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Major payment players like PayPal and Visa that invested in them are likely celebrating this regulatory movement

Financial institutions (FIs) will burst through the financial media network (FMN) door first cracked open in 2024. Chase made headlines in April by announcing its new ad business, followed by PayPal in May. They鈥檙e the most high-profile FIs to do so yet, signaling that FMNs could be a meaningful new revenue stream for the financial services industry.

PayPal is the most popular mobile payment app that US adults typically use, with over twice as many users as the next most popular choice, Venmo, according to November 2024 data from YouGov.

PayPal. Reuters. Salesforce. Stripe. The Wall Street Journal. U.S. Bank. Visa.

PayPal鈥檚 CMO confirmed the decision, stating the company鈥檚 hopes to modernize and work with a partner that understands its future ambitions and 鈥渞eflects where [PayPal is] headed as a brand.鈥�. Publicis鈥� winning streak: The PayPal account comes on the back of a massively successful year for the holding company.

For example, PayPal is working directly with merchant partners to secure ad inventory on retailer websites. "PayPal has announced some really interesting initiatives to actually work directly with their merchant partners to secure ad inventory on retailer and merchant websites," Marzano said.

PayPal is taking a page from the retail media playbook and moving into programmatic off-site. In April, PayPal announced its programmatic off-site ad strategy, opening publisher ad inventory to advertisers in a bid to scale beyond PayPal鈥檚 owned ecosystem. Moving off-site enables PayPal to extend the value of its immense data beyond its website and app.

Payment-based companies like PayPal will be subject to higher levies. The proposed fee guidelines are not final and may be subject to future negotiations. What鈥檚 at stake: Fintechs have long relied on free access to their customers鈥� banking information.

PayPal debuted PayPal Ads in October, capitalizing on its massive user base and following a larger trend of other financial services like Chase launching financial media networks. Yes, but: While desktop and laptop ad spending is growing, now might be a tricky time for HP to go full-steam ahead on ads.

And according to PayPal鈥檚 website, banking groups aren鈥檛 wrong鈥�PayPal says customers can earn up to 4% in 鈥渞ewards鈥� annually on PYUSD balances held on its platform. Why it matters: If stablecoins can offer a competitive yield, they could become a more attractive alternative to traditional savings accounts. This could trigger a deposit flight.

PayPal and Discord both debuted ad offerings last year, with the former boasting its ability to reach customers throughout the entire shopping journey and the latter capitalizing on its diverse gaming audience.

PayPal remains the big kahuna in the UK mobile wallet space. Fifty-three percent of UK users reported using the payment method for an ecommerce transaction in a one-month period, compared with 30.5% for Apple Pay, according to 蘑菇AV and Toluna鈥檚 ecommerce and media survey data.

And PayPal is trying to increase adoption of its own stablecoin, PayPal USD. Our take: Stablecoin initiatives are generating buzz. Early adopters鈥攅veryone from the president鈥檚 family to the State of Wyoming鈥攚ant to get in on the ground floor to maximize their reward. While Trump鈥檚 executive orders and bills working through Congress could boost crypto use, adoption remains low.

Financial institutions like PayPal, Chase, Klarna, which have been launching media networks for the past few years, powered by valuable shopper data鈥攂ut challenged by privacy concerns and regulations. Travel brands like United, Marriott, and Expedia, which offer insights into where and how consumers are traveling, and can potentially capture their attention in transit.

PayPal USD (PYUSD) brings stablecoins to everyday transactions. Customers can transfer PYUSD between PayPal and external wallets, send peer-to-peer (P2P) payments, use it for purchases at checkout, and convert supported cryptocurrencies seamlessly. This move also strengthens PYUSD鈥檚 role in cross-border transactions by enabling faster, cheaper, and more stable global transactions.

Fiserv launched its own stablecoin, deepening its partnerships with PayPal and Mastercard to complement its banking and payment infrastructure. JPMorgan Chase announced its own deposit token, JPMD. Zelle consortium banks have begun talks to issue an institutional stablecoin to increase interoperability across major financial institutions.

It also debuted its own stablecoin, FIUSD, in partnership with Mastercard and PayPal. Fiserv expects to launch its first pilot with FIUSD by the end of the year. In June, the payment provider acquired the remaining stake in AIB Merchant Services, gaining a major foothold in European ecommerce. In March, Fiserv acquired CVV, a Dutch payment solutions provider.

Platforms like PayPal and Revolut are building commerce-driven advertising networks, marking the rise of media opportunities wherever transactions happen. Retail media remains the biggest growth driver of digital advertising. A slight slowdown won鈥檛 hinder retail media advertising鈥檚 growth trajectory.

Note: Examples of websites or apps primarily engaged in financial services include those of banks (e.g., Chase, Wells Fargo), fintechs (e.g., buy now, pay later services, insurtechs), and payment providers (e.g., Block, PayPal).

Paypal launched shoppable ads for publisher sites while Marriott had a full rebrand, relaunching its Marriott Bonvoy Media Network, which has been around for years, as MARRIOTT MEDIA. There don鈥檛 appear to be many tangible changes to the network beyond the name, but considering how crowded travel media has gotten over the past two years, it鈥檚 no surprise Marriott is eager to stand out.

PayPal. Reuters. SmartBiz. Stripe. The Financial Brand. The Wall Street Journal. The White House.