Stripe, Advent Bid $53B to Acquire PayPal

Is this a bold industry power play or a desperate low-ball gamble?

Published JUL 15

Stripe, Advent Bid $53B to Acquire PayPal

Story

Above: The PayPal logo is seen on a smartphone screen in Krakow, Poland, on May 8. Image credit: Marcin Golba/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The Facts

Stripe and private equity firm Advent International have jointly offered to acquire PayPal Holdings for $60.50 per share, valuing the company at more than $53 billion, according to media reports, including from Reuters, which first reported the news on Tuesday. PayPal's board is set to meet as soon as July 20 to discuss the offer.
EconoTimes
CNBC
Reuters
The offer, submitted earlier this month, is backed by roughly $50 billion in committed bank financing and represents a 28% premium to PayPal's closing share price on Tuesday. PayPal shares surged around 19% in premarket trading following news of the bid.
Irishtimes
The Wall Street Journal
Under the proposal, Stripe and Advent would each hold an equal ownership stake in PayPal and intend to keep the company intact rather than break it up. PayPal had not responded to the offer as of the time of reporting.
Crypto Briefing
Bloomberg Law
The bid follows an initial approach made in early April. Stripe's interest in acquiring PayPal was first reported by Bloomberg in February, when the company was said to be considering buying parts or all of PayPal.
Reuters
Silicon Republic
PayPal's market capitalization peaked at roughly $360 billion in 2021 before falling to as low as $36 billion this year, with shares down more than 40% over the past 12 months. CEO Enrique Lores, who took over in March, has reorganized the company into three business units and targeted at least $1.5 billion in savings over two to three years.
Crypto Briefing
PYMNTS
Stripe was valued at $159 billion in a February employee tender offer and processed $1.9 trillion in total payment volume in 2025. Advent, a Boston-founded private equity firm with $94 billion in assets under management, has invested more than $7.8 billion across 18 payments and fintech companies since 2008.
PE Insights on Substack
PYMNTS

Sources Split

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RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

This offer marks a massive shake-up in the payments industry. The $60.50 per share cash bid represents a 28% premium over PayPal's closing price, with $50 billion in committed bank financing backing the deal. PayPal shares jumped 14% on the news, signaling strong market confidence in the offer's legitimacy.

CNBC

Narrative B

This looks more like a desperate move than a power play — PayPal's new CEO has little reason to accept what analysts are already calling a low-ball offer. Stripe already processes roughly 40% more volume than PayPal and leads in e-commerce with a superior tech stack, so absorbing a struggling company risks diluting Stripe's own growth and profitability.