PayPal reportedly looking to take on Robinhood with its own trading platform

Over the last year, we’ve seen retail investors launch a frenzied attack on the stock market, creating record highs (and lows) and seeing the rise of ‘meme stocks’ and it looks like PayPal is looking to get in on the action.

Just a week after bringing its crypto trading platform to the UK, PayPal is reportedly gearing up to widen its trading offering across the pond.

According to CNBC, the international payments app is looking into releasing its own stock trading outfit for its American users.

PayPal is said to be looking into several options, including acquiring an existing trading and investment platform, to take on the likes of Robinhood and Square.

PayPal has reportedly already held talks with a number of industry partners but is unlikely to roll out its new venture before the end of the year.

The firm hired Richard Hagen Jr. earlier this month to lead its efforts, with Hagen listing his job role as CEO of Invest at PayPal on LinkedIn.

Hagen is “leading PayPal’s efforts to explore opportunities in the consumer investment business” and brings with him a wealth of experience having launched his own investment brokerage TradeKing, which was bought by Ally Invest back in 2016.

If the rumours come to fruition, PayPal could be the largest trading platform on the market, already counting 400m customers worldwide.

Just like the company’s crypto trading offering, it’s unlikely that the trading platform would make its way over to the UK anytime soon.

PayPal first allowed US customers to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrencies back in October 2020, before affording UK customers the same opportunities just over a week ago.

AltFi reached out to PayPal for comment, but it is yet to provide one.