Nigeria Celebrates as PayPal Partners Paga for Cross-Border Payments
Nigeria celebrates a major fintech boost as PayPal partners Paga to expand secure, faster cross-border payments for individuals and businesses nationwide.
Nigeria’s digital economy reached a major turning point on January 27, 2026, as the PayPal Nigeria return became official through a strategic partnership with fintech company Paga. The long standing restriction that prevented Nigerians from receiving international PayPal payments has now been lifted, allowing Paga’s more than 21 million users to link their wallets directly to PayPal.
This development opens a direct channel for funds to flow from over 200 countries into Nigerian bank accounts, dismantling a barrier that had limited freelancers, creators, and small businesses for nearly two decades. By leveraging Paga’s trusted local infrastructure, the integration enables Nigerians to earn globally and access their funds instantly in naira.
The collaboration represents a deep technical integration rather than a symbolic comeback. Users can now link their PayPal accounts through the Paga platform, receive international payments, convert funds seamlessly, and withdraw directly to local banks or spend within the Paga ecosystem. The move also expands access to global commerce, allowing Nigerians to shop with millions of PayPal supported merchants and receive transfers from Venmo users in the United States.
Paga founder Tayo Oviosu revealed that discussions with PayPal began over a decade ago, but Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem had not yet reached the compliance maturity required at the time. With Paga processing trillions of naira in transactions by 2025, PayPal executives cited confidence in local KYC and AML frameworks as the key driver behind the decision.
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As Nigeria navigates foreign exchange pressures, the partnership is expected to bring more digital earnings into the formal financial system, empowering the country’s growing population of remote workers and positioning local businesses to access PayPal’s global network of hundreds of millions of users.