PayPal Considers Entry Into Stock Trading

Financial technology giant PayPal is reportedly considering a move in the direction of individual stock trading after taking a veteran trading executive on for a new project called “Invest in PayPal.”

According to CNBC, the San Jose-based firm hired brokerage industry veteran Rich Hagen as a CEO for Invest in PayPal. Hagen was previously a co-founder of an online brokerage called TradeKing, which was acquired by financial services company Ally Invest. The job description of Hagen’s new role suggests that the expansion is still in the idea phase, but it falls in line with previously issued comments by PayPal CEO Dan Schulman, who mentioned in February that the company would be exploring expansion into “investment capabilities.”

Any move by PayPal into providing stock trading capabilities for its users reflects a growth in interest across the industry.

Square, a PayPal rival, offers stock and cryptocurrency trading through the Square Cash App. Robinhood has seen massive growth in its customer base and a doubling of its revenue since last year.

CNBC reported that an unnamed industry source mentioned that PayPal may make its jump into stock trading through acquiring an existing firm in the industry. CNBC also noted a second source cautioned that any new expansion by PayPal would be unlikely to take place this year.

Individual stock trading has seen an increased amount of interest from the fintech and wider financial services sector, but it has also attracted closer scrutiny from regulators and Congress.

In February, Robinhood came under fire from Congress after traders were locked out of a rally in stocks for GameStop, prompting accusations that Robinhood did this purposely for the benefit of clients on Wall Street. The company and its CEO Vladimir Teneev denied this but promised to do better in the future. Robinhood later paid over $100 million in penalties to the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

As a result of the Robinhood scandal, three Democratic members of Congress drafted the "Trading Isn’t A Game Act," which would require the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study into the harmful impacts of "gamification."

The executive branch has also not remained on the sidelines as this form of trading expands. On Friday, SEC chair Gary Gensler announced that the agency would step up its probe into gamification practices to inform new regulations into the practice.