Stripe and Advent reportedly team up to bid $53B for PayPal

Stripe and private equity giant Advent International have reportedly made a formal unsolicited bid to acquire PayPal at $60.50 per share, valuing the payments company at more than $53 billion. The offer, which landed with roughly $50 billion in committed bank financing behind it, represents a 28% premium over PayPal’s closing price on July 14.

PayPal’s stock surged in pre-market trading following the news.

What the deal looks like

The proposed structure would give Stripe and Advent equal 50/50 ownership stakes in PayPal. Critically, the plan calls for keeping the company intact rather than breaking it up for parts.

This wasn’t a cold call. Stripe and Advent first approached PayPal back in early April 2026, according to reports. The formal offer came in earlier this month, suggesting months of behind-the-scenes groundwork before going public with the bid.

None of the parties involved, including PayPal, Stripe, or Advent, have made public comments.

Why this matters for fintech and crypto

PayPal has been one of the most significant traditional finance gateways into crypto over the past several years. The company launched crypto buying and selling for US customers, introduced its own stablecoin (PYUSD), and has been steadily expanding digital asset functionality across its platform.

Stripe itself has been aggressively expanding into crypto payments, adding support for stablecoin transactions and blockchain-based settlement.

PYUSD, PayPal’s stablecoin, has been competing for market share against Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC.

The competitive and regulatory landscape

Stripe, still privately held, has been valued at north of $90 billion in recent funding rounds. Advent International manages one of the largest global private equity portfolios.

PayPal has faced competitive pressure in recent years from Stripe, Block (formerly Square), Apple Pay, and a growing number of crypto-native payment solutions. The 28% premium suggests Stripe and Advent believe the market has been undervaluing PayPal’s assets and growth potential.

Investors should watch for PayPal’s formal response in the coming weeks. A rejection could lead to a sweetened offer or a hostile bid.

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