PayPal is the largest “intermediary payment” service in the world. For those who do not know, works like this: you create a PayPal account (usually associated with a credit card) and when you do some shopping online, instead of passing your bank details to any vendor that you may not know, you use PayPal as an intermediary and thus completes the operation safer.

But if you’re one of the 2 million people who use the service, you already knew that. What I did not know is that the company chose Brazil to be its base of operations in Latin America. Since the form of payment used by 13% of Brazilian Internet users who buy online, the company recognizes its importance in the Brazilian market.

“You cannot remain indifferent to these numbers. And we’re talking about a customer base that we did not experience anything in the country, “said Director of Strategy René Pelegero during the E-Commerce Summit in Sao Paulo.

The company will assemble an office in Brazil, but there is no timeframe for this. According Pelegero, the rate of growth of electronic commerce in Brazil is important for the company’s decision.

According to research conducted by VisaNet in Latin America, in 2012 electronic commerce will be moving US$ 13 billion in the country (twice as Mexico and Argentina), which means a growth projection of 21% per annum. Today online sales move US$ 7 billion in Brazil.

Fonte: Folha.