As global trade dynamics shift – with higher tariffs, growing regulatory complexities and uncertainty – businesses are under increasing pressure to diversify their markets and revenue streams. These challenges are especially pronounced for e-commerce businesses in South-east Asia, which are navigating rapid growth, diverse market regulations and evolving consumer expectations across borders.
These Singapore-based leaders from PayPal are partnering with businesses to enable global expansion by strengthening customer trust, advancing innovation, and helping businesses navigate the rising complexities of cross-border commerce.
Businesses across South-east Asia – from sellers and developers of gaming devices, live-streaming service providers to travel operators – are leaning heavily into online platforms and social commerce to reach consumers in the United Kingdom, European Union, Latin America, Middle East and the rest of Asia, as they adapt to the evolving United States consumer economy. With online stores launched in minutes and deliveries completed in as little as 48 hours, their global reach is growing faster than ever.
Yet, this rapid expansion also exposes businesses to heightened risks. A 2023 LexisNexis study found digital channels now account for 51 per cent of fraud losses across Asia-Pacific, surpassing physical fraud for the first time.
As more companies scale their operations online, ensuring secure transactions has become a critical priority.
“International consumers seek familiarity when shopping online,” explains Nadia Syed, PayPal senior vice-president of international cross border trade and general manager, Asia-Pacific. “For international shoppers, recognising the PayPal brand at their payment checkout provides assurance and confidence in their purchase.”
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According to PayPal Australia, 84 per cent of consumers are more likely to complete a purchase when secure payment options are available. Building trust and safety into the transaction process is now essential for businesses striving to grow across borders.
With a global network that includes over 20 million small business merchants worldwide, PayPal understands the struggles they face during cross-border expansion, including increasing tariffs, managing payments and mitigating rising fraud risks. To address these challenges, the firm will be launching PayPal Complete Payments (PPCP) for businesses in Singapore.
“In a world where fraud is growing, merchants want their operations to be secure. PPCP offers businesses a unified payment solution that facilitates transactions in over 200 markets with a single, customisable integration while reducing complexity and managing risk from fraud,” Syed explains.
As a trusted digital payments leader with 20 years of experience in e-commerce, PayPal’s two-sided network not only allows the firm to interact with consumers at various points of their commerce journey using artificial intelligence (AI) but generate a tremendous amount of aggregate data about their preferences and purchasing patterns. This allows PayPal to identify and prevent fraudulent transactions at the same time, equip merchants with insights into their customer preferences as they expand into new markets. A priority as 70 per cent of consumers worldwide now expect personalised experiences, says Syed.
Adapting to diverse data privacy environments
As AI technologies evolve, Syed’s team collaborates across business functions – including product, legal, risk, and compliance – to ensure privacy and regulatory considerations are embedded into PayPal’s global solutions.
“Today, the cross-border payments landscape is complex, and bringing the right solutions to PayPal’s customers requires close collaboration across various global business functions,” she explains.
Syed works directly with PayPal’s data privacy officers (DPOs) like Edna Essien to integrate privacy impact assessments into product development. For Essien, a 20-year veteran in the field, these cross-functional partnerships with product, legal and risk teams keep her work engaging.
“No two days are the same, and that’s what I love about my role in PayPal. It challenges me to think critically, anticipate risks and influence decision-making at every level,” shares Essien.
This close collaboration helps embed data privacy not merely as regulatory compliance but as a core PayPal’s DNA.
“This is not just a compliance exercise – it’s about ensuring that privacy is a competitive advantage in an increasingly data-driven world,” she adds.
Leading PayPal’s data privacy compliance in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa, Essien helps PayPal navigate the complex landscape of global privacy laws. DPOs like Essien advise on regulations, conduct privacy impact assessments and ensure merchant compliance while maintaining seamless user experiences.
“With PayPal’s two-sided network and global reach, businesses can scale internationally without having to navigate complex data privacy challenges alone,” she says.
Building a culture of collaboration and innovation
At PayPal, collaboration across teams is central to driving innovation and developing secure, scalable payment solutions that empower businesses to expand globally. This collective approach fuels creativity and practical problem-solving across teams.
“Innovation at PayPal goes beyond developing new products – it’s about creating practical, scalable solutions that enhance the way businesses and consumers transact globally,” says Joanna Koh, the director and head of strategic programmes, who leads business operations for PayPal’s Singapore Development Centre (SDC).
Based in PayPal’s international headquarters, SDC is a hub of innovation and excellence. With a highly skilled team of over 200 professionals spanning engineering, product management, programme management, and cybersecurity, SDC drives impactful solutions and groundbreaking advancements. It is home to PayPal’s only Innovation Lab and one of two Cyber Defence Centres, where teams work alongside counterparts in the US to provide 24/7 proactive security monitoring. The SDC fosters innovation across corporate functions and Employee Resource Groups in Singapore, whether developing merchant solutions or pilot testing new solutions.
Through events like PayPal Innovation Day and hackathons, PayPal teams explore new problem statements, test ideas and prototype potential commerce solutions. The Patent Programme recognises employees who contribute business-impacting innovations, having granted nearly a hundred patents to date.
PayPal also nurtures future fintech professionals through industry associations and student engagement programmes. Initiatives like the PolyFinTech 100 API Hackathon, PayPal Pathways, SG Digital Leadership Accelerator Mentorship Program and NUS Orbital enable PayPal technologists to mentor students and exchange innovative problem solving.
Beyond talent development, SDC actively engages in social impact initiatives – from assembling wheelchairs for senior citizens to participating in charity runs and fundraising for global nonprofits. These moments reflect what makes SDC special – a place where PayPal’s people and purpose come together.
“At PayPal, innovation is really about a mindset that drives how we solve problems and create impact in everything we do. We encourage a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and collaboration, providing our teams with platforms to develop, test, and scale solutions that shape the future of commerce,” adds Koh.
With fintech leaders like Syed, Essien and Koh paving the way, PayPal is shaping the future of cross-border commerce – integrating security, trust and innovation to help businesses scale globally with confidence.
Syed adds, “PayPal’s approach has been about staying customer-focused – whether through fraud management, cost reduction, or unlocking new global opportunities. We are continuously innovating to ensure that businesses can scale confidently in an increasingly complex and borderless world.”
