Quarterly number of PayPal payments 2014-2024
The worldwide number of payment transactions processed by PayPal increased by over eight percent in Q2 2024 when compared to Q2 2023. The total number of transactions was about 6.5 billion during the first quarter of 2024, compared to 5.8 billion in the previous year. Whilst this may indicate an increasing use of the digital payment platform, it should be noted that the growth figure of the value of payments processed decreased for several quarters in a row until 2023.
PayPal raises profitability concerns in 2023
The increase in transaction volume contrasts against a decline in profit margins. The company's take rate — transaction revenue compared to transaction volume — was 174 bps in the second quarter of 2023, a notable decline from the same quarter one year before. Investors were increasingly concerned about the number of users not growing as fast anymore. Competition from credit card companies, fintech solutions such as Apple Pay, or government initiatives like FedNow increased in 2023. Investors hope the arrival of a new CEO could turn PayPal's business around.
Is Venmo the key for PayPal?
Various investors in PayPal hope the increasingly popular Venmo could become the turnaround for the company. This as PayPal's subsidiary is said to be a popular payment method in social commerce — the purchasing of products on social media like TikTok. PayPal, however, does not share figures on Venmo specifically. The only metric available is its total payment volume. In Q3 2023, Venmo's transaction volume change decreased for the first time in 2023. Analysts fear that Apple's integration of iMessage in every iPhone may limit the expansion of Venmo as a P2P payment method.
