The Payments Titan That’s Silently Dominating the Crypto Battlefield

While Wall Street debates blockchain's merits, one payments behemoth just locked down the entire digital asset infrastructure—without firing a single shot.

The Stealth Takeover

Forget flashy crypto exchanges and meme coin hype. Real power in digital finance flows through payment rails—and one company now controls the spigot. They've integrated crypto settlement across 180 countries while traditional banks were still debating KYC protocols.

The Architecture of Dominance

Their system processes $4.2 trillion annually—enough volume to swallow Bitcoin's entire market cap twice before lunch. They didn't adopt crypto; they assimilated it. Merchant adoption jumped 400% in 18 months as businesses prioritized practical utility over speculative mania.

The Bottom Line

Traditional finance finally understands: the real money isn't in trading digital assets—it's in moving them. While hedge funds chase alpha, this company collects tolls on every transaction. The ultimate crypto play? Becoming the highway everyone uses—regardless of which car they're driving.

Sometimes the most revolutionary moves happen quietly—right under the noses of bankers too busy shorting volatility to notice the entire system changing.

Image source: Getty Images.

PayPal's crypto credentials

According to its site, PayPal has over 430 million active customer and merchant accounts. Combine that with its stablecoin and crypto operations, and you have a pretty potent combination, one that gives the payment giant a big advantage.

Here are a few of the strides PayPal has already taken in the crypto world:

• October 2020: PayPal launches cryptocurrency services. Users can buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin. Venmo follows suit in April 2021.
• March 2021: PayPal introduces Checkout with Crypto. Customers can choose to pay with crypto with certain merchants.
• August 2023: PayPal launches its own PayPal USD (PYUSD -0.15%) stablecoin.
• July 2025: PayPal World is launched, a platform that connects digital wallets and promises seamless money transfers and international payments.

PayPal has a lot to offer

Price-wise, cryptocurrency prices -- particularly Bitcoin -- have surged this year. Pure-play crypto companies likeare outperforming PayPal by some margin. As of this writing (Sept. 16), PayPal is down over 20% year to date. Coinbase is up over 30% and Bitcoin is up 25%.

Fintech companies like PayPal face serious headwinds in the FORM of fierce competition, regulatory challenges, and wider economic uncertainty. Meanwhile, cryptocurrencies are riding a wave of optimism, spurred by changing attitudes in Washington.

But at some point, those crypto projects will need to deliver. And it's at that point that PayPal's huge network, user base, and infrastructure may well win out.