PayPal Appoints Barclays Executive Simon Bladon as New UK CEO

<p>PayPal
has appointed Simon Bladon, the former Managing Director of Customer and Digital at
Barclays, as its new UK CEO. This announcement is subject to regulatory
approval. Alongside his role as the UK CEO, he will assume the position of
Vice President of Global Entity Management at PayPal.</p><p>Seasoned
Leadership at Barclays: A Decade of Experience</p><p>Bladon
brings a wealth of experience to PayPal, having served as a Barclays veteran
since 2010. His journey at Barclays included various leadership roles, with his
most recent position being Managing Director of Customer and Digital, Head of
Operations and Control, and lead for the implementation of the FCA Consumer
Duty. His responsibilities encompassed overseeing customer operations and
control, data privacy, and serving as the Group-wide lead for implementing
regulatory compliance.</p><p>Before
rejoining the main bank in 2021, Bladon played a pivotal role in establishing
Barclays Ventures in 2018. This initiative aimed at creating transformative
business lines and capabilities for Barclays by leveraging technology, data,
and strategic partnerships. </p><p>In
his earlier roles at Barclays, Bladon served as the Managing Director of Group
Strategy, leading strategic transformation programs, including the Barclays
Brexit License Application, Senior Managers Regime Implementation, and the
regulatory license application for the creation of Barclays International. </p><p>Additionally, Bladon contributed his expertise to Aqua Air Ltd as a
non-executive director. At this 25-year-old family business specializing in
cleaning solutions, he played a crucial role in supporting the strategic
response to <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/tag/covid_19/">COVID-19</a>,
overseeing the reorganization, and facilitating the sale of the business in
June 2022.</p><p>FCA
Approval: PayPal Enters UK Cryptocurrency Market</p><p><a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/paypal-gains-approval-to-offer-crypto-services-in-the-uk/">PayPal
has gained approval from the UK's Financial Conduct Authority</a> to offer
cryptocurrency services since October 31, 2023, as reported by <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/">Finance Magnates</a>. While the FCA
grants this permission, it imposes restrictions, limiting PayPal to holding and
selling crypto assets for existing customers and barring the onboarding of new
ones. </p><p>The
company is further restricted from expanding into various crypto activities, such
as exchanges, initial coin offerings, and decentralized finance. Positioned as
the fourth company to receive FCA's crypto registration in 2023, this
development follows PayPal's temporary suspension of crypto purchases for UK
customers in October as part of the efforts to comply with new regulatory
requirements.</p>

This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.