PayPal & BigCommerce Unveil Embedded Payments Platform: What Merchants Need to Know in 2025
- Why This PayPal-BigCommerce Partnership Matters for Online Sellers
- How the Embedded Payments System Actually Works
- PayPal's Offline Push: More Than Just Digital Wallets Now
- Crypto and Venmo: PayPal's Secret Weapons
- What Merchants Should Do Before the 2026 Launch
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PayPal and BigCommerce are shaking up the e-commerce world with their newly announced embedded payments platform, set to revolutionize how online merchants handle transactions. Slated for a 2026 US launch (with international expansion to follow), this partnership merges PayPal's payment infrastructure with BigCommerce's merchant platform, offering sellers a unified dashboard for payments, advanced capabilities, and BNPL options. The MOVE comes as PayPal expands beyond its traditional online roots under CEO Alex Chriss, while BigCommerce aims to simplify commerce for its users. Here's your deep dive into what this means for merchants, PayPal's evolving strategy, and the competitive landscape.
Why This PayPal-BigCommerce Partnership Matters for Online Sellers
Imagine running your online store without constantly switching between platforms to manage payments—that's exactly what this collaboration promises. By embedding PayPal's payment solutions directly into BigCommerce's interface, merchants get a co-branded experience where they can process transactions while maintaining their direct relationship with PayPal. Travis Hess, BigCommerce's CEO, puts it bluntly: "This isn't just about payments—it's about giving merchants back their time." From my experience working with e-commerce platforms, this level of integration is rare; most require merchants to juggle multiple logins and dashboards. The unified control panel will include real-time balance tracking, payout management, and even currency tools—features that typically require expensive third-party plugins.
How the Embedded Payments System Actually Works
Here's where things get technical (but stick with me—it's cool stuff). The system mirrors a merchant's PayPal dashboard within BigCommerce, allowing them to:
- Access Pay Later options at checkout (boost those conversion rates!)
- Manage bank connections and card payments in one place
- View instant settlement data without refreshing multiple tabs
Michelle Gill from PayPal mentioned during a recent industry panel that the magic happens through API connections that "feel native but keep financial data secure." For merchants currently using PayPal Complete Payments (PPCP), BigCommerce promises a "frictionless" migration—though we'll have to wait until 2026 to see how smooth that process really is.
PayPal's Offline Push: More Than Just Digital Wallets Now
Remember when PayPal was just that button on eBay? Those days are long gone. Under CEO Alex Chriss (who jumped ship from Intuit in 2023), the company's been on an expansion tear:
| Initiative | Launch | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal Open | Feb 2025 | Consolidated financial tools platform |
| Fastlane Europe | Q3 2025 | Checkout partnership with JP Morgan |
| Verifone Collab | Ongoing | Omnichannel solutions for brick-and-mortar |
Their $300 million infrastructure overhaul (started July 2025) suggests they're preparing for even bigger moves. Though the workforce reductions sting, the focus on reducing latency could make checkout speeds competitive with crypto transactions—which brings us to...
Crypto and Venmo: PayPal's Secret Weapons
While the BigCommerce deal dominates headlines, PayPal's been quietly building its crypto arsenal. Their "Pay with Crypto" feature now supports 100+ digital currencies (including bitcoin and their own PYUSD stablecoin), automatically converting to fiat to protect merchants from volatility. Then there's Venmo—the P2P app that's become a Gen Z banking alternative. With 90M+ US users and projected $2B revenue by 2027 (per TradingView data), it's becoming PayPal's growth engine. Fun fact: Venmo's debit card usage is growing at 20%+ annually—faster than many traditional banks.
What Merchants Should Do Before the 2026 Launch
Don't just wait around for the platform to drop. Based on my conversations with early testers:
- Audit your current stack - Identify pain points this integration could solve
- Test PayPal Complete Payments - Smooth migration likely requires familiarity
- Watch currency tools - International sellers should beta test forex features
As one BTCC analyst noted (while discussing crypto payments), "The merchants who prepare now will gain first-mover advantages when the floodgates open."
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When exactly will the PayPal-BigCommerce platform launch?
The embedded payments system is scheduled for a US launch in 2026, with international availability following afterward. No specific quarter has been announced yet.
Will merchants still need a separate PayPal account?
Yes—while payments are processed through BigCommerce's interface, the financial relationship remains directly with PayPal for security and compliance reasons.
How does this compare to Shopify Payments?
BigCommerce is clearly targeting Shopify's dominance. The key difference? PayPal's existing merchant base and global reach could give BigCommerce an edge in cross-border sales.
