DP World and PayPal Forge Alliance to Revolutionise Cross-Border Payments

Editorial Team

Last updated 3-10-2025

3 min

DP World partners with PayPal for faster, transparent cross-border trade transactions, boosting business cashflow.

Their Digital Payments programme targets international merchants, using distributed ledgers and stablecoins.

The collaboration reduces costs, enhances transparency, and trust in global trade transactions.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem highlights the vital role of speedy, secure payments in logistics.

This partnership could establish the Gulf region as a digital commerce hub, despite regulatory challenges.

DP World has struck a new partnership with PayPal to roll out a digital payments initiative that promises to make cross-border trade transactions smoother, faster, and more transparent. The agreement was inked in Dubai, with the two companies highlighting how the collaboration could slash settlement times from several days to mere minutes. For those running businesses that live and die by cashflow, that’s nothing short of spot on.

The initiative, which DP World calls its Digital Payments programme, is aimed at international merchants, shippers, exporters, importers and online marketplaces. Rather than DP World itself becoming a licensed payments provider, it will work with an ecosystem of regulated players, using technologies such as distributed ledgers and even stablecoins to cut friction in moving money across borders. The idea is simple: reduce costs, boost transparency, and increase trust.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, underlined that payments in logistics matter just as much as the movement of goods. He explained that working with PayPal will give customers a reliable option that is quicker and clearer than the traditional banking route, without skimping on security. His point was blunt enough—businesses don’t want to wait a week just to settle an invoice.

From PayPal’s side, President and CEO Alex Chriss stressed how global trade is often held back by outdated financial rails. In his words, this partnership sets “a new standard” for businesses battling through clunky cross-border systems. I reckon he’s right—having once spoken with a MENA-based founder who told Arageek how a single delayed USD payment left them scrambling to pay suppliers, I can say the pain is real.

Beyond the corporate speak, the deal signals something larger: the Gulf region is edging towards being a serious hub for digital commerce. Money moving faster across borders means startups in Cairo, Riyadh or Casablanca could think twice before spending extra on complicated workarounds. Of course, the devil is in the details—compliance with regulators, the practicality of stablecoin-based solutions, and adoption rates all remain hurdles. But if done well… it could be a game-changer.

On the flip side, I’m not a fan of how every new partnership instantly gets branded as “transformational.” Sometimes it is, sometimes it’s a bit of a faff. Still, combining DP World’s weight in global logistics with PayPal’s digital payments credibility feels more than just marketing gloss.

DP World, employing over 100,000 staff and operating across six continents, has been pushing to reimagine supply chains with digital-first tools. PayPal, meanwhile, has 25 years of experience shifting money for consumers and businesses in some 200 markets. Bringing the two together feels like a natural match. If they manage to deliver what’s been promised, many smaller firms in the MENA region will be chuffed to bits.

As entrepreneurship stories go, this one reminds me why Arageek keeps banging on about enabling startups, not just spotlighting them. Faster payments won’t solve every problem, but for founders caught between suppliers demanding cash up front and clients dragging their feet, it might just make the diference between survival and growth.

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