Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

PayPal has provided over $30 billion in loans and cash advances to more than 420,000 business accounts globally since 2013.

A substantial 70% of these loans were directed to businesses in low- and middle-income tracts. Additionally, over half of these loans were provided in areas that experienced 10 or more bank branch closures between 2017-2022, addressing banking deserts. PayPal has also made significant commitments to advance economic equality, including a $135 million deposit into financial institutions focused on minority communities and a $108 million commitment to advance women's economic inclusion, which includes $7 million for microloans to women entrepreneurs.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

PayPal achieved 100% pay equity globally for women and for Black, Latino, and Asian employees in the U.S. compared to their white peers in 2023.

The company's overall employee engagement score rose to 84 by early 2020. Global average turnover at customer service centers dropped to 7.3% in 2020. These improvements followed the launch of a Financial Wellness Initiative in 2019, which included reducing healthcare costs, granting stock awards, raising wages, and providing financial education. Prior to this, approximately half of employees had a Net Disposable Income (NDI) of just 4%, which subsequently increased to 16%. The company also provides annual employee training on its Code of Business Conduct & Ethics, data protection, anti-money laundering, and harassment prevention, with an anonymous 24/7 Integrity Helpline available for reporting concerns.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

PayPal, a digital payments company, does not procure or trade physical commodities, making the fair-trade certification KPI not applicable. The company manages a global supply chain of over 4,000 vendors, partners, and third-party organizations.

All third parties and subcontractors are expected to comply with PayPal’s Third-Party Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which outlines expectations for labor and human rights. Furthermore, 100% of tier 1 suppliers by procurement spend are required to comply with environmental requirements, which are part of this Code, or provide their own contractual obligations affirming similar standards.

Honest & Fair Business

In November 2024, PayPal achieved a score of 94.3% in the CPA-Zicklin Index for political disclosure and accountability

, marking its fourth consecutive year as a "Trendsetter." However, in January 2025, the company was fined $2 million by the NYDFS for cybersecurity failures , including inadequate personnel training and a lack of multifactor authentication , which led to the exposure of sensitive customer information. PayPal is also cooperating with SEC and CFPB investigations , with the SEC subpoenaing documents related to its PYUSD stablecoin in November 2023 and the CFPB issuing a civil investigative demand regarding error-resolution obligations. The company requires all employees to complete annual compliance training, which includes anti-money laundering , and provides a 24/7 anonymous Integrity Helpline for employees to report concerns.

Kind to Animals

PayPal is a service-oriented digital payments company, meaning many animal welfare metrics related to products, testing, and agriculture are not applicable. The company does not have animal-derived products, animal testing operations, animal husbandry, or animal agriculture operations. Its R&D is not relevant to animal-free substitution, and it has no animal-related suppliers. CrueltyFreeInvesting.org stated "No Animal Exploitation" for PayPal in 2023.

However, PayPal's platform allows the sale and delivery of live animals and animal parts. , with restrictions only applying to endangered and protected animals as of 2021. The company offers pet insurance to employees and facilitates donations to animal welfare charities like Animal Equality.

No War, No Weapons

PayPal maintains an Acceptable Use Policy that explicitly prohibits firearms and weapons

, and bans customers from using its services, including Venmo, to buy or sell firearms . The company's report states alignment with the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact . All employees and contractors complete annual compliance training and certify their understanding and compliance with the Code of Conduct . PayPal utilizes AI and machine learning processes for civilian applications such as passwordless authentication, SMS spam, ecommerce scams, and cryptocurrency fraud . As a digital payments company, it has no direct exposure to weapons, no mineral inputs in its products or services, and no procurement from conflict zones.

Planet-Friendly Business

PayPal has committed to matching 100% of its global data center energy use with renewable sources for the third consecutive year.

The company achieved a 75% reduction in operational emissions since 2019. PayPal has pledged to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its value chain by 2040. , with interim goals to source 100% renewable energy for its data centers by 2023 and reduce operational emissions by 25% by 2025, using 2019 as the base year. Supplier engagement for science-based targets reached 45% by spend in 2023 , with a target to reach 75% by 2025.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

PayPal has engaged in numerous formal partnerships with indigenous and local community groups. In 2024, its Mexico City office collaborated with Pro México Indígena's Foundation.

In 2021, PayPal Australia partnered with Welcome to Country, an Aboriginal-led marketplace. In 2020, PayPal provided $5 million in grants to 20 nonprofit partners supporting Black-owned businesses in the U.S. Additionally, in 2023, PayPal's Community Impact Grants Program supported 77 local nonprofits across 22 countries.

Safe & Smart Tech

PayPal experienced a data breach in December 2022 affecting approximately 35,000 users

, leading to a $2 million settlement with New York's DFS for cybersecurity regulation violations and a class-action lawsuit alleging failure to implement basic security practices . Post-breach, mandatory Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) was implemented for all U.S. customer accounts . The company's information security program is guided by NIST CSF and ISO standards , with 24/7 monitoring by the Cyber Defense Center , regular risk assessments , and system testing . All employees complete annual training on data protection . For AI ethics, PayPal's development is guided by five Responsible AI principles , overseen by a cross-functional Steering Committee . The company conducts regular audits of training datasets for inclusivity , applies fairness metrics during model evaluation , and uses explainable AI tools . Recourse mechanisms, such as appeals or manual review processes, are available for customers negatively impacted by AI decisions . Users have extensive control over their data, including managing privacy consent , cookies , search privacy , app permissions , and the ability to download, correct, or delete their data and close accounts .

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

PayPal has implemented waste recycling programs in nearly all global office locations and offers food waste composting at select sites

. The company ensures its IT asset disposal service providers maintain certifications such as R2 or e-Stewards , indicating proper handling of electronic waste and setting waste requirements for key suppliers.