German Regulatory Watchdog Launch Probe Against PayPal Over Antitrust Concerns
Germany's cartel office regulator initiated proceedings against payment company PayPal Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: PYPL) Europe over potential anticompetitive concerns.
PayPal's rules for its surcharge and its presentation for use in Germany dominated the proceedings.
Germany investigated particular rules prohibiting merchants from offering their goods and services at a lower price to customers choosing a cheaper payment method than PayPal.
PayPal allegedly prevented sellers from opting for other payment methods or making their use more convenient for customers.
Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt: "These clauses might restrict competition and violate the prohibition of abuse of a dominant position. We will now assess the extent of PayPal's market power and in how far online sellers depend on offering PayPal as a payment method."
The fees incurred by sellers depended on the payment scheme. Sellers usually include these fees in the product prices so that, ultimately, consumers bear the costs.
Studies found that PayPal is the leading online payment scheme in Germany and one of the most expensive online payment services.
The watchdog previously initiated proceedings against Amazon.Com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META) Facebook.
In 2021, the U.S. Justice Department monitored Visa Inc's (NYSE: V) financial incentives doled out to Block, Inc (NYSE: SQ), Stripe Inc, and PayPal as part of its antitrust investigation.
The investigators probed whether Visa's deals prevented the payments firms from using other card networks or money-movement technologies.
Price Action: PYPL shares traded lower by 0.96% at $78.33 in the premarket on the last check Monday.
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