Stripe and private equity firm Advent International have submitted a roughly $53 billion bid to acquire PayPal, offering $60.50 per share. The proposal represents a 28% premium over PayPal’s closing price on July 15 and has sent shockwaves through the payments industry.
The bid is backed by approximately $50 billion in committed bank financing, according to sources familiar with the matter. Stripe, valued at $159 billion in its most recent funding round, processed $1.9 trillion in payment volume in 2025 and is already profitable. Adding PayPal’s massive merchant network and consumer brand would create a dominant force across both online and in-person payments.
PayPal, once the undisputed leader in digital payments, has struggled in recent years as competitors like Stripe, Block, and Apple Pay eroded its market share. The company’s market capitalization has declined from its pandemic-era highs, making it a more attainable acquisition target.
For Stripe, the deal represents a bold bet on consolidation. The company, which was founded in 2010 with the mission to make online payments easier, began as a challenger to PayPal’s dominance. Now it aims to absorb its former rival.
Regulatory scrutiny is expected to be intense. The combination of Stripe and PayPal would control a significant share of global online payment processing, raising antitrust concerns in the US and Europe.
