PayPal launches first bot through Slack app

PayPal on Tuesday announced its first bot, which will allow Slack users to send and receive money without ever having to leave the messaging app.

Sending money from your PayPal account to a colleague or friend through Slack is as easy as typing: "/PayPal send $5 to @Jake."

The PayPal bot can be added through the Slack App Directory and is now available to Slack users in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. Once the bot is installed, you're able to link your PayPal account and set it as your preferred transaction setting.

PayPal's first bot release comes after an uptick in P2P payments. PayPal said in 2015 it saw a 42-percent increase in P2P transactions and processed $41 billion in P2P volume across PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom. The number is likely to have risen in 2016.

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PayPal isn't shying away from payments being processed outside of its official apps. Facebook Messenger added support for PayPal payments in October 2016.

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