PayPal has had a complicated relationship with Nigeria. While the fintech company has expanded its services across many countries over the years, it has long imposed restrictions on Nigeria. PayPal first became available there in 2014, but only on a limited basis.
Nigerian residents with personal accounts have only been able to send money via PayPal. It has not been possible to receive payments directly into a Nigerian PayPal account. This limitation has excluded many young Nigerians from participating fully in global e-commerce and gig platforms that prefer PayPal for payouts. It has also bred resentment towards the company.
The situation has been worsened by cases where PayPal has frozen funds for users who attempted to bypass restrictions by opening accounts in other countries with full services.
In contrast, full PayPal services have been available in several other African countries, such as South Africa and Kenya. Residents there can open personal or business accounts, send and receive money, and withdraw funds to US or local bank accounts or wallets.
Nigeria, with its large population of young and enterprising people, has responded by developing home-grown solutions. Over the years, local fintechs like Paystack and Flutterwave have grown into major players in the African e-commerce space. They have largely filled the gap left by PayPal’s absence, enabling Nigerian businesses to accept online payments through local and international card schemes as well as African mobile money systems.
It is perhaps understandable, then, that social media erupted when PayPal announced in December 2025 that it was in talks with local fintechs to expand more fully into certain African markets. The initiative involves greater integration through a new platform called PayPal World, which aims to enable cross-border interoperability with local digital wallets. Many Nigerians have expressed their long-standing anger and frustration on X, sharing personal stories of difficulties and losses associated with PayPal.
Reactions vary. Some question what real difference PayPal could make now, given that the market has matured significantly without it. Others express gratitude, noting that PayPal’s prolonged absence spurred Nigerians to innovate and build successful local alternatives.
At this stage, it remains uncertain whether PayPal World will successfully launch or gain traction in Nigeria.
