In an age where digital transactions dominate, a new partnership between Google and PayPal aims to reshape the landscape of e-commerce. This collaboration, announced on September 17, 2025, promises to leverage advanced technologies to create seamless transaction experiences for businesses and consumers alike.
From small business owners to large enterprises, the key benefits of this partnership could significantly enhance digital commerce operations.
The IRS is delaying implementation of a new rule that requires companies like PayPal, Venmo, and CashApp to report user transactions that eclipse a $600 threshold.
That unpopular new rule is part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan. It will require companies known as third-party settlement organizations (TPSOs) to send users who transact $600 or more in a year a Form 1099-K.
The rule was supposed to go into effect this year. However, in an update announced on Dec. 23, the IRS says that rule will not go into effect for the 2022 tax year. It was only a month ago that the IRS reminded taxpayers and businesses of the new $600 threshold rule.
PayPal -owned payments app Venmo today announced support for instant transfers to U.S. bank accounts. The feature is an optional alternative to Venmo’s standard bank transfer service, which typically takes one to three business days to process transactions. With Instant Transfer, however, funds from your Venmo account can hit your bank account within minutes.
As of January 2018, Venmo has offered Instant Transfers to eligible Visa and Mastercard debit cards for a small fee. At launch, the fee was a flat $0.25, but Venmo bumped it up to 1% of the transferred amount last October. Now, the minimum fee is $0.25 and the maximum fee is $10. Of course, users can still choose the standard transfer option if they don’t want to pay for the convenience of instant payments.
Nearly two decades ago, PayPal transformed the world of e-commerce by offering to mask a user’s credit card information for online transactions. Today, that baton could easily pass to Stripe, a San Francisco-based payments startup founded by two young Irish entrepreneurs, brothers John and Patrick Collison.
Over the past 12 months, five-year-old Stripe has moved from the cutting edge in financial software development to mainstream awareness for businesses. It’s raked in tens of millions of venture capital; sealed important payments deals with prominent companies; and brought on high-profile executives who should help the company grow and scale.
PayPal recently came under fire for possibly violating the FCC’s robocall policies.
The new User Agreement, which was set to go live on July 1, indicated that the company intends to robocall and text users on any number they have from them, possibly even ones that are not associated with their account.
The purposes of these texts and calls are varied and could include marketing.
Consumer advocacy groups pointed out that the new agreement seemed to say that users must agree to let the company send automated surveys, offers and promotions, without the ability to opt-out. There was not clear wording on whether or not the users who disagreed would have to stop using the company’s services.
“I don’t know if I want to own a bank. But I do want to lend money in a transparent way, and I want to create an institution people love,” says Max Levchin, between sips of coffee on a Friday morning at a New York City cafe. “I want to be the community bank equivalent for the 21st century, where people say: ‘I trust my banker. He’s a good guy who’s looking out for me.’”
Dressed in a bright green t-shirt with the name of his startup—Affirm—emblazoned across the chest, Levchin looks and sounds like just another idealistic Silicon Valley entrepreneur rehearsing for Demo Day. But he isn’t. As the co-founder and former CTO of PayPal, Levchin is also one of the Valley’s foremost experts on the payments industry. When he says he wants to overhaul banking, you should take him seriously.
Those of us who have been part of a group and needed to collect money from people know how awkward it can be, and this is where newly launched WePay comes in.
Dispatches From The Front 