# Zettle

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/zettle
> research date 2026-06-01 · extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Zettle by PayPal — official](https://www.zettle.com/)

## Overview

**Zettle** (formerly **iZettle**; branded **Zettle by PayPal**) is a **Stockholm-born mobile-POS / card-acquiring fintech** for small merchants, now a **PayPal-owned product line** <sup>[1][1], [Sweden report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/SE)</sup>. Often called "the Square of Europe", it pioneered the **chip-card reader paired with a smartphone** model in the Nordics and across Europe + Latin America.

PayPal acquired iZettle in **2018 for ~$2.2B** and rebranded it **Zettle by PayPal** in 2020, integrating it into PayPal's omnichannel merchant offering.

## History

**2010 — iZettle founded** in Stockholm by **Jacob de Geer + Magnus Nilsson** to bring secure chip-card acceptance to small merchants via a smartphone-connected reader <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

**2011-2017 — European + Latin American expansion** (UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordics, Brazil, Mexico).

**2018 — PayPal acquires iZettle** for **~$2.2B** <sup>[2][2]</sup>, its largest acquisition at the time.

**2020 — Rebrand to "Zettle by PayPal"**; deeper integration with PayPal merchant services and Tap to Pay rollout.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **iZettle AB**, operating as **Zettle by PayPal**.

**Parent**: **PayPal Holdings, Inc.** (NASDAQ: PYPL) since the 2018 acquisition.

**Founders**: **Jacob de Geer + Magnus Nilsson**.

**Regulators**: **Finansinspektionen (Sweden)** + **FCA (UK)** + per-country EU regulators.

## Technical integration

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Channels** | Card readers (Reader 2, Terminal) + Tap to Pay on iPhone/Android + online checkout + PayPal integration |
| **Identifiers** | Card (chip + contactless) + NFC wallets + PayPal account |
| **Hardware** | Bluetooth Reader 2 (reader-plus-phone) + standalone Zettle Terminal |
| **Merchant focus** | Small merchants + retail + hospitality |
| **Stack** | Card acceptance + POS app + inventory + PayPal payouts |

## Implementations & partners

**Operator**: **iZettle AB (Zettle by PayPal)**; **Parent**: PayPal Holdings.

**Card networks**: Visa, Mastercard, Amex + NFC wallets (Apple Pay / Google Pay) + PayPal.

**Competitors**: **[Square](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/square)** (Block Inc.), **[SumUp](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/sumup)**, **[Yoco](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/yoco)**, plus bank mPOS products.

**Regulators**: **Finansinspektionen + FCA + per-country EU**.

## Status

**Active**, PayPal's European SMB mobile-POS arm <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:
- **Zettle by PayPal** brand since 2020.
- **PayPal-owned** since 2018 (~$2.2B acquisition).
- Card readers + Tap to Pay + POS app + PayPal payouts.
- **Finansinspektionen + FCA + per-country EU regulated**.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.zettle.com/ "Zettle by PayPal — official"
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IZettle "iZettle — Wikipedia"
[se-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/SE

- [1] [Zettle by PayPal — official][1]
- [2] [iZettle — Wikipedia][2]
- <sup>[Sweden report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/SE)</sup> In-corpus: see SE country report

## Source

Biography extracted from [zettle.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/zettle). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.