Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed has revealed plans to hold discussions with the American government during the month of July, aiming to bolstering PayPal services in the Maldives and resolve the various challenges individuals encounter in accessing these services.
PayPal is an e-wallet or an application designed to facilitate the transfer of money online. Despite the application being utilised by several Maldivians, they have faced issues in obtaining all the services PayPal offers. As such, Maldivians using PayPal are restricted solely to outbound fund transfers, with no provision for inbound transactions.
Highlighting the commitment of President Dr. Muizzu to expanding online financial transaction avenues, Minister Saeed underscored ongoing efforts to introduce diverse e-wallet services nationwide. Confirming a scheduled official trip to the United States on July 10, the minister revealed intentions to confer with potential digital wallet providers from America. He ensured that the discussions will pertain to address the issues and challenged faced by e-wallet users in the Maldives.
Furthermore, Minister Saeed affirmed that that discussions will extend to establishing agreements with prominent digital wallet entities such as PayPal, Google Pay, and Apple Pay, with a view to enhancing the seamless facilitation of online financial transactions.
In addition to the e-wallets from America, efforts are underway by the government to introduce digital wallets from other countries. Under these initiatives, the Bank of Maldives (BML) has made arrangements such that dollar transactions from foreign platforms and e-wallet services are available since March 31. Among the e-wallets that were made available, WeChat Pay, a popular Chinese e-wallet that facilitates online financial transactions, was also included. Previously, BML halted these services following the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to prevent the outflow of foreign currency from the nation.