PayPal eyes Africa for ‘PayPal World’ rollout in 2026
Global payments firm PayPal is considering Africa for the next phase of its “PayPal World” rollout, a cross-border payments platform designed to connect local digital wallets to global commerce.
Otto Williams, PayPal’s Head of Middle East and Africa, disclosed this at Abu Dhabi Finance Week, noting that the company is currently in discussions with African fintech firms ahead of a possible launch on the continent in 2026.
Unlike PayPal’s traditional model, which requires users to open a PayPal account, “PayPal World” is built around interoperability, allowing users to transact internationally using their existing local digital wallets.
Under the model, users can make overseas purchases or cross-border payments through a PayPal button that links directly to their local wallet, eliminating the need to create a separate US-based PayPal account. For merchants, the platform enables businesses already using PayPal to accept payments from multiple local African wallets without additional point-of-sale hardware or complex integrations.
PayPal views Africa as a key growth frontier, driven by its young, mobile-first population and the rapid expansion of digital wallets across the continent. The company already has limited partnerships with African fintech leaders, including M-Pesa and Flutterwave.
The planned African expansion follows PayPal World’s rollout in other major markets, including India through UPI, China via WeChat Pay, and Brazil through Mercado Pago. Collectively, these networks cover an estimated two billion users globally.
According to PayPal, the platform is aimed at addressing “last-mile” frictions in international trade. Many African digital wallets are not backed by global card networks such as Visa or Mastercard, limiting their usability on international e-commerce platforms. PayPal World is designed to bridge this gap by acting as an intermediary that enables seamless transactions between local wallets and global merchants.
Beyond technology, PayPal is also backing its Africa ambitions with capital. The company recently committed US$100 million to the Middle East and Africa region to support innovation and venture investments.
Mr. Williams added that PayPal is also exploring plans to expand its workforce across Africa to support the scaling of these capabilities, as it positions the continent as a central pillar of its global growth strategy.
