Stripe and private equity firm Advent International have submitted a joint bid to acquire PayPal in a deal valued at approximately $53.4 billion, according to a Reuters report. The offer, made earlier this month, is backed by roughly $50 billion in committed bank financing. Under the proposal, Stripe and Advent would each hold an equal stake in the payments giant.
A Blockbuster Payments Merger
If completed, the acquisition would unite two of the biggest names in digital payments. PayPal serves around 440 million active accounts and processed roughly $1.8 trillion in payment volume during 2025. Meanwhile, businesses use Stripe to handle $1.9 trillion in payments over the same period. Stripe's valuation climbed to $159 billion earlier this year.
This isn't the first time Stripe has been linked with a potential takeover of PayPal. Earlier reports in February suggested the company had explored a possible acquisition and engaged in preliminary discussions, although no formal proposal emerged at the time.
PayPal's Pivotal Moment
The potential deal comes at a critical juncture for PayPal. CEO Enrique Lores took over in March following a profit warning. Since then, the company has announced plans to cut at least $1.5 billion in costs over the next two to three years and reduce its workforce by around 20% as it seeks to return to stronger growth.
PayPal has yet to respond publicly to the offer. PayPal, Stripe and Advent International did not immediately respond to requests for comment.