Stripe and private equity firm Advent International have submitted a joint offer to acquire PayPal in a deal valued at more than $53 billion, according to Reuters. The proposal would bring together two of the largest names in digital payments if PayPal agrees to move forward.
The offer values PayPal at $60.50 per share and was submitted earlier this month. It is backed by about $50 billion in committed bank financing, with Stripe and Advent expected to own equal stakes in the company under the proposed structure.
PayPal has not publicly responded to the offer. There is no official company announcement from PayPal, Stripe or Advent at this stage, so the deal remains a reported proposal rather than a confirmed transaction.
Deal Would Reshape Digital Payments
A successful acquisition would unite Stripe’s merchant-focused payments infrastructure with PayPal’s consumer payments network. PayPal serves about 440 million active accounts and processed roughly $1.8 trillion in payment volume in 2025.
Stripe has also continued to scale rapidly. In its 2025 annual update, the company said businesses running on Stripe generated $1.9 trillion in total payment volume, up 34% from 2024.
The deal would mark a major strategic move for Stripe, which has typically grown through product expansion rather than megadeals. The company was valued at $159 billion earlier this year, making it one of the world’s most valuable private fintech companies.
Advent would bring private equity experience and financing support to the bid. The firm has a long history of investments in financial services, payments and enterprise technology.
PayPal Faces Turnaround Pressure
The offer comes at a difficult moment for PayPal. Enrique Lores became chief executive in March after a profit warning and slowing momentum in parts of the company’s core checkout business.
PayPal has been working on a restructuring plan that includes at least $1.5 billion in cost reductions over the next two to three years. Reports have also said the company may cut about 20% of its workforce as part of the turnaround effort.
The company is still a major payments platform, but it faces stronger competition from Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shopify, Stripe and other payment providers. Investor pressure has grown as PayPal’s valuation remains far below its pandemic-era peak.
The proposed offer is reportedly about a 28% premium to PayPal’s closing share price on Tuesday. Analysts cited by Reuters and other outlets said the bid may still be too low to secure support from PayPal’s board and shareholders.
If negotiations continue, Stripe and Advent could raise the offer or adjust the structure. For now, the proposal shows how consolidation pressure is building in digital payments as scale, distribution and consumer checkout access become more valuable.
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