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September 25th, 2024 | 07:15 CEST

PayPal, BlockchainK2, Rheinmetall: Technology pioneers in fintech, SaaS and air defense

  • Blockchain
  • Defense
  • Technology
Photo credits: pixabay.com

Exciting collaborations with growth potential are currently emerging in the tech sector. Under the leadership of new CEO Alex Chriss, PayPal has entered into a partnership with Amazon's "Buy with Prime," thereby achieving a reach booster. BlockchainK2 is revolutionizing the venture capital sector as a holding company: by investing in an advanced SaaS platform for investments, BlockchainK2 could pave the way for rapid value creation in the VC space. The technology has the potential to optimize investment processes, reminiscent of the rapid increase in the value of eBay, which provided VC Benchmark Capital with a 100,000% return in just two years. Rheinmetall is setting new standards in defense technology. Its collaboration with MBDA Germany to develop maritime laser defense systems shows how the Company is applying cutting-edge technologies to security. We take a look at the details.

time to read: 5 minutes | Author: Juliane Zielonka
ISIN: PAYPAL HDGS INC.DL-_0001 | US70450Y1038 , BLOCKCHAINK2 CORP | CA09369M1077 , RHEINMETALL AG | DE0007030009

Table of contents:


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    PayPal under new CEO: Share price jumps after Amazon partnership

    Under the leadership of the new CEO, Alex Chriss linkedin.com/in/alexchriss, PayPal is experiencing new success. The share price rose after the strategic partnership between Amazon's "Buy with Prime" program and the payment service provider became known.

    The new partnership allows customers to use PayPal as a payment method for "Buy with Prime" purchases. This may sound small, but given the enormous userbase of Prime customers, it is a milestone for PayPal to expand its own reach in the highly competitive online payment market.

    Since taking over as CEO, Chriss has launched several strategic initiatives. These include the expansion of partnerships with Adyen and Fiserv in August, which aims to strengthen PayPal's presence with merchants (B2B business). Chriss is navigating PayPal through a challenging market environment in which payment service providers are lowering their fees to attract customers. The Amazon partnership could prove to be a key element in Chriss' strategy to strengthen PayPal's competitive position.

    Market observers and investors are following Chriss' leadership and the resulting corporate developments with great interest. The positive reactions to recent initiatives suggest that the new CEO is successfully meeting PayPal's challenges and inspiring analysts.

    Holding company BlockchainK2 is revolutionizing the venture capital industry

    Once an additional vehicle of eBay, PayPal has long since evolved into a star in the fintech industry, far surpassing the online marketplace. Pierre Omidyar initially launched eBay in 1995 with his own capital as a hobby project to expand his PEZ dispenser collection. PEZ candies are typically sold in special dispensers, often decorated with figures from pop culture. After successful bootstrapping, eBay received a cash injection from the venture capitalist Benchmark Capital a year later. When Benchmark made its first investment in 1997, a USD 6.7 million investment in eBay, the auction company was valued at USD 20 million. By the following spring, the Company's value had soared to over USD 21 billion (!). As a result, Benchmark's investment had increased in value by 100,000% in less than two years, making it one of the best venture capital investments Silicon Valley had ever seen.

    To replicate and accelerate such wonderful investment stories, investors should look at the holding company BlockchainK2. The Company invests exclusively in blockchain technology companies that have the potential to transform entire industries. As the in-house portfolio continues to grow, the value of the holding company continues to rise. A kind of modern Berkshire Hathaway.

    One of their portfolio companies in the wake of the eBay story is the New York firm RealBlocks. RealBlocks has developed an advanced platform for startup investments à la Benchmark Capital. It targets fund managers and investors worldwide and uses state-of-the-art technologies such as generative AI and blockchain. This explains the somewhat unusual name of the holding company. The aim is to provide fund managers with a fully digital, customizable solution that allows them to expand their investor base.

    RealBlocks' Software-as-a-Service platform is designed for global scalability and combines all investment process functions in a user-friendly online interface. This reduces operating costs, provides technological support for global sales expansion, and provides a powerful tool for integrated secondary trading.

    The platform aims to create a new level of liquidity and transparency and enable fund managers, financial intermediaries, and investors to exert more control and influence over their performance. This allows users to create a faster and more securely documented investment pipeline - providing the opportunity for the next tenbagger. Investors can find more details here: https://www.realblocks.com/.

    Rheinmetall and MBDA enter into cooperation for maritime laser defense technology

    What sounds a bit like Star Wars has long been a reality at Rheinmetall. The next collaboration is on the cards for the Düsseldorf-based arms manufacturer: This time, it is for laser weapon technology for the sea. The partner: MBDA Germany. The aim of the cooperation is to bring a joint maritime product to market within the next five years. This should open up new possibilities for drone defense on ships.

    A maritime high-energy laser weapon system offers a wide range of applications in the area of close defense. Its primary function is to effectively combat drones, including swarm attacks, as well as attacking fast attack craft, as desired by Rheinmetall. This capability is particularly valuable in coastal waters or narrow sea lanes, where conventional weapon systems may be too slow or inaccurate.

    MBDA Deutschland GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MBDA, whose shareholders are Airbus Group, BAE Systems, and Leonardo. The plan now is to expand its existing laser weapon technology further.

    The decision to intensify the cooperation is based on the positive results of a joint project: from June 2022 to September 2023, a laser weapon demonstrator from Rheinmetall and MBDA Germany was integrated and tested on the German Navy's frigate 124 "Sachsen". During this on-board testing, the demonstrator impressed with documented performance in more than 100 test shots.

    The headlines from late August prove that defense is urgently needed. Alleged Russian drones are said to have been discovered off the German Baltic coast. The reconnaissance flights were primarily used to spy on the construction projects of the LNG terminal on the Holstein coast.


    PayPal, under CEO Alex Chriss, is pursuing a strategic realignment. The partnership with Amazon's "Buy with Prime" and expanded collaborations with Adyen and Fiserv are strengthening the Company's market position. PayPal is adapting to the highly competitive digital payments environment. BlockchainK2 acts as a holding company focused on blockchain technology. The Company invests in firms that use blockchain to transform industries. With investments such as RealBlocks, BlockchainK2 is targeting promising applications, particularly in the financial sector. The Company offers investors a diversified investment opportunity with potential for value appreciation. Rheinmetall is developing maritime laser defense systems in cooperation with MBDA Germany. This technology is designed to defend against drones and speedboats. Successful tests on the frigate "Sachsen" prove the practical applicability.


    Conflict of interest

    Pursuant to §85 of the German Securities Trading Act (WpHG), we point out that Apaton Finance GmbH as well as partners, authors or employees of Apaton Finance GmbH (hereinafter referred to as "Relevant Persons") may hold shares or other financial instruments of the aforementioned companies in the future or may bet on rising or falling prices and thus a conflict of interest may arise in the future. The Relevant Persons reserve the right to buy or sell shares or other financial instruments of the Company at any time (hereinafter each a "Transaction"). Transactions may, under certain circumstances, influence the respective price of the shares or other financial instruments of the Company.

    In addition, Apaton Finance GmbH is active in the context of the preparation and publication of the reporting in paid contractual relationships.

    For this reason, there is a concrete conflict of interest.

    The above information on existing conflicts of interest applies to all types and forms of publication used by Apaton Finance GmbH for publications on companies.

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    Der Autor

    Juliane Zielonka

    Born in Bielefeld, she studied German, English and psychology. The emergence of the Internet in the early '90s led her from university to training in graphic design and marketing communications. After years of agency work in corporate branding, she switched to publishing and learned her editorial craft at Hubert Burda Media.

    About the author



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