business, net of cash divested, of $466 million. These cash inflows were partially offset by purchases and originations of loans receivable of $25.2 billion, purchases of investments of $22.0 billion, changes in funds receivable from customers of $2.9 billion, and purchases of property and equipment of $623 million.
The net cash used in investing activities of $3.3 billion in 2022 was due primarily to purchases and originations of loans receivable of $28.2 billion, purchases of investments of $20.2 billion, changes in funds receivable from customers of $2.7 billion, and purchases of property and equipment of $706 million. These cash outflows were partially offset by principal repayment of loans receivable of $24.9 billion and maturities and sales of investments of $23.4 billion.Financing activitiesCash flows from financing activities includes proceeds from issuance of common stock, purchases of treasury stock, tax withholdings related to net share settlements of equity awards, borrowings and repayments under financing arrangements, changes in funds payable and amounts due to customers, and changes in collateral received related to derivative instruments, net.
The net cash used in financing activities of $3.0 billion in 2023 was due primarily to the repurchase of $5.0 billion of our common stock under our stock repurchase programs, repayments of borrowings under financing arrangements of $1.1 billion (including principal repayment of fixed rate debt that matured in June 2023 and repayment of borrowings under our Paidy credit agreement), tax withholdings of $257 million related to net share settlement of equity awards, and a decline in collateral received related to derivative instruments of $197 million. These cash outflows were partially offset by changes in funds payable and amounts due to customers of $1.9 billion and borrowings under financing arrangements of $1.5 billion (including proceeds from the issuance of fixed rate debt in June 2023, borrowings under our Paidy credit agreement, and short-term overdraft borrowings).
The net cash used in financing activities of $1.2 billion in 2022 was due primarily to the repurchase of $4.2 billion of our common stock under our stock repurchase programs, repayments of borrowings under financing arrangements of $1.7 billion (including the repurchase and redemption of certain fixed rate notes and repayment of borrowings under a prior credit agreement), and tax withholdings of $336 million related to net share settlement of equity awards. These cash outflows were partially offset by borrowings under financing arrangements of $3.5 billion (including proceeds from the issuance of fixed rate debt in May 2022 and borrowings under our Paidy credit agreements) and changes in funds payable and amounts due to customers of $1.4 billion.
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Table of ContentsEffect of exchange rates on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cashForeign currency exchange rates had a positive impact of $76 million and negative impact of $155 million on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash during 2023 and 2022, respectively. The positive impact of foreign currency exchange on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash in 2023 was primarily due to favorable fluctuations in the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar to the British pound. The negative impact of foreign currency exchange on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash in 2022 was primarily attributable to the unfavorable impact of fluctuations in the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar to the Australian dollar and, to a lesser extent, to the fluctuations in the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar to the Swedish krona, Japanese yen, Indian rupee, and the Euro.Available credit and debtIn June 2023, we entered into a credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) that provides for an unsecured $5.0 billion, five-year revolving credit facility and terminated the facility entered into in September 2019. The Credit Agreement includes a $150 million letter of credit sub-facility and a $600 million swingline sub-facility, with available borrowings under the revolving credit facility reduced by the amount of any letters of credit and swingline borrowings outstanding from time to time. As of December 31, 2023, no borrowings were outstanding under the Credit Agreement and as such, $5.0 billion of borrowing capacity was available for the purposes permitted by the Credit Agreement, subject to customary conditions to borrowing.
In February 2022, we entered into a credit agreement (the “Paidy Credit Agreement”) with Paidy as co-borrower, which provided for an unsecured revolving credit facility of ¥60.0 billion, which was modified in September 2022 to increase the borrowing capacity by ¥30.0 billion for a total borrowing capacity of ¥90.0 billion (approximately $638 million as of December 31, 2023). In the year ended December 31, 2023, ¥50.0 billion (approximately $355 million) was drawn down under the Paidy Credit Agreement. Accordingly, at December 31, 2023, ¥40.0 billion (approximately $283 million) of borrowing capacity was available for the purposes permitted by the Paidy Credit Agreement, subject to customary conditions to borrowing.
We maintain uncommitted credit facilities in various regions throughout the world with a borrowing capacity of approximately $80 million in the aggregate, where we can withdraw and utilize the funds at our discretion for general corporate purposes. As of December 31, 2023, the majority of the borrowing capacity under these credit facilities was available, subject to customary conditions to borrowing.
In June 2023, May 2022, May 2020 and September 2019, we issued fixed rate notes with varying maturity dates for an aggregate principal amount of $12.6 billion (collectively referred to as the “Notes”). Proceeds from the issuance of these Notes may be used for general corporate purposes, which may include funding the repayment or redemption of outstanding debt, share repurchases, ongoing operations, capital expenditures, and possible acquisitions of businesses, assets, or strategic investments. As of December 31, 2023, we had $10.6 billion in fixed rate debt outstanding with varying maturity dates.For additional information, see “Note 12—Debt” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.Depending on market conditions, we may from time to time issue debt, including in private or public offerings, to fund our operating activities, finance acquisitions, make strategic investments, repurchase shares under our stock repurchase programs, or reduce our cost of capital.
We have a cash pooling arrangement with a financial institution for cash management purposes. The arrangement allows for cash withdrawals from the financial institution based upon our aggregate operating cash balances held within the financial institution (“Aggregate Cash Deposits”). The arrangement also allows us to withdraw amounts exceeding the Aggregate Cash Deposits up to an agreed-upon limit. The net balance of the withdrawals and the Aggregate Cash Deposits are used by the financial institution as a basis for calculating our net interest expense or income under the arrangement. As of December 31, 2023, we had a total of $3.9 billion in cash withdrawals offsetting our $3.9 billion in Aggregate Cash Deposits held within the financial institution under the cash pooling arrangement.
48Table of ContentsCredit ratingsAs of December 31, 2023, we continue to be rated investment grade by Standard and Poor’s Financial Services, LLC, Fitch Ratings, Inc., and Moody’s Investors Services, Inc. We expect that these credit rating agencies will continue to monitor our performance, including our capital structure and results of operations. Our goal is to be rated investment grade, but as circumstances change, there are factors that could result in our credit ratings being downgraded or put on a watch list for possible downgrading. If that were to occur, it could increase our borrowing rates, including the interest rate on borrowings under our credit agreements.CURRENT AND FUTURE CASH REQUIREMENTSOur material cash requirements include funds to support current and potential: operating activities, credit products, customer protection programs, stock repurchases, strategic investments, acquisitions, other commitments, and capital expenditures and other future obligations.Credit productsGrowth in our portfolio of loan receivables increases our liquidity needs, and any inability to meet those liquidity needs could adversely affect our business. We continue to evaluate partnerships and third-party sources of funding for our credit products.
The Luxembourg Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (the “CSSF”) agreed that PayPal’s management may designate up to 50% of European customer balances held in our Luxembourg banking subsidiary to fund European, U.K., and U.S. credit activities. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the total amount approved by management to be designated to fund credit activities was $3.0 billion and $3.8 billion, respectively, and represented approximately 39% and 37% of European customer balances made available for our corporate use as of those respective dates, as determined by applying financial regulations maintained by the CSSF. We may periodically seek to designate additional amounts of European customer balances for our credit activities, as we deem necessary, based on utilization of the approved funds and anticipated credit funding requirements. Under certain exceptional circumstances, corporate liquidity could be called upon to meet our obligations related to our European customer balances.
In June 2023, we entered into a multi-year agreement with a global investment firm to sell up to €40 billion of our eligible consumer installment receivables portfolio. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we sold $5.5 billion of loans and interest receivable, in connection with this agreement. For additional information, see “Note 1—Overview and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.While our objective is to expand the availability of our credit products with capital from external sources, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in achieving that goal.
Customer protection programsThe risk of losses from our customer protection programs are specific to individual consumers, merchants, and transactions, and may also be impacted by regional variations in, and changes or modifications to, the programs, including as a result of changes in regulatory requirements. For the periods presented in these consolidated financial statements included in this report, our transaction loss rate ranged between 0.08% and 0.09% of TPV. Historical loss rates may not be indicative of future results.Stock repurchasesDuring the year ended December 31, 2023, we repurchased approximately $5.0 billion of our common stock in the open market under our stock repurchase programs authorized in July 2018 and June 2022. The June 2022 stock repurchase program became effective during the first quarter of 2023 upon completion of the July 2018 stock repurchase program. As of December 31, 2023, a total of approximately $10.9 billion remained available for future repurchases of our common stock under our June 2022 stock repurchase program. For additional information, see “Note 14—Stock Repurchase Programs” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.
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Future obligationsAs of December 31, 2023 and 2022, approximately $6.2 billion and $4.9 billion, respectively, of unused credit was available to PayPal Credit account holders in the U.K. While this amount represents the total unused credit available, we have not experienced, and do not anticipate, that all of our PayPal Credit account holders will access their entire available credit at any given point in time. In addition, the individual lines of credit that make up this unused credit are subject to periodic review and termination based on, among other things, account usage and customer creditworthiness.
We have certain fixed contractual obligations and commitments that include future estimated payments for general operating purposes. Changes in our business needs, contractual cancellation provisions, fluctuating interest rates, and other factors may result in actual payments differing from our estimates. We cannot provide certainty regarding the timing and amounts of these payments. The following table summarizes our obligations as of December 31, 2023 that are expected to impact liquidity and cash flow in future periods. We believe we will be able to fund these obligations through our existing cash and investment portfolio and cash expected to be generated from operations.
Purchase Obligations Operating Leases Transition Tax Long-term Debt TotalPayments Due During the Year Ending December 31, (In millions)2024 $ 936 $ 186 284 $ 1,575 $ 2,981
2025 477 153 354 1,498 2,482
2026 348 139 — 1,689 2,176
2027 — 118 — 732 850
2028 — 87 — 483 570
Thereafter — 174 — 8,996 9,170
$ 1,761 $ 857 $ 638 $ 14,973 $ 18,229The significant assumptions used in our determination of amounts presented in the above table are as follows:• Purchase obligation amounts include minimum purchase commitments for cloud computing services, capital expenditures, advertising, and other goods and services entered into in the ordinary course of business.
• Operating lease amounts include minimum rental payments under our non-cancelable operating leases (including leases not yet commenced) primarily for office and data center facilities. The amounts presented are consistent with contractual terms and are not expected to differ significantly from actual results under our existing leases, unless a substantial change in our headcount needs requires us to expand our occupied space or exit an office facility early.• Transition tax represents the one-time mandatory tax on previously deferred foreign earnings under the Tax Act.
• Long-term debt amounts represent the future principal and interest payments (based on contractual interest rates) on our fixed-rate debt. For more information, see “Note 12—Debt” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.As we are unable to reasonably predict the timing of settlement of liabilities related to unrecognized tax benefits, net, the table above does not include $2.4 billion recorded in other long-term liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2023.Other considerations
Our liquidity, access to capital, and borrowing costs could be adversely impacted by declines in our credit rating, our financial performance, and global credit market conditions, as well as a broad range of other factors. In addition, our liquidity, access to capital, and borrowing costs could also be negatively impacted by the outcome of any of the legal or regulatory proceedings to which we are a party. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and “Note 13—Commitments and Contingencies” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K for additional discussion of these and other risks that our business faces.50Table of Contents
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
The application of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires us to make estimates and assumptions about certain items and future events that directly affect our reported financial condition. We have established detailed policies and control procedures to provide reasonable assurance that the methods used to make estimates and assumptions are well controlled and are applied consistently from period to period. The accounting estimates and assumptions discussed in this section are those that we consider to be the most critical to our financial statements. An accounting estimate or assumption is considered critical if both (a) the nature of the estimate or assumption is material due to the levels of subjectivity and judgment involved, and (b) the impact within a reasonable range of outcomes of the estimate and assumption is material to our financial condition. Management has discussed the development, selection, and disclosure of these estimates with the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee of our Board of Directors. Our significant accounting policies, including recent accounting pronouncements, are described in “Note 1 — Overview and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10 ‑ K.
A quantitative sensitivity analysis is provided where information is reasonably available, can be reliably estimated, and provides material information to investors. The amounts used to assess sensitivity are included to allow users of this report to understand a general directional cause and effect of changes in the estimates and do not represent management’s predictions of variability. For all of these estimates, it should be noted that future events rarely develop exactly as forecasted, and such estimates require regular review and adjustment.
ALLOWANCE FOR TRANSACTION AND CREDIT LOSSESTransaction and credit losses include the expense associated with our customer protection programs, fraud, chargebacks, and credit losses associated with our loans receivable balances. Our transaction and credit losses fluctuate depending on many factors, including: total TPV, product mix, current and projected macroeconomic conditions, merchant insolvency events, changes to and usage of our customer protection programs, the impact of regulatory changes, and the credit quality of loans receivable arising from transactions funded with our credit products, which include revolving and installment credit products offered to consumers at checkout, as well as merchant loans and advances arising from the PayPal Working Capital and PPBL products.We establish allowances for negative customer balances and estimated transaction losses arising from processing customer transactions, such as chargebacks for unauthorized credit card use and merchant-related chargebacks due to non-delivery or unsatisfactory delivery of purchased items, purchase protection program claims, account takeovers, and bank returns and reversals. Additions to the allowance, in the form of provisions, are reflected in transaction and credit losses on our consolidated statements of income (loss). The allowances are based on known facts and circumstances, internal factors including experience with similar cases, historical trends involving collection and write-off patterns, and the mix of transaction and loss types, as well as current and projected macroeconomic factors, as appropriate.We also establish an allowance for loans and interest receivable, which represents our estimate of current expected credit losses inherent in our portfolio of loans and interest receivable and includes expected credit losses from modifications of receivables to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty. Determining appropriate current expected credit loss allowances for loans and interest receivable is an inherently uncertain process and ultimate losses may vary from the current estimates. We regularly update our allowance estimates as new facts become known and events occur that may impact the settlement or recovery of losses. The allowances are maintained at a level we deem appropriate to adequately provide for current expected credit losses at the balance sheet date after incorporating the impact of externally sourced macroeconomic forecasts. As of December 31, 2023, we utilized externally published projections of U.S. forecasted unemployment rates, forecasted U.S. and U.K. retail e-commerce sales, and forecasted U.K. household disposable income, among others, over the reasonable and supportable forecast period. As of December 31, 2022, we utilized externally published projections of the U.S. and U.K. forecasted unemployment rates, forecasted U.S. retail e-commerce sales, and forecasted U.K. household disposable income, among others, over the reasonable and supportable forecast period. The overall principal and interest coverage ratio as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 was approximately 9% and 7%, respectively. A significant change in the forecasted macroeconomic factors could result in a material change in our allowances. Our allowance as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 took into account uncertainty with respect to macroeconomic conditions, uncertainty around the financial health of our borrowers, and effectiveness of loan modification programs made available to merchants. An increase of 1% in the principal and interest coverage ratio would increase our allowances by approximately $60 million based on the loans and interest receivable balance outstanding as of December 31, 2023.
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ACCOUNTING FOR INCOME TAXES
Our annual tax rate is based on our income, statutory tax rates, and tax planning opportunities available to us in the various jurisdictions in which we operate. Tax laws are complex and subject to different interpretations by the taxpayer and respective government taxing authorities. Significant judgment is required in determining our tax expense and in evaluating our tax positions, including evaluating uncertainties. We review our tax positions quarterly and adjust the balances as new information becomes available. Our income tax rate is significantly affected by the tax rates that apply to our foreign earnings. In addition to local country tax laws and regulations, our income tax rate depends on the extent that our foreign earnings are taxed by the U.S. through provisions such as the GILTI tax and base erosion anti-abuse tax.
Deferred tax assets represent amounts available to reduce income taxes payable on taxable income in future years. Such assets arise because of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities, as well as from net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. We evaluate the recoverability of these future tax deductions and credits by assessing the adequacy of future expected taxable income from all sources, including reversal of taxable temporary differences, forecasted operating earnings, and available tax planning strategies. These sources of income rely heavily on estimates that are based on a number of factors, including our historical experience and short-range and long-range business forecasts. To the extent deferred tax assets are not expected to be realized, we record a valuation allowance.
We recognize and measure uncertain tax positions in accordance with U.S. GAAP, pursuant to which we only recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such positions are then measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50 percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. We report a liability for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. U.S. GAAP further requires that a change in judgment related to the expected ultimate resolution of uncertain tax positions be recognized in earnings in the quarter in which such change occurs. We recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense.
We file annual income tax returns in multiple taxing jurisdictions around the world. A number of years may elapse before an uncertain tax position is audited by the relevant tax authorities and finally resolved. While it is often difficult to predict the final outcome or the timing of resolution of any particular uncertain tax position, we believe that our reserves for income taxes are adequate. We adjust these reserves, as well as the related interest and penalties, where appropriate in light of changing facts and circumstances. Settlement of any particular position could require the use of cash.Based on our results for the year ended December 31, 2023, a one-percentage point increase in our effective tax rate would have resulted in an increase in our income tax expense of approximately $54 million.LOSS CONTINGENCIES
We are regularly involved in various claims, regulatory and legal proceedings, and investigations of potential violations by regulatory oversight authorities. On a regular basis, we review the status of each significant matter and assess our potential financial exposure. If the potential loss from any claim, legal proceeding, or potential regulatory violation is considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated, we accrue a liability for the estimated loss. Significant judgment is required in both the determination of probability and whether an exposure is reasonably estimable. Our judgments are subjective and are based on the status of the legal or regulatory proceedings, the merits of our defenses, and consultation with in-house and outside legal counsel. Because of uncertainties related to these matters, accruals are based on the best information available at the time. As additional information becomes available, we reassess the potential liability related to pending claims, litigation, or other violations and may revise our estimates. Due to the inherent uncertainties of legal and regulatory processes in the multiple jurisdictions in which we operate, our judgments may differ materially from the actual outcomes.REVENUE RECOGNITION
Application of the accounting principles in U.S. GAAP related to the measurement and recognition of revenue requires us to make judgments and estimates. Complex arrangements with nonstandard terms and conditions may require significant contract interpretation to determine the appropriate accounting. Specifically, the determination of whether we are a principal to a transaction (gross revenue) or an agent (net revenue) can require considerable judgment. Further, we provide incentive payments to consumers and merchants. Evaluating whether these incentives are a payment to a customer, or consideration payable on behalf of a customer, requires judgment. Incentives determined to be made to a customer, or payable on behalf of a customer, are recorded as a reduction to gross revenue. Incentives that are earned by the customer based on performance targets
52Table of Contentsare recorded when earned, based on management’s estimate of each customer’s future performance. These accruals are regularly reviewed and estimates of performance are adjusted, as appropriate, based on changes in performance expectations, actual customer performance, amendments to existing contracts, or the execution of new contracts. Changes in judgments with respect to these assumptions and estimates could impact the amount of revenue recognized.EVALUATION OF STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS FOR IMPAIRMENT
We have strategic investments in non-marketable equity securities, which include investments that do not have a readily determinable fair value and are measured at cost minus impairment, if any, and are adjusted for changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for an identical or similar investment in the same issuer (the Measurement Alternative). We review these investments regularly to determine if impairment has occurred. We assess whether an impairment loss on these non-marketable equity securities, which are primarily investments in privately held companies, has occurred based on qualitative factors such as the companies’ financial condition and business outlook, industry performance, regulatory, economic or technological environment, and other relevant events and factors affecting the company. When indicators of impairment exist, we estimate the fair value of these non-marketable equity securities using the market approach and/or the income approach. If any impairment is identified, we write down the investment to its fair value and record the corresponding charge through other income (expense), net on our consolidated statements of income (loss). Estimating fair value requires judgment and use of estimates such as discount rates, forecasted cash flows, and market data of comparable companies, among others. For sensitivity analysis performed on our strategic investments, see “Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk— Equity Investment Risk .”
FY 2024-12-31 (later)
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You should read the following “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes that appear in this report. Unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “our,” “us,” “the Company,” and “PayPal” refer to PayPal Holdings, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations focuses on a discussion of 2024 results as compared to 2023 results. For a discussion of 2023 results as compared to 2022 results, see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” within our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC on February 8, 2024.BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
THE COMPANYAt PayPal, our mission is to revolutionize commerce globally. Our products are designed to enable digital payments and simplify commerce experiences for consumers and merchants to make selling, shopping, and sending and receiving money simple, personalized, and secure, online or offline, including mobile. Our two-sided platform serves millions of consumers and merchants worldwide.Regulatory environmentWe operate globally and in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment characterized by a heightened focus by regulators globally on all aspects of the payments industry, including anti-money laundering, countering terrorist financing, privacy, cybersecurity, and consumer protection. The laws and regulations applicable to us, including those enacted prior to the advent of digital payments, continue to evolve through legislative and regulatory action and judicial interpretation. New or changing laws and regulations, including changes to their interpretation and implementation, as well as increased penalties and enforcement actions related to non-compliance, could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. We monitor these areas closely and are focused on designing compliant solutions for our customers.Cybersecurity and information securityCybersecurity and information security risks for global payments and technology companies like us have increased significantly in recent years. Although we have developed systems and processes designed to protect the data we manage, prevent data loss and other security incidents, and enable us to effectively respond to known and potential risks, and expect to continue to expend significant resources to bolster these protections, we have experienced and expect to continue to experience cybersecurity incidents and remain subject to these risks. There can be no assurance that our security measures will provide sufficient protection or security to prevent breaches or attacks. For additional information regarding our cybersecurity and information security risks, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors— Cyberattacks and security vulnerabilities could result in serious harm to our reputation, business, and financial condition ” and “Item 1C. Cybersecurity.”
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OVERVIEW OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONSThe following table provides a summary of our consolidated financial results for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022:Year Ended December 31, Percent Increase/(Decrease)2024 2023 2022 2024 2023(In millions, except percentages and per share amounts)Net revenues $ 31,797 $ 29,771 $ 27,518 7 % 8 %
Operating expenses 26,472 24,743 23,681 7 % 4 %
Operating income 5,325 5,028 3,837 6 % 31 %
Operating margin 17 % 17 % 14 % ** **
Other income (expense), net 4 383 (471) (99) % 181 %
Income tax expense
1,182 1,165 947 1 % 23 %
Effective tax rate 22 % 22 % 28 % ** **
Net income (loss) $ 4,147 $ 4,246 $ 2,419 (2) % 76 %
Net income (loss) per diluted share $ 3.99 $ 3.84 $ 2.09 4 % 84 %Net cash provided by operating activities$ 7,450 $ 4,843 $ 5,813 54 % (17) %All amounts in tables are rounded to the nearest million, except as otherwise noted. As a result, certain amounts may not recalculate using the rounded amounts provided.
** Not meaningful.Net revenues increased $2.0 billion, or 7%, in 2024 compared to 2023 driven primarily by growth in total payment volume (“TPV”, as defined below under “Key Metrics”) of 10%.
Total operating expenses increased $1.7 billion, or 7%, in 2024 compared to 2023 due primarily to an increase in transaction expense, and to a lesser extent, restructuring and other, partially offset by a reduction in transaction and credit losses.
Operating income increased $297 million, or 6%, in 2024 compared to 2023 due to net revenues increasing more than operating expenses. Our operating margin remained consistent at 17% for both 2024 and 2023.
Net income decreased $99 million, or 2%, in 2024 compared to 2023 due to the previously discussed increase in operating income of $297 million and a decrease of $379 million in other income (expense), net, driven primarily by net losses on strategic investments in the current period as compared to net gains on strategic investments in the prior period.
IMPACT OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATES
We have significant international operations that are denominated in foreign currencies, primarily the British pound, Euro, Australian dollar, and Canadian dollar, subjecting us to foreign exchange risk which may adversely impact our financial results. The strengthening or weakening of the United States (“U.S.”) dollar versus foreign currencies in which we conduct our international operations impacts the translation of our net revenues and expenses generated in these foreign currencies into the U.S. dollar. In 2024, 2023, and 2022, we generated approximately 43%, 42%, and 43% of our net revenues from customers domiciled outside of the U.S., respectively. Because we generate substantial net revenues internationally, we are subject to the risks of doing business outside of the U.S., including those discussed under “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”
We calculate the year-over-year impact of foreign exchange rate movements on our business using prior period foreign exchange rates applied to current period transactional currency amounts. While changes in foreign currency exchange rates affect our reported results, we have a foreign currency exposure management program in which we use foreign exchange contracts, designated as cash flow hedges, intended to reduce the impact on earnings from foreign exchange rate movements. Gains and losses from these foreign exchange contracts are recognized as a component of transaction revenues or operating expenses (as applicable) in the same period the forecasted transactions impact earnings.
33Table of ContentsIn the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the year-over-year foreign exchange rate movements relative to the U.S. dollar had the following impact on our reported results:Year Ended December 31,2024 2023(In millions)(Unfavorable) favorable impact to net revenues (exclusive of hedging impact)
$ (18) $ 128
Hedging impact 48 111
Favorable impact to net revenues
30 239
Favorable (Unfavorable) impact to operating expense
28 (29)
Net favorable impact to operating income $ 58 $ 210
While we enter into foreign exchange contracts to help reduce the impact on earnings from foreign exchange rate movements, it is impossible to eliminate the total effects of this exposure.
We also use foreign exchange contracts, designated as net investment hedges, to reduce the foreign exchange risk related to our investment in certain foreign subsidiaries. Gains and losses associated with these instruments will remain in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) until the underlying foreign subsidiaries are sold or substantially liquidated.
Given that we also have foreign exchange risk on our assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of our subsidiaries, we have an additional balance sheet foreign currency exposure management program in which we use foreign exchange contracts to help offset the impact of foreign exchange rate movements on our assets and liabilities. The foreign exchange gains and losses on our assets and liabilities are recorded in other income (expense), net, and are offset by the gains and losses on the foreign exchange contracts. These foreign exchange contracts reduce, but do not entirely eliminate, the impact of foreign exchange rate movements on our assets and liabilities.
Additionally, in connection with transactions occurring in multiple currencies on our payments platform, we generally set our foreign exchange rates daily and may face financial exposure if we incorrectly set our foreign exchange rates or as a result of fluctuations in foreign exchange rates between the times that we set our foreign exchange rates and when transactions occur. While we have processes in place to mitigate these risks, it is impossible to eliminate the total effects of any possible exposure associated with setting foreign exchange rates on our payments platform.KEY METRICS AND FINANCIAL RESULTS
KEY METRICS
TPV, number of payment transactions, active accounts, and number of payment transactions per active account are key non-financial performance metrics (“key metrics”) that management uses to measure the scale of our platform and the relevance of our products and services to our customers, and are defined as follows:
• TPV is the value of payments, net of payment reversals, successfully completed on our payments platform or enabled by PayPal via a partner payment solution, not including gateway-exclusive transactions.• Number of payment transactions is the total number of payments, net of payment reversals, successfully completed on our payments platform or enabled by PayPal via a partner payment solution, not including gateway-exclusive transactions.
• An active account is an account registered directly with PayPal or a platform access partner that has completed a transaction on our platform, not including gateway-exclusive transactions, within the past 12 months. A platform access partner is a third party whose customers are provided access to PayPal’s platform or services through such third-party’s login credentials, including individuals and entities that utilize Hyperwallet’s payout capabilities. A user may register on our platform to access different products and may register more than one account to access a product. Accordingly, a user may have more than one active account. The number of active accounts provides management with additional perspective on the overall scale of our platform, but may not have a direct relationship to our operating results.
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• Number of payment transactions per active account reflects the total number of payment transactions within the previous 12-month period, divided by active accounts at the end of the period. The number of payment transactions per active account provides management with insight into the average number of times an account engages in payments activity on our payments platform in a given period. The number of times a consumer account or a merchant account transacts on our platform may vary significantly from the average number of payment transactions per active account.
As our transaction revenue is typically correlated with TPV growth and the number of payment transactions completed on our payments platform, management uses these metrics to gain insights into the scale and strength of our payments platform, the engagement level of our customers, and underlying activity and trends which may be indicators of current and future performance. We present these key metrics to enhance investors’ evaluation of the performance of our business and operating results.Our key metrics are calculated using internal company data based on the activity we measure on our payments platform and compiled from multiple systems, including systems that are internally developed or acquired through business combinations. While the measurement of our key metrics is based on what we believe to be reasonable methodologies and estimates, there are inherent challenges and limitations in measuring our key metrics globally at scale. The methodologies used to calculate our key metrics require significant judgment.We regularly review our processes for calculating these key metrics, and from time to time we may make adjustments to improve the accuracy or relevance of our metrics. For example, we continuously apply models, processes, and practices designed to detect and prevent fraudulent account creation on our platforms, and work to improve and enhance those capabilities. When we detect a significant volume of illegitimate activity, we generally remove the activity identified from our key metrics. Although such adjustments may impact key metrics reported in prior periods, we generally do not update previously reported key metrics to reflect these subsequent adjustments unless the retrospective impact of process improvements or enhancements is determined by management to be material.
NET REVENUES
Our revenues are classified into the following two categories:
• Transaction revenues : Net transaction fees charged to merchants and consumers on a transaction basis based on the TPV completed on our payments platform. Growth in TPV is directly impacted by the number of payment transactions that we enable on our payments platform. We generate additional revenue from merchants and consumers: on transactions where we perform currency conversion, when we enable cross-border transactions (i.e., transactions where the merchant and consumer are in different countries), to facilitate the instant transfer of funds for our customers from their PayPal or Venmo account to their bank account or debit card, to facilitate the purchase and sale of cryptocurrencies, as contractual compensation from sellers that violate our contractual terms (for example, through fraud or counterfeiting), and other miscellaneous fees.• Revenues from other value added services: Net revenues derived primarily from revenue earned through partnerships, referral fees, subscription fees, gateway fees, and other services we provide to our consumers and merchants. We also earn revenues from interest and fees earned on our portfolio of loans receivable, and interest earned on certain assets underlying customer balances.Our revenues can be significantly impacted by a number of factors, including the following:
• The mix of merchants, products, and services;
• The mix between domestic and cross-border transactions;
• The geographic region or country in which a transaction occurs; and• The amount of our loans receivable outstanding with consumers and merchants.Refer to “Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K for further discussion on factors that may impact our revenue.35Table of Contents
Net revenue analysisThe components of our net revenues for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022 were as follows (in millions):Transaction revenuesTransaction revenues grew $2.0 billion, or 7%, in 2024 compared to 2023 driven primarily by an increase in revenues of approximately $1.3 billion, $0.5 billion, and $0.2 billion from our Braintree, core PayPal, and Venmo products and services, respectively, which resulted from growth in TPV and the number of payment transactions.
As a result of ongoing negotiations with merchants, including our stronger focus on profitable growth, we expect lower volume and transaction revenue growth from our Braintree offerings in 2025.
The graphs below present the respective key metrics (in millions) for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022:*Reflects active accounts at the end of the applicable period.
The following table provides a summary of related metrics:
Year Ended December 31, Percent Increase/ (Decrease)2024 2023 2022 2024 2023
Number of payment transactions per active account 60.6 58.7 51.4 3 % 14 %Percent of cross-border TPV (1)12 % 12 % 13 % ** **(1) Cross-border TPV occurs primarily between two PayPal accounts in different countries and includes transactions initiated through our Xoom product.** Not meaningful.
We had active accounts of 434 million and 426 million as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, an increase of 2%. Number of payment transactions was 26.3 billion and 25.0 billion for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, an increase of 5%. TPV was $1.68 trillion and $1.53 trillion for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, an increase of 10%.
36Table of ContentsTransaction revenues growth was lower than the growth in TPV in 2024 due primarily to changes in mix from core PayPal products and services with a higher volume from large merchants, which have lower pricing.Revenues from other value added servicesRevenues from other value added services increased $41 million, or 1%, in 2024 compared to 2023 due primarily to an approximately $380 million increase in interest earned on certain assets underlying customer account balances resulting from higher interest rates and higher customer balances, partially offset by a decline in the revenue of approximately $160 million earned from an independent chartered financial institution (“partner institution”). Revenue from the partner institution is earned primarily through our revenue share associated with our U.S. revolving consumer credit product and PayPal and Venmo branded credit cards. Revenues from other value added services were also impacted by an approximately $180 million decline from: lower interest and fee revenue on our PayPal Business Loan (“PPBL”) products, lower revenues from Honey, and lower revenues resulting from the sale of Happy Returns in the forth quarter of 2023.
Consumers that have outstanding loans and interest receivable due to our partner institution may experience hardships that result in losses recognized by the partner institution, which may result in a decrease in our revenue share earned in future periods. In the event the overall return on the PayPal branded credit programs funded by the partner institution does not meet a minimum rate of return (“minimum return threshold”) in a particular quarter, our revenue share for that period would be zero. Further, in the event the overall return on the PayPal branded credit programs managed by the partner institution does not meet the minimum return threshold as measured over four consecutive quarters and in the following quarter, we would be required to make a payment to the partner institution, subject to certain limitations. Through December 31, 2024, the overall return on the PayPal branded credit programs funded by the partner institution exceeded the minimum return threshold.SeasonalityThe Company does not experience meaningful seasonality with respect to net revenues. No individual quarter in 2024, 2023, or 2022 accounted for more than 30% of annual net revenue.OPERATING EXPENSES
The following table summarizes our operating expenses and related metrics we use to assess the trends in each:
Year Ended December 31, Percent Increase/ (Decrease)2024 2023 2022 2024 2023(In millions, except percentages)Transaction expense $ 15,697 $ 14,385 $ 12,173 9 % 18 %
Transaction and credit losses 1,442 1,682 1,572 (14) % 7 %
Customer support and operations 1,768 1,919 2,120 (8) % (9) %
Sales and marketing 2,001 1,809 2,257 11 % (20) %
Technology and development 2,979 2,973 3,253 — % (9) %
General and administrative 2,147 2,059 2,099 4 % (2) %Restructuring and other438 (84) 207 ** (141) %
Total operating expenses $ 26,472 $ 24,743 $ 23,681 7 % 4 %Transaction expense rate (1)0.93 % 0.94 % 0.90 % ** **Transaction and credit loss rate (2)0.09 % 0.11 % 0.12 % ** **(1) Transaction expense rate is calculated by dividing transaction expense by TPV.
(2) Transaction and credit loss rate is calculated by dividing transaction and credit losses by TPV.
** Not meaningful.37Table of Contents
Transaction expense
Transaction expense is primarily composed of the costs we incur to accept a customer’s funding source of payment. These costs include fees paid to payment processors and other financial institutions when we draw funds from a customer’s credit or debit card, bank account, or other funding source they have stored in their digital wallet. We refer to the allocation of funding sources used by our consumers as our “funding mix.” The cost of funding a transaction with a credit or debit card is generally higher than the cost of funding a transaction from a bank or through internal sources such as a PayPal or Venmo account balance or our consumer credit products. As we expand the availability and presentation of alternative funding sources to our customers, our funding mix may change, which could increase or decrease our transaction expense rate. The cost of funding a transaction is also impacted by the geographic region or country in which a transaction occurs, as we generally pay lower rates for transactions funded with credit or debit cards outside the U.S. Our transaction expense rate is impacted by changes in product mix, merchant mix, regional mix, funding mix, and fees paid to payment processors and other financial institutions. Macroeconomic environment changes may also result in behavioral shifts in consumer spending patterns affecting the type of funding source they use, which could also impact the funding mix.Transaction expense increased $1.3 billion, or 9%, in 2024 compared to 2023 due to Braintree, which has a higher expense rate than our other products and services, representing a larger portion of TPV. The decrease in transaction expense rate in 2024 compared to 2023 was attributable to favorable changes in regional mix, product mix, and certain third-party pricing incentives within our core PayPal products and services. For the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, approximately 37%, 36%, and 35% of TPV, respectively, was generated outside of the U.S.Transaction and credit lossesTransaction losses include the expense associated with our customer protection programs, fraud, and chargebacks. Credit losses include the current expected credit losses associated with our consumer and merchant loans receivable portfolio. Our transaction and credit losses fluctuate depending on many factors, including TPV, product mix, current and projected macroeconomic conditions such as unemployment rates, retail e-commerce sales and household disposable income, merchant insolvency events, changes to and usage of our customer protection programs, the impact of regulatory changes, and the credit quality of loans receivable arising from transactions funded with our credit products for consumers and loans and advances to merchants. Estimating our current expected credit loss allowances for our loans receivable portfolios is an inherently uncertain process and the ultimate losses we incur may vary from the current estimates. We regularly update our allowance estimates as new facts become known and events occur that may impact the ultimate losses incurred. A deterioration in macroeconomic conditions or other factors beyond those considered in our estimates could result in credit losses that exceed our current estimated credit losses and adversely impact our future operating results.
38Table of ContentsThe components of our transaction and credit losses for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022 were as follows (in millions):
Transaction and credit losses decreased $240 million, or 14%, in 2024 compared to 2023.
Transaction losses were approximately $1.1 billion and $1.2 billion for 2024 and 2023, respectively, reflecting a decrease of $78 million, or 7%. Transaction loss rate (transaction losses divided by TPV) was 0.07%, 0.08%, and 0.09% for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively. The decrease in transaction losses and the associated transaction loss rate in 2024 was primarily due to lower losses from our Venmo products and services resulting from enhanced risk mitigation strategies.
Credit losses decreased $162 million in 2024 compared to 2023. The components of credit losses for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022 were as follows (in millions):Year Ended December 31,2024 2023 (3)
2022Net charge-offs (1)$ 372 $ 549 $ 267
Reserve (release) build (2)
(44) (59) 135
Credit losses $ 328 $ 490 $ 402(1) Net charge-offs includes principal charge-offs partially offset by recoveries for consumer and merchant receivables.(2) Reserve (release) build represents change in allowance for principal receivables excluding foreign currency remeasurement.(3) Includes changes in the allowance due to the reclassification of loans and interest receivable to or from held for sale.Credit losses in the year ended December 31, 2024 were primarily attributable to loan originations during the period partially offset by improvement in the credit quality of loans outstanding. Credit losses in the year ended December 31, 2023 were primarily attributable to loan originations during the period and a deterioration in the credit quality of loans outstanding.Consumer loan portfolioIn June 2023, we entered into a multi-year agreement with a global investment firm to sell United Kingdom (“U.K.”) and other European buy now, pay later loan receivables, consisting of eligible loans and interest receivables, including a forward-flow arrangement for the sale of future originations of eligible loans over a 24-month commitment period (collectively, “eligible consumer installment receivables”). In December 2024, this agreement was amended and restated to extend the commitment period to December 2026 and to increase the maximum balance of loans that can be sold at a time. For additional information, see “Note 1—Overview and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the notes to the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, loans and interest receivable, held for sale was $541 million and $563 million, respectively.
39Table of ContentsThe consumer loans and interest receivable balance as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $5.4 billion and $4.8 billion, respectively, net of participation interest sold, reflecting an increase of 13%. The increase was driven primarily by growth of approximately $390 million and $250 million in our installment credit products driven by growth in Japan and the U.S., respectively, as well as growth of approximately $170 million in our revolving credit product in the U.K., partially offset by a decline of approximately $180 million in our installment credit products in Germany due to the forward-flow arrangement with the global investment firm.The following table provides information regarding the credit quality of our consumer loans and interest receivable balance:
December 31,2024 2023
Percent of consumer loans and interest receivable current
96.6 % 95.4 %
Percent of consumer loans and interest receivable > 90 days outstanding (1)
1.6 % 2.2 %
Net charge-off rate (2)
4.5 % 7.2 %
(1) Represents percentage of balances which are 90 days past the billing date or contractual repayment date, as applicable.
(2) Net charge-off rate is the annualized ratio of net credit losses during the three months ended December 31, 2024, excluding fraud losses, on consumer loans as a percentage of the average daily amount of consumer loans and interest receivable balance during the same period.
The decline in net charge-off rate for consumer receivables at December 31, 2024 as compared to December 31, 2023 was due primarily to the improvement in credit quality of the U.S. interest-bearing installment products.
In response to changing portfolio performance and macroeconomic environment, we continue to monitor risk and evaluate and modify our acceptable risk parameters. Changes to such parameters in 2024 resulted in an increase of U.S. interest-bearing installment loan originations in 2024.Merchant loan portfolioWe offer access to merchant finance products for certain small and medium-sized businesses, which we refer to as our merchant finance offerings. Total merchant loans, advances, and interest and fees receivable outstanding, net of participation interest sold, as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $1.5 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively, reflecting an increase of 23%. The increase was due primarily to growth of approximately $170 million in our PayPal Working Capital (“PPWC”) product portfolio, primarily from the U.S., Germany and the U.K., as well as growth of approximately $110 million in our PPBL product in the U.S.The following table provides information regarding the credit quality of our merchant loans, advances, and interest and fees receivable balance:
December 31,2024 2023
Percent of merchant loans, advances, and interest and fees receivable current 90.4 % 87.0 %Percent of merchant loans, advances, and interest and fees receivable > 90 days outstanding (1)2.8 % 5.6 %Net charge-off rate (2)5.3 % 18.8 %(1) Represents percentage of balances which are 90 days past the original expected or contractual repayment period, as applicable.(2) Net charge-off rate is the annualized ratio of net credit losses during the three months ended December 31, 2024, excluding fraud losses, on merchant loans and advances as a percentage of the average daily amount of merchant loans, advances, and interest and fees receivable balance during the same period.
The increase in the percent of current merchant receivables and decrease in percent of merchant receivables greater than 90 days outstanding and the net charge-off rate for merchant receivables at December 31, 2024 as compared to December 31, 2023 was due primarily to the improvement in underwriting and credit quality of the PPBL portfolio.
In response to changing portfolio performance and macroeconomic environment, we continue to monitor risk and evaluate and modify our acceptable risk parameters. Changes to such parameters resulted in an increase in PPBL originations in 2024.For additional information, see “Note 11—Loans and Interest Receivable” in the notes to the consolidated financial statements, and “Item 1A. Risk Factors— Our credit products expose us to additional risks ” included in this Form 10-K.40Table of Contents
Customer support and operationsCustomer support and operations includes costs incurred in our global customer operations centers, including costs to provide call support to our customers, costs to support our trust and security programs protecting our consumers and merchants, and other costs incurred related to the delivery of our products, including payment devices, card production, and customer onboarding and compliance costs.
Customer support and operations expenses decreased $151 million, or 8%, in 2024 compared to 2023 due primarily to a decline in employee-related costs of approximately $100 million associated with a headcount reduction. The decline in customer support and operations expenses year-over-year was also impacted by a reduction in other costs incurred related to delivery of our products, including warehouses, shipping, and payment devices and a decrease in contractors and consulting costs, partially offset by an increase in customer onboarding and compliance costs and card issuance costs.Sales and marketing
Sales and marketing includes costs incurred for customer acquisition, business development, advertising, and marketing programs.Sales and marketing expenses increased $192 million, or 11%, in 2024 compared to 2023 due primarily to higher spend of approximately $260 million on marketing and brand advertising, including the launch of our PayPal Everywhere advertising campaign, partially offset by a decline in employee-related costs.
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Technology and development
Technology and development includes costs incurred in connection with the development of our payments platform, new products, and the improvement of our existing products, including the amortization of software and website development costs incurred in developing our payments platform, which are capitalized. It also includes acquired developed technology and our site operations and other infrastructure costs incurred to support our payments platform.Technology and development expenses remained consistent in 2024 compared to 2023 due primarily to a decline in employee-related costs associated with headcount reduction offset by an increase in costs related to contractors and consultants and software maintenance costs.General and administrative
General and administrative includes costs incurred to provide support to our business, including legal, human resources, finance, risk and compliance, executive, and other support operations.General and administrative expenses increased $88 million, or 4%, in 2024 compared to 2023 due primarily to an increase in professional services expense, a contingency reserve, and indirect tax expense, partially offset by a decline in depreciation expense and facilities costs.Restructuring and other
Restructuring and other primarily consist of restructuring expenses, asset impairment charges, gain on sale of divested business, and losses on loans and interest receivable, held for sale.42Table of ContentsRestructuring and other increased $522 million in 2024 compared to 2023 primarily resulting from restructuring charges and fair value adjustments on loans and interest receivable, held for sale and a gain on sale of a divested business, in which we recorded a pre-tax gain of $339 million in 2023 with no comparable activity in the current period.
During the first quarter of 2024, management initiated a global workforce reduction intended to streamline operations, focus resources on core strategic priorities, and improve our cost structure. The associated restructuring charges during the year ended December 31, 2024 were $307 million and included employee severance and benefits costs and stock-based compensation expense, which were substantially completed by the fourth quarter of 2024. The estimated reduction in annualized employee-related costs associated with the impacted workforce is approximately $575 million, including approximately $165 million in stock-based compensation. We reinvested a portion of the reduction in annual costs associated with the impacted workforce to drive business priorities.
During the first quarter of 2023, management initiated a global workforce reduction intended to focus resources on core strategic priorities, and improve our cost structure and operating efficiency. The associated restructuring charges during the year ended December 31, 2023 were $122 million. We primarily incurred employee severance and benefits costs, which were substantially completed in the fourth quarter of 2023.For information on the associated restructuring liabilities, see “Note 17—Restructuring and Other” in the notes to the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.We continue to review our real estate and facility capacity requirements due to our new and evolving work models. We incurred asset impairment charges of nil and $61 million in the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, due to exiting certain leased properties, which resulted in a reduction of right-of-use lease assets and related leasehold improvements.In the year ended December 31, 2023, we recognized a gain of $17 million due to the sale of an owned property. We also incurred a loss of $14 million related to another owned property, which was previously held for sale, in the year ended December 31, 2023.During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, approximately $129 million and $74 million of losses were recorded in restructuring and other, which included net loss on sale of loans and interest receivable previously held for sale (inclusive of transaction costs) and fair value adjustments to measure loans and interest receivable, held for sale, at the lower of cost or fair value.Other income (expense), netOther income (expense), net of $4 million in 2024 decreased $379 million compared to $383 million in 2023. This decline in other income (expense), net was due primarily to net losses and impairments on strategic investments in the current period compared to net gains in the prior period, which contributed a decline of approximately $490 million year-over-year, partially offset by an increase in interest income of approximately $180 million resulting from an increase in average cash balances and interest rates year-over-year.
Income tax expense
Our effective income tax rate was 22% in both 2024 and 2023. Our effective income tax rate in 2024 remained consistent compared to 2023 and was impacted primarily by changes in jurisdictional mix of income, U.S. income taxed at different rates, discrete tax adjustments, and tax expense in prior period associated with sale of a divested business. See “Note 16—Income Taxes” to the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K for more information on our effective tax rate.LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCESWe require liquidity and access to capital to fund our global operations, including our customer protection programs, credit products, capital expenditures, investments in our business, potential acquisitions and strategic investments, working capital, and other cash needs. We believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents, and investments, cash expected to be generated from operations, and our expected access to capital markets, together with potential external funding through third-party sources, will be sufficient to meet our cash requirements within the next 12 months and beyond.
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SOURCES OF LIQUIDITY
Cash, cash equivalents, and investmentsThe following table summarizes our cash, cash equivalents, and investments as of December 31, 2024 and 2023:Year Ended December 31,2024 2023(In millions)
Cash, cash equivalents, and investments (1)(2)$ 13,846 $ 15,493
(1) Excludes assets related to funds receivable and customer accounts of $37.7 billion and $38.9 billion as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
(2) Excludes total restricted cash of $1 million and $3 million at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and strategic investments of $1.6 billion and $1.8 billion at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Cash, cash equivalents, and investments held by our foreign subsidiaries were $8.5 billion at December 31, 2024 and $10.0 billion at December 31, 2023, or 62% and 64%, of our total cash, cash equivalents, and investments as of those respective dates. At December 31, 2024, all of our cash, cash equivalents, and investments held by foreign subsidiaries were subject to U.S. taxation under Subpart F, Global Intangible Low Taxed Income (“GILTI”) or the one-time transition tax under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“Tax Act”). Subsequent repatriations to the U.S. will not be taxable from a U.S. federal tax perspective except for any tax on foreign exchange gains and losses; however, they may be subject to state income or foreign withholding tax.A significant aspect of our global cash management activities involves meeting our customers’ requirements to access their cash while simultaneously meeting our regulatory financial ratio commitments in various jurisdictions. Our global cash balances are required not only to provide operational liquidity to our businesses, but also to support our global regulatory requirements across our regulated subsidiaries. Accordingly, not all of our cash is available for general corporate purposes.
Cash flows
The following table summarizes our consolidated statements of cash flows:
Year Ended December 31,2024 2023 2022(In millions)
Net cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities$ 7,450 $ 4,843 $ 5,813Investing activities1,589 752 (3,328)Financing activities(8,276) (2,993) (1,203)
Effect of exchange rates on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash (207) 76 (155)
Net change in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash
$ 556 $ 2,678 $ 1,127Operating activitiesCash flows from operating activities includes net income adjusted for certain non-cash expenses, timing differences between expenses recognized for provision for transaction and credit losses and actual cash transaction losses incurred, originations and proceeds from repayments and sales of loans and interest receivable held for sale, and changes in other assets and liabilities. Significant non-cash expenses for the period include depreciation and amortization and stock-based compensation. The cash impact from actual transaction losses incurred during a period is reflected as changes in other assets and liabilities. The expenses recognized during the period for provision for credit losses are estimates of current expected credit losses on our consumer and merchant credit products. Actual charge-offs of receivables related to our consumer and merchant credit products have no impact on cash from operating activities.
Net cash provided by operating activities grew $2.6 billion in 2024 compared to 2023 due primarily to changes in deferred taxes of approximately $900 million, changes in working capital of approximately $760 million, an increase of approximately $530 million in sales and repayments of loans receivable held for sale, net of originations, and an impact of approximately $490 million from losses on strategic investments.
Cash paid for income taxes, net in 2024, 2023, and 2022 was $1.0 billion, $2.1 billion, and $878 million, respectively.
44Table of ContentsInvesting activitiesCash flows from investing activities includes purchases, maturities and sales of investments; cash paid for acquisitions and strategic investments; purchases and sales of property and equipment; purchases, originations, sales, and principal repayment of loans receivable, originally classified as held for investment; changes in funds receivable; changes in collateral posted related to derivative instruments, net; and purchases and maturities of reverse repurchase agreements.
Net cash provided by investing activities increased $837 million in 2024 compared to 2023 due primarily to an increase of $5.9 billion from changes related to funds receivable, partially offset by a decrease of $3.0 billion in sales and repayments of loans receivables, net of purchases and originations, and an increase of $1.6 billion in purchases of investments, net of sales and maturities.Financing activitiesCash flows from financing activities includes proceeds from issuance of common stock, purchases of treasury stock, tax withholdings related to net share settlements of equity awards, borrowings and repayments under financing arrangements, changes in funds payable and amounts due to customers, changes in collateral received related to derivative instruments, net, and borrowings and repayments under repurchase agreements.
Net cash used in financing activities increased $5.3 billion in 2024 compared to 2023 due primarily to a decrease of $3.8 billion from changes related to funds payable and amounts due to customers, an increase of $1.0 billion in share repurchases of our common stock, and an increase of approximately $590 million in repayments, net of borrowings under financing arrangements.Effect of exchange rates on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cashForeign exchange rates had a negative impact of $207 million and positive impact of $76 million on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash during 2024 and 2023, respectively. The negative impact in 2024 was primarily due to unfavorable fluctuations in the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar to the Australian dollar and, to a lesser extent, the British pound and Euro. The positive impact in 2023 was primarily due to favorable fluctuations in the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar to the British pound.Available credit and debtIn June 2023, we entered into a credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) that provides for an unsecured $5.0 billion, five-year revolving credit facility. The Credit Agreement includes a $150 million letter of credit sub-facility and a $600 million swingline sub-facility, with available borrowings under the revolving credit facility reduced by the amount of any letters of credit and swingline borrowings outstanding from time to time. As of December 31, 2024, no borrowings were outstanding under the Credit Agreement and as such, $5.0 billion of borrowing capacity was available for the purposes permitted by the Credit Agreement, subject to customary conditions to borrowing.
In February 2022, we entered into a credit agreement (the “Paidy Credit Agreement”) with Paidy as co-borrower, which provided for an unsecured revolving credit facility of ¥60.0 billion, which was modified in September 2022 to increase the borrowing capacity by ¥30.0 billion for a total borrowing capacity of ¥90.0 billion (approximately $574 million as of December 31, 2024). In the year ended December 31, 2024, ¥90.0 billion (approximately $574 million) was drawn down under the Paidy Credit Agreement. Accordingly, at December 31, 2024, no borrowing capacity was available under the Paidy Credit Agreement.
We maintain uncommitted credit facilities in various regions throughout the world with a borrowing capacity of approximately $80 million in the aggregate, where we can withdraw and utilize the funds at our discretion for general corporate purposes. As of December 31, 2024, substantially all of the borrowing capacity under these credit facilities was available, subject to customary conditions to borrowing.
In May 2024, June 2023, May 2022, May 2020 and September 2019, we issued fixed rate notes with varying maturity dates (collectively referred to as the “Notes”). Proceeds from the issuance of these Notes may be used for general corporate purposes, which may include funding the repayment or redemption of outstanding debt, share repurchases, ongoing operations, capital expenditures, and possible acquisitions of businesses, assets, or strategic investments. As of December 31, 2024, we had an aggregate principal amount of $10.6 billion in fixed rate debt outstanding with varying maturity dates.For additional information, see “Note 12—Debt” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.45Table of ContentsDepending on market conditions, we may from time to time issue debt, including in private or public offerings, to fund our operating activities, finance acquisitions, make strategic investments, repurchase shares under our stock repurchase program, or reduce our cost of capital.Credit ratingsAs of December 31, 2024, we continue to be rated investment grade by Standard and Poor’s Financial Services, LLC, Fitch Ratings, Inc., and Moody’s Investors Services, Inc. We expect that these credit rating agencies will continue to monitor our performance, including our capital structure and results of operations. Our goal is to be rated investment grade, but as circumstances change, there are factors that could result in our credit ratings being downgraded or put on a watch list for possible downgrading. If that were to occur, it could increase our borrowing rates, including the interest rate on borrowings under our credit agreements.CURRENT AND FUTURE CASH REQUIREMENTSOur material cash requirements include funds to support current and potential: operating activities, credit products, customer protection programs, stock repurchases, strategic investments, acquisitions, other commitments, capital expenditures, and other future obligations.Credit productsGrowth in our portfolio of loans receivable increases our liquidity needs, and any inability to meet those liquidity needs could adversely affect our business. We continue to evaluate partnerships and third-party sources of funding for our credit products.
The Luxembourg Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (the “CSSF”) has agreed that PayPal’s management may designate up to 50% of European customer balances held in our Luxembourg banking subsidiary to fund European, U.K., and U.S. credit activities. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the cumulative amount approved by PayPal to be designated to fund credit activities was $2.0 billion and $3.0 billion, respectively, and represented approximately 26% and 39% of European customer balances made available for our corporate use as of those respective dates, as determined by applying financial regulations maintained by the CSSF. We may periodically seek to change the designation of amounts of European customer balances for our credit activities, as we deem necessary, based on utilization of the approved funds and anticipated credit funding requirements. Under certain exceptional circumstances, corporate liquidity could be called upon to meet our obligations related to our European customer balances.
In June 2023, we entered into a multi-year agreement with a global investment firm to sell our eligible consumer installment receivables portfolio. In December 2024, this agreement was amended and restated to extend the commitment period to December 2026 and to increase the maximum balance of loans that can be sold at a time. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, we sold $20.8 billion and $5.5 billion, respectively, of loans and interest receivable in connection with this agreement. For additional information, see “Note 1—Overview and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.While our objective is to expand the availability of our credit products with capital from external sources, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in achieving that goal.
Customer protection programsThe risk of losses from our customer protection programs are specific to individual consumers, merchants, and transactions, and may also be impacted by regional variations in, and changes or modifications to, the programs, including as a result of changes in regulatory requirements. For the periods presented in these consolidated financial statements included in this report, our transaction loss rate ranged between 0.07% and 0.09% of TPV. Historical loss rates may not be indicative of future results.Stock repurchasesDuring the year ended December 31, 2024, we repurchased approximately $6.0 billion of our common stock in the open market under our stock repurchase program authorized in June 2022. As of December 31, 2024, a total of approximately $4.9 billion remained available for future repurchases of our common stock under our June 2022 stock repurchase program. For additional information, see “Note 14—Stock Repurchase Programs” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.
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Future obligationsWe have certain fixed contractual obligations and commitments that include future estimated payments for general operating purposes. Changes in our business needs, contractual cancellation provisions, fluctuating interest rates, and other factors may result in actual payments differing from our estimates. We cannot provide certainty regarding the timing and amounts of these payments. The following table summarizes our obligations as of December 31, 2024 that are expected to impact liquidity and cash flow in future periods. We believe we will be able to fund these obligations through our existing cash and investment portfolio and cash expected to be generated from operations.
Purchase Obligations Leases
Transition Tax Long-term Debt TotalPayments Due During the Year Ending December 31, (In millions)2025 $ 849 $ 171 354 $ 1,542 $ 2,916
2026 578 177 — 1,738 2,493
2027 131 159 — 797 1,087
2028 11 109 — 522 642
2029 3 88 — 1,785 1,876
Thereafter 5 198 — 9,263 9,466
$ 1,577 $ 902 $ 354 $ 15,647 $ 18,480The significant assumptions used in our determination of amounts presented in the above table are as follows:• Purchase obligation amounts include minimum purchase commitments for cloud computing services, advertising, and other goods and services entered into in the ordinary course of business.
• Lease amounts include primarily minimum rental payments under our non-cancelable operating leases primarily for office and data center facilities. The amounts presented are consistent with contractual terms and are not expected to differ significantly from actual results under our existing leases, unless a substantial change in our headcount needs requires us to expand our occupied space or exit an office facility early.• Transition tax represents the one-time mandatory tax on previously deferred foreign earnings under the Tax Act.
• Long-term debt amounts represent the future principal and interest payments (based on contractual interest rates) on our fixed-rate debt. For more information, see “Note 12—Debt” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.As we are unable to reasonably predict the timing of settlement of liabilities related to unrecognized tax benefits, net, the table above does not include $2.6 billion recorded in other long-term liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2024.Other considerations
Our liquidity, access to capital, and borrowing costs could be adversely impacted by declines in our credit rating, our financial performance, and global credit market conditions, as well as a broad range of other factors. In addition, our liquidity, access to capital, and borrowing costs could also be negatively impacted by the outcome of any of the legal or regulatory proceedings to which we are a party. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and “Note 13—Commitments and Contingencies” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K for additional discussion of these and other risks that our business faces.47Table of Contents
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
The application of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires us to make estimates and assumptions about certain items and future events that directly affect our reported financial condition. We have established detailed policies and control procedures to provide reasonable assurance that the methods used to make estimates and assumptions are well controlled and are applied consistently from period to period. The accounting estimates and assumptions discussed in this section are those that we consider to be the most critical to our financial statements. An accounting estimate or assumption is considered critical if both (a) the nature of the estimate or assumption is material due to the levels of subjectivity and judgment involved, and (b) the impact within a reasonable range of outcomes of the estimate and assumption is material to our financial condition. Management has discussed the development, selection, and disclosure of these estimates with the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee of our Board of Directors. Our significant accounting policies, including recent accounting pronouncements, are described in “Note 1 — Overview and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10 ‑ K.
A quantitative sensitivity analysis is provided where information is reasonably available, can be reliably estimated, and provides material information to investors. The amounts used to assess sensitivity are included to allow users of this report to understand a general directional cause and effect of changes in the estimates and do not represent management’s predictions of variability. For all of these estimates, it should be noted that future events rarely develop exactly as forecasted, and such estimates require regular review and adjustment.
ALLOWANCE FOR TRANSACTION AND CREDIT LOSSESTransaction and credit losses include the expense associated with our customer protection programs, fraud, chargebacks, and credit losses associated with our loans receivable balances. Our transaction and credit losses fluctuate depending on many factors, including: total TPV, product mix, current and projected macroeconomic conditions, merchant insolvency events, changes to and usage of our customer protection programs, the impact of regulatory changes, and the credit quality of loans receivable arising from transactions funded with our credit products, which include revolving and installment credit products offered to consumers at checkout, as well as merchant loans and advances arising from the PPWC and PPBL products.We establish allowances for negative customer balances and estimated transaction losses arising from processing customer transactions, such as chargebacks for unauthorized credit card use and merchant-related chargebacks due to non-delivery or unsatisfactory delivery of purchased items, purchase protection program claims, account takeovers, and bank returns and reversals. Additions to the allowance, in the form of provisions, are reflected in transaction and credit losses on our consolidated statements of income (loss). The allowances are based on known facts and circumstances, internal factors including experience with similar cases, historical trends involving collection and write-off patterns, and the mix of transaction and loss types, as well as current and projected macroeconomic factors, as appropriate.We also establish an allowance for loans and interest receivable, which represents our estimate of current expected credit losses inherent in our portfolio of loans and interest receivable and includes expected credit losses from modifications of receivables to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty. Determining appropriate current expected credit loss allowances for loans and interest receivable is an inherently uncertain process and ultimate losses may vary from the current estimates. We regularly update our allowance estimates as new facts become known and events occur that may impact the settlement or recovery of losses. The allowances are maintained at a level we deem appropriate to adequately provide for current expected credit losses at the balance sheet date after incorporating the impact of externally sourced macroeconomic forecasts. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, we utilized externally published projections of forecasted U.S. unemployment rates, forecasted U.S. and U.K. retail e-commerce sales, and forecasted U.K. household disposable income, among others, over the reasonable and supportable forecast period. The overall principal and interest coverage ratio as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 was approximately 7% and 9%, respectively. A significant change in the forecasted macroeconomic factors could result in a material change in our allowances. An increase of 1% in the principal and interest coverage ratio would increase our allowances by approximately $69 million based on the loans and interest receivable balance outstanding as of December 31, 2024.
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ACCOUNTING FOR INCOME TAXES
Our annual tax rate is based on our income, statutory tax rates, and tax planning opportunities available to us in the various jurisdictions in which we operate. Tax laws are complex and subject to different interpretations by the taxpayer and respective government taxing authorities. Significant judgment is required in determining our tax expense and in evaluating our tax positions, including evaluating uncertainties. We review our tax positions quarterly and adjust the balances as new information becomes available. Our income tax rate is significantly affected by the tax rates that apply to our foreign earnings. In addition to local country tax laws and regulations, our income tax rate depends on the extent that our foreign earnings are taxed by the U.S. through provisions such as the GILTI tax and base erosion anti-abuse tax.
Deferred tax assets represent amounts available to reduce income taxes payable on taxable income in future years. Such assets arise because of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities, as well as from net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. We evaluate the recoverability of these future tax deductions and credits by assessing the adequacy of future expected taxable income from all sources, including reversal of taxable temporary differences, forecasted operating earnings, and available tax planning strategies. These sources of income rely heavily on estimates that are based on a number of factors, including our historical experience and short-range and long-range business forecasts. To the extent deferred tax assets are not expected to be realized, we record a valuation allowance.
We recognize and measure uncertain tax positions in accordance with U.S. GAAP, pursuant to which we only recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such positions are then measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50 percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. We report a liability for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. U.S. GAAP further requires that a change in judgment related to the expected ultimate resolution of uncertain tax positions be recognized in earnings in the quarter in which such change occurs. We recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense.
We file annual income tax returns in multiple taxing jurisdictions around the world. A number of years may elapse before an uncertain tax position is audited by the relevant tax authorities and finally resolved. While it is often difficult to predict the final outcome or the timing of resolution of any particular uncertain tax position, we believe that our reserves for income taxes are adequate. We adjust these reserves, as well as the related interest and penalties, where appropriate in light of changing facts and circumstances. Settlement of any particular position could require the use of cash.Based on our results for the year ended December 31, 2024, an increase in our income tax expense of $53 million would have resulted in a one-percentage point increase in our effective tax rate.LOSS CONTINGENCIES
We are regularly involved in various claims, regulatory and legal proceedings, and investigations of potential violations by regulatory oversight authorities. On a regular basis, we review the status of each significant matter and assess our potential financial exposure. If the potential loss from any claim, legal proceeding, or potential regulatory violation is considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated, we accrue a liability for the estimated loss. Significant judgment is required in both the determination of probability and whether an exposure is reasonably estimable. Our judgments are subjective and are based on the status of the legal or regulatory proceedings, the merits of our defenses, and consultation with in-house and outside legal counsel. Because of uncertainties related to these matters, accruals are based on the best information available at the time. As additional information becomes available, we reassess the potential liability related to pending claims, litigation, or other violations and may revise our estimates. Due to the inherent uncertainties of legal and regulatory processes in the multiple jurisdictions in which we operate, our judgments may differ materially from the actual outcomes.49Table of ContentsREVENUE RECOGNITION
Application of the accounting principles in U.S. GAAP related to the measurement and recognition of revenue requires us to make judgments and estimates. Complex arrangements with nonstandard terms and conditions may require significant contract interpretation to determine the appropriate accounting. Specifically, the determination of whether we are a principal to a transaction (gross revenue) or an agent (net revenue) can require considerable judgment. Further, we provide incentive payments to consumers and merchants. Evaluating whether these incentives are a payment to a customer, or consideration payable on behalf of a customer, requires judgment. Incentives determined to be made to a customer, or payable on behalf of a customer, are recorded as a reduction to gross revenue. Incentives that are earned by the customer based on performance targets are recorded when earned, based on management’s estimate of each customer’s future performance. These accruals are regularly reviewed and estimates of performance are adjusted, as appropriate, based on changes in performance expectations, actual customer performance, amendments to existing contracts, or the execution of new contracts. Changes in judgments with respect to these assumptions and estimates could impact the amount of revenue recognized.EVALUATION OF STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS FOR IMPAIRMENT
We have strategic investments in non-marketable equity securities, which include investments that do not have a readily determinable fair value and are measured at cost minus impairment, if any, and are adjusted for changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for an identical or similar investment in the same issuer (the Measurement Alternative). We review these investments regularly to determine if impairment has occurred. We assess whether an impairment loss on these non-marketable equity securities, which are primarily investments in privately held companies, has occurred based on qualitative factors such as the companies’ financial condition and business outlook, industry performance, regulatory, economic or technological environment, and other relevant events and factors affecting the company. When indicators of impairment exist, we estimate the fair value of these non-marketable equity securities using the market approach and/or the income approach. If any impairment is identified, we write down the investment to its fair value and record the corresponding charge through other income (expense), net on our consolidated statements of income (loss). Estimating fair value requires judgment and use of estimates such as discount rates, forecasted cash flows, and market data of comparable companies, among others. For sensitivity analysis performed on our strategic investments, see “Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk— Equity Investment Risk .”