Minister of Economic Development, Transport and Trade Mohamed Saeed has said that over 3,280 startups have linked their businesses to PayPal since the payment platform was launched in the Maldives.

Responding to questions from journalists during a press conference held at the President's Office, minister Saeed said 2,159 new PayPal wallets have also been activated since the service became available in the country. He described the figures as an encouraging start and said additional PayPal services and features are expected to be introduced in the future.

The minister said expanding PayPal's services would provide greater opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups by improving access to international digital payments and online business.

Minister Saeed further added that the introduction of PayPal was made possible through the Government's efforts in collaboration with Ooredoo Maldives and PayPal. He also criticised claims that the service was unavailable in the Maldives, describing such assertions as politically motivated despite the platform now being operational in the country.

PayPal was officially launched in the Maldives earlier this month through Ooredoo Maldives, enabling freelancers, entrepreneurs and businesses to receive international payments through the global digital payment platform.