PayPal has agreed a partnership with OpenAI to embed its digital wallet into ChatGPT and connect tens of millions of PayPal merchants to the platform, with launch targeted for 2026, according to company statements and media reports.

OpenAI recently introduced Instant Checkout and a “Buy Now” button in ChatGPT, initially supporting Etsy and Shopify and later expanding to Walmart. Under the latest deal, PayPal will adopt OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol so ChatGPT users can pay using PayPal, while merchants using PayPal will have their product catalogues made discoverable within ChatGPT without individual integrations.

“Hundreds of millions of people turn to ChatGPT each week for help with everyday tasks, including finding products they love, and over 400 million use PayPal to shop,” said Alex Chriss, PayPal’s president and chief executive officer, in the company’s press release. “By partnering with OpenAI and adopting the Agentic Commerce Protocol, PayPal will power payments and commerce experiences that help people go from chat to checkout in just a few taps for our joint customer bases.” He added that PayPal’s wallet would bring multiple funding options and buyer and seller protections, along with post‑purchase services such as tracking and dispute resolution.

Speaking to CNBC, Chriss said: “We’ve got hundreds of millions of loyal PayPal wallet holders who now will be able to click the ‘Buy with PayPal button’ on ChatGPT and have a safe and secure checkout experience.” He described agentic commerce as “a whole new paradigm for shopping.”

The Verge reported that PayPal will be the first digital wallet available in ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout, using the familiar PayPal interface and payment methods, and that OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol will automatically plug PayPal‑supporting merchants into ChatGPT’s commerce features. The move is positioned as part of broader plans to turn ChatGPT’s agents into AI personal shoppers across OpenAI’s ecosystem, including its Atlas browser.

Shares in PayPal rose on the announcement, with Reuters noting a surge and highlighting the company’s raised profit forecast and its first quarterly dividend. Reuters also cited analysts who view agentic commerce as a potential catalyst to leverage PayPal’s global user base. “We want PayPal to be available anywhere and everywhere that consumers want to pay and we want merchants to be able to sell to consumers anywhere and everywhere,” Chriss told analysts.

The integration will also see PayPal manage merchant routing and payment validation for card payments in OpenAI Instant Checkout through a delegated payments API, according to PayPal.

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