PAYPAL Holdings said on Monday (Aug 14) that Alex Chriss, a top executive at tax-preparation software firm Intuit, would replace its longest-serving chief executive officer Dan Schulman on Sep 27.

The change of guard marks a watershed moment for digital payments giant PayPal, which has been looking to push deeper into the cryptocurrency payments space with the launch of a US dollar stablecoin last week.

Underwhelming margins have been troubling the San Jose, California-based company. Earlier this month, PayPal reported second-quarter adjusted operating margins of 21.4 per cent, missing its forecast of 22 per cent.

Chriss will be taking the helm at a time when cost-cutting has become a priority for PayPal, as it battens down the hatches to prepare for a potential slowdown.

In a post-earnings call, Schulman had said the company was in the final stages of selecting his successor.

Shares were up nearly 1 per cent, at US$62.02.

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In a separate statement, Intuit named Marianna Tessel the general manager of its Small Business and Self-Employed Group, a role currently held by Chriss.

Schulman’s legacy

Schulman was brought into PayPal to steer the firm as a standalone company after it split from e-commerce firm eBay in 2015.

Under him, PayPal became the first major financial technology firm to embrace digital currencies for payments and transfers.

The New Jersey native worked as a truck driver before being accepted into Middlebury College. Prior to his time at PayPal, he had worked at American Express and AT&T .

At PayPal, Schulman led the company’s foray into the buy now, pay later (BNPL) market, with interest in the sector running high. REUTERS