PayPal's May Zabaneh Joins the National Cryptocurrency Association Advisory Board to Help Demystify Crypto’s Role In Everyday Commerce

Zabaneh brings crypto and payments expertise to advance consumer and merchant crypto use

SAN JOSE, Calif. & MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Americans understand and use crypto with confidence, today announced the appointment of May Zabaneh, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Crypto at PayPal, to the NCA Advisory Board. With almost two decades of experience scaling global payment operations, Zabaneh joins the NCA to help make crypto more accessible in commerce through improved consumer and merchant education.

Zabaneh’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment of increasing crypto adoption among merchants and consumers. She’ll play a key role in helping NCA support individuals and companies navigate digital assets safely and responsibly through trusted learning resources, without any jargon or hype.

“The foundation for crypto in commerce is already in place. What’s needed now is clarity and confidence—so merchants and consumers can use it with ease in everyday transactions. Education is the key to unlocking that next wave of adoption,” said May Zabaneh, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Crypto, PayPal.

With deep expertise in digital payments and business, Zabaneh will strengthen the NCA’s efforts to help merchants and consumers understand how they can use crypto in everyday transactions. During more than 18 years at PayPal, she has helped scale global payment capabilities and bring new commerce experiences to market. She leads PayPal’s crypto organization, including the expansion of the PayPal USD (PYUSD) stablecoin and additional crypto experiences across the PayPal and Venmo wallets. Her guidance will support practical adoption while reinforcing NCA’s mission to provide clear, reliable resources that make crypto safe, understandable, and useful for all.

“May is at the forefront of payment innovation and commerce," said Stu Alderoty, President of the National Cryptocurrency Association. "Her insights will be invaluable as crypto continues to move into the mainstream. With May’s history of building trusted payment experiences at scale, and with one in five Americans saying they are more likely to shop at merchants that accept crypto, we are uniquely positioned to help remove remaining barriers and make crypto an easy, everyday payment choice for consumers and businesses alike.”

The appointment of Zabaneh follows recent research NCA conducted with PayPal, which found that 39% of U.S. merchants overall accept cryptocurrency at checkout, underscoring the shift from speculative interest toward practical, everyday use. Merchants that accept crypto report that 26% of their sales are driven by customers choosing crypto payments, demonstrating adoption as a clear business need. These findings highlight the critical role of education and clear guidance as interest grows.

About the National Cryptocurrency Association
The National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA) is a 501(C)(4) organization dedicated to educating consumers about how to engage with crypto. Crypto is positively impacting the lives of millions of Americans but misinformation has held back those who stand to benefit. The NCA is here to help make sense of crypto by sharing the stories of real people and businesses using crypto, providing educational resources to navigate the hype and confusion, and offering guidance and support through partnerships and services. For more information, visit https://www.nca.org.