On April 8, UK Minister for the Cabinet Office, Rt Hon Francis Maude MP, and a delegation of UK Government officials joined PayPal President, David Marcus, and key eBay Inc. representatives to discuss a range of issues, including PayPal’s position as an innovative, world class technology company, a global leader in mobile payments, and a leader managing risk and fraud.  The Minister and his team were keen to learn from eBay Inc. and others about how we are able to build platforms at scale and how these lessons can be applied within government.

eBay senior staff spoke to the Minister about the benefits of local and “mobile-first” for consumers and merchants, and how eBay Inc. technologies support both within their omnichannel strategy - whether that be via Click & Collect with eBay; pay in-store via the PayPal app or via PayPal Here; or via omnichannel services like ship from store via eBay Enterprise.  This is especially important in the UK as they have one of the most advanced mobile markets in terms of the proportion of eBay sales transacted via mobile.  In the UK, an item is bought every second via the eBay app!

The eBay Inc. team also spoke to the Minister about the important role open-source plays at the company, the benefits and efficiencies of cloud computing, and the importance of ensuring that international laws do not inhibit these operations by instituting data localization requirements.

eBay supports the Minister’s commitment to advancing digital government and fostering innovation, and we look forward to continuing to work with him and his team.  Learn more about the Minister.