“Everywhere I go, India comes up; There’s a reason we’re here”: PayPal CEO Alex Chriss

PayPal CEO Alex Chriss said India is playing a defining role in the global fintech ecosystem, from remittances to commerce to technology, calling it a “critical market” for the company’s international strategy.

“Everywhere I go, India comes up,” Chriss said during a chat at the Global Fintech Festival (GFF) in Mumbai.

“Everywhere I travel…the Middle East, Europe, the United States…India comes up as a location where there’s movement of talent, movement of money, commerce opportunities. India is becoming, if not already here, an innovator and a leader globally. And that’s why it is so important for PayPal to play a role and connect India to the rest of the world.”

Chriss said that PayPal’s focus in India will remain on cross-border payments and global connectivity, not domestic payments, describing it as an intentional strategic choice.

“There is a reason that we are here,” he said. “We’d rather spend our time and energy creating those connections across the world and let incredible products that consumers domestically know and love win the market here.”

Critical market for PayPal

Chriss underlined India’s importance for PayPal, both as a market and as a major talent base.

“It’s an important market, clearly for us, and even from a talent point of view, it’s our second-largest employee base,” he said. “It’s a critical market, which is why I’m on stage with an incredible partnership with NPCI International.”

PayPal has partnered with NPCI International to enable UPI-based cross-border payments, something Chriss described as a signal of India’s rising influence in shaping global fintech.

“UPI is the first wallet that shows how important the India market is to us and to the entire world,” he said.

Chriss added that part of PayPal’s strength lies in its ability to facilitate global connectivity.

“We established ourselves with the ability to do cross-border payments and connect the world together,” he said. “So I would rather have us focus on creating those connections across the world.”

PayPal ventures open to Indian startups

The PayPal chief also said the company’s investment arm, PayPal Ventures, continues to explore opportunities in India.

“Many years ago, we were one of the first investors in Pine Labs, which I know is an incredible solution, all set to IPO as well. Our venture arm is about finding the best and brightest in emerging markets. If there are incredible fintech startups in this market, we want to have a conversation.”

Transition to transformation

Shifting focus to PayPal’s broader strategy, Chriss described the company’s evolution from a payment service to a commerce platform, powered by AI, data, and open partnerships.

“It is a real privilege to lead a company that has a 25-year history and really is the original fintech,” he said. “This week, I celebrated my two-year anniversary at PayPal, and I believe there’s going to be more disruption in the next three to five years than in the past twenty years combined.”

Chriss said 2024 was a “year of transition” as PayPal regained profitability, while 2025 will mark a “year of transformation.”

“Technology and consumer demand are accelerating exponentially,” he said. “When you have thousands of fintechs in India alone, the amount of innovation is just going to accelerate. I would much rather be the disruptor than the one being disrupted.”

He added that the biggest challenge for large, legacy companies like PayPal is avoiding complacency.

“One of the worries I have being in a 25-year-old company is that you can become complacent,” he said. “You can sit back and say, ‘This system works, let’s not mess with it.’ That’s a recipe for becoming yesterday’s company.”

From payments to commerce

Chriss said PayPal is now moving beyond payments to solve the broader problem of end-to-end commerce.

“Payments were very difficult 15–20 years ago, but that problem has been solved,” he said. “The challenge that hasn’t yet been solved is commerce.”

He explained that consumers today have endless purchase options both online and on mobile, but struggle with trust, personalization, and relevance.

“How do you know whether it’s the right product, whether it’s the right price, whether it’s from a merchant that you trust?” he said. “For small businesses, the challenge is how to find the right customer cost-effectively. These are commerce challenges, not just payment challenges — and for me, that’s the future of PayPal.”

Chriss said the company’s next phase of growth will be driven by AI-led personalization, built on decades of consumer trust.

“The advances in artificial intelligence and data networks are making this easier,” he said. “But first, it’s about building trust because the data is not ours, the data is our consumers’.”