PayPal has revealed it held massive crypto holdings for its customers totalling $604 million as of December 31, 2022. According to an [annual report](https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001633917/b562e712-8266-493c-8ae8-e28f93404d2f.pdf), the global payment giant filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) comprised more than 60% of PayPal crypto reserves.

The $604 million worth of crypto holdings the firm held at the end of 2022 is slightly lower than the [$690 million](https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001633917/bef30744-49c8-4913-a5d8-a2cf9bfaa429.pdf) held as of September 2022. The significant drop could have resulted from unstable crypto prices and dwindling user trust associated with the [devastating collapse](/news/article/ftx-exchange-under-investigation) of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange. 

## PayPal crypto reserves are 67% of its financial liabilities

The $604M worth of crypto comprised $291 million in Bitcoin (BTC) and $250 million in ether (ETH), with Litecoin (LTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) making up the balance of $63 million. Per the report, PayPal crypto reserves account for 67% of its $902 million total financial liabilities. The filing further indicated that PayPal’s total financial assets were $25 billion.  
    
The global payment giant introduced a crypto buy and sell service for its US-based customers involving only specific cryptocurrencies in October 2020. Nonetheless, following the SEC's requirement via Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121 ([SAB 121](https://www.sec.gov/oca/staff-accounting-bulletin-121)) in March last year, [PayPal](/news/article/paypal-news-transfer-crypto) only recently started disclosing specific holdings of different cryptocurrencies in its SEC filings. While the company's crypto service has existed since 2020, it was only in June 2021 that the firm allowed users to withdraw crypto from the platform.

## Used a third-party custodian

While acknowledging the specific technological, legal, and regulatory risks associated with dealing in cryptocurrencies, the fact that a PayPal crypto asset safeguarding liability reflected its obligation to protect its customers’ assets wasn’t lost to the company.

The company, therefore, revealed in the filing that it used a third-party custodian to store the customers' digital assets. Nonetheless, PayPal reiterated that it contractually required the custodian to segregate its customer assets to prevent such assets from being considered a part of the custodian's estate should bankruptcy or insolvency occur.       
 
PayPal Vice President Richard Nash indicated recently that the company was taking measures to reduce operational costs due to the ongoing market rout. The company was recently said to have reduced its workforce by at least 2,000 people to "strengthen" and "reshape" due to a "challenging macro-economic environment".

As a way of integrating blockchain and PayPal cryptocurrency services into the platform, the firm introduced a hold-and-sold Bitcoin service for its US-based customers in November 2020. The offerings would also include [central bank digital currencies ](/news/article/cbdc-bank-of-england)(CBDC).


PayPal crypto reserves reach $604 million

PepCoin is a rewards program announced and launched by PepsiCo in 2019 in collaboration with PayPal and Venmo. Participants earned 10% cash back. Its aim was to incentive people to consume more of the Foods and Beverage company’s products. 

Considering the name, it was easy for many crypto fans and enthusiasts to assume Pepsi had begun its journey in the crypto world. However, that was not the case.

## How it works

Those who wished to participate in PepCoin had first to visit its official site and set up a free account with a verified email. Once you create a user account, the next step is to link the account with either a PayPal or Venmo account.

More than 70 different types of PepsiCo drinks and Frito-Lay snacks enabled consumers to earn money back on their purchases. The products were specially marked for easy identification.

When you purchased the specially marked items, you’d go to the program’s official site, scan the 10-digit code or enter the numbers directly into the system. Once you reach a $2 threshold, the cash is transferred to your bank account via Venmo or PayPal.

Participants had to buy a pair of specially marked drinks and Frito-Lay snacks to be eligible for the 10% cash back incentive. Those who didn’t scan their drinks or snack codes within 120 days suffered a 25-cent maintenance fee. 

Participants could also scan a maximum number of items each day: three drinks with three snacks. Another limitation was that it was only available to US consumers.

## Why it’s not a Cryptocurrency

The announcement of Pepsi’s rewards program looked like another big win for the crypto space, considering how big a corporation PepsiCo is. 

However, as it turned out, the American Food and Beverage Company was up to its regular marketing stints, trying to take advantage of the popularity of decentralized digital currencies. 

The incentive to buy Pepsi’s products has nothing to do with the crypto space. Those who blindly rushed into it, thinking they would get cryptocurrencies were greatly disappointed.

As of 2022, PepCoin doesn’t seem to be in existence. Its official website is no longer accessible. It looks like the campaign ran for a limited time.

## Bottom line

PepsiCo is known for coming up with some crazy but impressive marketing campaigns that work. PepCoin, while misleading for many crypto fans, they still managed to get many people excited to buy more PepsiCo products. 



PepCoin: Everything You Need To Know

The U.S. payment operator PayPal has some [news to share](https://newsroom.paypal-corp.com/2022-06-07-PayPal-Users-Can-Now-Transfer-Send-and-Receive-Bitcoin-Ethereum-Bitcoin-Cash-and-Litecoin) – the company finally decided to respond to its users’ demand by allowing them to transfer cryptocurrencies, including to external wallets. 

Two years after the fintech behemoth expanded its activities to accepting digital currencies, the customers are now having the choice to self-custody of their digital assets.  

The new add-on is now available only to select U.S. clients but will be expanded out to all eligible U.S. customers in the next few months.
Back in October 2020, the company decided to allow cryptocurrency trading for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash. However, users couldn’t move their assets off the platform without transferring it to fiat first. 

Jose Fernandez da Ponte, Senior Vice President and General Manager said that the new attribute was the one users have been asking for the most.

Now, when a client has crypto stashed somewhere else and needs to secure it, they’ll be able to convey it to PayPal from an exterior address. “They (users) will additionally ship crypto to anybody who’s within the PayPal system,” said Fernandez da Ponte.
He also confirmed the company has been assigned a BitLicense, a New York term for all crypto-related businesses. 

Fernandez da Ponte added that the main reason the company entered the crypto space was because of its belief that a sizeable part of trade is going to move to cryptocurrencies. Trade in terms of buying or selling tangible and intangible products or services with cryptocurrency. 
The focus on trade, rather than making itself an exchange, allows PayPal to function without fees related with cryptocurrency transactions by letting its users’ using tools like ‘Checkout With Crypto’. 

## Paypal news bringing the stock up

It's still not known how much digital assets are adding to PayPal's bottom line, especially since the company didn’t reveal the exact numbers of how many people are using its Bitcoin or Ethereum service. 

It is to believe though, if compared with much bigger crypto businesses such as the Coinbase or Robinhood, that the volume of cryptocurrency transactions plunged substantially along with the recent market downturn. Paypal also recorded a fall in its quarterly results. The company’s first-quarter revenue for 2022 stood at $6.48 billion. Even though this represents a year-over-year increase of 8%, Paypal lost 32% in operating income, dropping to $711 million. 

The company reported a net income of $509 million with $0.43 earnings per share, which is down 53%. Earnings per share decreased by 28% on an adjusted basis to $0.88. That is why it’s even more likable that the company hasn’t been backing off its ambitious crypto plans.
Fernandez da Ponte said he's being calm.

"There’s a lot of discussion about crypto winter, but it’s important to see beyond that," he commented. "The macro trend (of broad cryptocurrency adoption) is undisturbed."

After the news went global, shares of the company were up by 2.05% at $88.59.

There seems to be allot of positive momentum with Fintech payment services adopting crypto with [Mastercard going on a crypto hiring spree](https://www.monitalks.io/news/article/mastercard-uk-hiring) to ramp up its efforts in the space. This can only bode well for the industry which is becoming increasingly integrated with the traditional financial ecosystem.



PayPal allows crypto transfers to external wallets

If you don't know, "smart contracts" are self-executing contracts with predetermined rules. They are stored on the blockchain and can be used to automate the exchange of money, property, shares, or anything of value. Smart contracts are created using programming code, and once uploaded to the blockchain, they become immutable and irreversible.

## All About Smart Contracts

The term "smart contract" is understood as a computer protocol used to facilitate, verify, or enforce a contract. They can be used to track assets throughout their lifecycle, from creation to destruction.

Nick Szabo first proposed smart contracts in 1996 as a way to enable secure transactions without the need for third-party intermediaries. Today, smart contracts are used to streamline various business processes, from supply chain management to land registry.

The use of smart contracts can help to reduce costs, speed up transaction times, and increase transparency. Traditionally, when buying a car from a dealership, you would need to sign a contract and then make a payment to the dealership. With a smart contract, you could instead send your payment directly to the smart contract.

The smart contract would then release the funds to the dealership once the car has been delivered. This kind of transaction is more efficient and reduces the chances of fraud or dispute.

## How Smart Contracts are Changing the Blockchain Landscape

Smart contracts are important innovations in the blockchain space. By allowing for the execution of contracts and transactions without the need for a third party, smart contracts are set to revolutionise how we do business.

For example, smart contracts streamline supply chains, ensuring that goods are delivered on time and that payments are made promptly. They can also be used to create immutable records of transactions, preventing fraud and protecting data.

In addition, smart contracts can be used to create Decentralised Autonomous Organisations (DAOs), which are autonomous organizations that do not have a single entity in control.

The possibilities for smart contracts are endless. They are already starting to change the way we think about blockchain technology.

## Businesses Already Using Smart Contracts

Smart contracts are quickly becoming a popular tool in many different industries. They allow businesses to streamline a wide range of processes, reduce costs, and securely store and transmit data. Some examples of businesses already using smart contracts include online retailers, financial services providers, transportation companies, and healthcare providers.

Online retailers like Amazon use smart contracts to facilitate secure payments between buyers and sellers. With smart contracts, shoppers can purchase items quickly and easily without going through the intermediary of a payment processor like [PayPal](https://www.paypal.com/im/home) or Visa. This reduces costs for merchants and helps to ensure that transactions are faster and more secure.

Similarly, financial services providers are also turning to smart contracts to streamline processes within their organisations. For example, investment firms can use smart contracts to automate the transfer of assets among different parties, thereby maximizing efficiency and minimising the potential for errors or delays.

Likewise, insurance providers can use smart contracts to automate the management of payouts in the event of claim settlements or damage assessments. Overall, it is clear that smart contracts have vast potential to improve businesses across all industries.

## The Future of Smart Contracts

They are an integral part of blockchain technology, serving as the foundation for all transactions on the blockchain. These contracts use programming logic to execute various actions, from completing simple tasks like tracking payments to complex operations such as updating smart property records.

The advantages of smart contracts are numerous, ranging from increased security and efficiency to streamlined processes and decreased transaction costs. As the technology continues to develop, smart contracts seem poised to play an increasingly important role in the future of the blockchain.

Whether used for financial, legal, or other purposes, smart contracts will be crucial in powering smarter and more connected systems worldwide. 

Given their growing popularity and significant potential benefits, it seems likely that smart contracts will only become more prevalent in years to come.


Smart Contracts are Revolutionising Blockchain

Bitcoin holders woke up with a severe case of digital cold turkey less than 24 hours after Thanksgiving. The price of the number one digital asset slipped by 2.85% to $55,493 at time of writing.

While this pull-back is nothing compared to recent drawdowns it has left many Bitcoin holders frustrated with the lack of positive price action in recent weeks. Many altcoins have witnessed astronomical gains while Bitcoin has stuck range bound between $56k and $58k for what seems like an eternity.

Yesterday’s push to $59,500 led many to believe that it was Bitcoin’s time to take centre stage once again with $58,000 looking like it offered solid support. However, as in previous years immediately following Thanksgiving, Bitcoin holders woke up this morning to the grim reality of yet more negative price action.

## Inflation concerns

All this being said, the broader stage continues to be set for Bitcoin to bloom. As more and more international governments begin to realise the value of digital currencies and the benefits they bring, legislation for the integration of cryptocurrency into everyday society is beginning to take shape.

Furthermore, with rising inflation across the globe the need for a stable hedge has never been greater. With gold prices stagnating in recent years the lure of a digital alternative makes Bitcoin a very attractive proposition indeed.

## Bitcoin eclipses [Paypal](https://www.paypal.com/us/home) with sights set on Visa

In yet another cause for crypto celebration the value transferred over the Bitcoin network has exceeded that of Paypal by more than 60%. Recent figures from Blockdata show that the Bitcoin network processed over $489 billion per quarter in 2021 compared with Paypal’s $302 billion. And now many crypto speculators are starting to believe that the next milestones to fall will be those of Mastercard and Visa.

To date, Bitcoin is processing just under 27% of Mastercard’s $1.8 trillion and around 15% of Visa’s mighty £3.2 trillion each quarter. If Bitcoin were to continue along its current trajectory of growth it could outpace the total capital transferred by Mastercard as early as 2026.

## Clinton calls for clarity

Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stepped into the crypto debate this week with calls for stronger regulation in order to prevent market manipulation by Russia, China and ‘others’.

As part of a larger debate on social media manipulation Clinton warned of ‘technology of all kinds’ which has the potential to destabilise countries and the world reserve currency status of the dollar.

Clinton said: ‘There is one thing on the horizon which people are beginning to pay attention to and that is the need to regulate the cryptocurrency market. Imagine the combination of social media amassing even larger sums of money through the control of certain cryptocurrency chains.’

Her comments come as many countries begin to understand the notion of using digital currencies to circumnavigate financial sanctions put in place by the leading nations and [SWIFT](https://www.swift.com/) (the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) - the world’s current leading system of transferring capital worldwide.

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