PayPal Rolls Out Native Solana and Chainlink Support for US Territories

• Support for SOL and LINK eliminates the need for third-party services like MoonPay and signals PayPal’s growing interest in digital assets.
• This shift has encouraged broader industry adoption, including PayPal’s expansion into blockchain-based financial services, and is PYUSD stablecoin.

PayPal has added Solana (SOL) and Chainlink (LINK) to its list of cryptocurrencies. This allows customers in the United States and its territories to buy, sell, hold, and send Solana and Chainlink directly via its platform. The news, verified through PayPal’s crypto FAQ section, further adds to the firm’s changing digital asset offerings.

About PayPal & Chainlink Collaboration

Earlier, those who wanted to buy Solana and Chainlink using PayPal were dependent on third-party service provider MoonPay. The new integration makes it easier, with direct transactions for these cryptocurrencies within PayPal’s system. Even with this update, market prices of SOL and LINK did not change much, according to the latest data.

PayPal entered the crypto market in October 2020 by initially providing support for Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) to American customers. PayPal added its own stablecoin, PayPal USD (PYUSD), launched on the Ethereum and Solana blockchains, to its crypto portfolio in August 2023. As mentioned in our earlier post, PayPal is now looking to expand the use for PYUSD stablecoin across 20 million merchants. 

Regulatory uncertainty within the United States has impacted PayPal’s conservative stance on listing digital assets. The wider crypto sector has been subject to legal challenges, with federal agencies testing out different digital currencies. In June 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) launched legal action against leading crypto exchanges Binance and Coinbase, challenging the regulatory standing of Solana. 

Nonetheless, the SEC has since withdrawn its charges against Coinbase and stopped proceedings in the case of Binance. Also, in July 2024, the SEC withdrew its request for a judicial determination on whether SOL should be considered a security in the Binance case.

Changes In Crypto Regulatory Space

The regulatory environment and a change in the U.S. government’s attitude toward digital assets could be opening the door for wider crypto usage. Fresh leadership with a more positive attitude toward blockchain technology has brought welcome news, such as the SEC’s recognition of several filings for spot Solana exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov represented the company at the White House’s first digital asset summit earlier this year, which demonstrated increasing institutional focus on blockchain-based financial services.

By adding Solana and Chainlink to its crypto offerings, PayPal is enhancing its position in digital finance. The expansion follows the wider trend across the industry of banks embracing blockchain technology within their businesses. With the regulatory environment continuing to clear, platforms like PayPal are likely to extend the list of supported cryptocurrencies further, further mainstreaming digital assets.