PayPal taps India's UPI and China's Tenpay to launch global digital wallet platform 'PayPal World'

PayPal is taking a major leap into cross-border commerce with the launch of a new platform - PayPal World - designed to streamline international payments by integrating some of the world's largest digital wallets and payment systems.

Announced Wednesday, the platform brings together India's UPI (Unified Payments Interface), China's Weixin Pay (operated by Tenpay Global), and PayPal's own ecosystem including Venmo. Additionally, a MoU has been signed with Latin American fintech Mercado Pago, with final details still being finalized.

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With this unified ecosystem, PayPal World plans to cover over two billion users globally and eliminate traditional barriers in international transactions.

The platform will enable PayPal and Venmo users to pay anyone - even non-PayPal users - by leveraging local payment methods. For example, an American tourist in China can pay local merchants using PayPal on the Weixin Pay network. Similarly, an Indian consumer buying from a U.S., website can use UPI at checkout via PayPal.

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This move also supports greater interoperability across markets. According to NCPI data, UPI transactions in India hit over $238 billion in June 2025 alone, while Mercado Pago's payment volume touched $58.3 billion in Q1 2025. In China, Tenpay is working to enhance remittance and peer-to-peer cross-border capabilities.

PayPal World is expected to launch with its initial partners in fall 2025. The company also announced that in 2026, Venmo users will gain the ability to make payments both online and in-store at merchants supporting PayPal payments.

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