PayPal taps wallets from China and India to make cross-border payments easier for 2 billion people
San Jose, CA – PayPal announced a groundbreaking initiative today, unveiling its new platform, PayPal World, designed to revolutionize cross-border commerce by simplifying payments for over two billion people globally. This strategic move sees PayPal partnering with major digital wallet companies in India and China, aiming to create a seamless payment ecosystem.
The core of PayPal World is to enable users to conduct international transactions using their familiar local wallets and payment systems. The initial launch partners are formidable players in their respective markets: NPCI International Payments Limited, the operator of India’s widely adopted UPI (Unified Payment Interface) mobile payments framework, and China’s Tenpay Global, Tencent’s payment arm behind the pervasive Weixin (WeChat) payment ecosystem. PayPal and Venmo will also be integral parts of this new global network.
Further expanding its reach, PayPal has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Mercado Pago, a leading fintech company in Latin America known for its robust card and mobile payment solutions. The final details of this significant partnership are currently being finalized.
Collectively, these partnerships are poised to encompass more than two billion users worldwide, dramatically increasing the accessibility and ease of international payments.
“PayPal World is a first-of-its-kind payments ecosystem that will bring together many of the world’s largest payment systems and digital wallets on a single platform,” stated Alex Chriss, President and CEO of PayPal. “The challenge of moving money across borders is incredibly complex, and yet this platform will make it so simple for nearly two billion consumers and businesses. We believe the changes we are announcing today have the potential to be a real game changer over time.”
The fintech giant detailed the practical implications of PayPal World: PayPal and Venmo users will soon be able to send money to anyone globally, regardless of whether the recipient has a PayPal account. For instance, a traveler in China could use their PayPal account to pay local businesses via the Weixin payment network. Conversely, an Indian customer purchasing from a U.S. website could complete their transaction using PayPal, with the payment seamlessly processed through their UPI wallet.
The sheer scale of the partner networks underscores the potential impact. Mercado Pago reported a total payment volume of $58.3 billion in the first quarter of 2025 alone. In India, UPI transactions reached an astounding $238 billion in June of this year, according to NPCI data. China’s Tenpay Global is also actively working on enhancing its remittance framework and enabling cross-border peer-to-peer payments, further solidifying the global reach.
“We are glad that Tenpay Global, Tencent’s cross-border payment platform, will support users of PayPal and Venmo in making payments by scanning Weixin Pay QR codes, further expanding access for global digital wallets to transact in the mainland of China,” said Wenhui Yang, CEO of Tenpay Global. “In addition to payments, Tenpay Global will deepen its collaboration with PayPal World in remittances.”
PayPal World is slated to commence its operations this fall with its initial launch partners. Looking ahead, 2026 will see Venmo users gaining the ability to pay for shopping both online and offline at merchants that support PayPal’s payment systems, marking another significant step in global payment integration.
