Stripe and Advent Offer $53 Billion for PayPal

Stripe and Advent International submitted an unsolicited $53 billion offer to acquire PayPal on July 15, 2026. The proposal values PayPal at $60.50 per share, about 28% above the company’s prior closing price, and is backed by roughly $50 billion in committed bank financing. Under the plan, Stripe and Advent would each hold a 50% stake and would not split PayPal into separate businesses.

The parties say the initial approach began in April 2026 and the formal offer was delivered in mid-July. PayPal’s board has not accepted the proposal and has not issued a formal response. PayPal, Stripe and Advent declined to comment. The buyers aim to advance talks within weeks with a target of reaching an agreement by the end of July; PayPal is due to report second-quarter results on July 28.

Markets reacted strongly after the announcement. PayPal shares rose roughly 18% to 21% in early trading. A prediction market placed the probability of a deal at about 80% after the offer. Investor Michael Burry called the offer “insulting,” estimating PayPal’s intrinsic value between $75 and $115 per share and giving his best guess near $100.

The bidders point to stablecoin infrastructure as their main commercial rationale. Stripe owns Bridge, a platform it acquired in 2025 that provides white-label stablecoin issuance, fiat on- and off-ramps, and reserve yield-sharing arrangements. PayPal runs the PYUSD stablecoin, which has about $2.9 billion in supply and reaches more than 400 million consumer accounts. The combination would bring together issuance tools and developer integrations on the one hand and consumer distribution on the other.

The proposed deal would also combine merchant networks and payment infrastructure. Stripe supports more than 5 million developers and PayPal has about 35 million accepting merchants, creating an entity that could reach an estimated 35 million to 40 million merchants and roughly 400 million consumer accounts. PayPal’s Venmo would add a native peer-to-peer wallet to the merged business.

Regulatory scrutiny is a potential closing risk. Stripe’s Braintree unit and PayPal’s Braintree business overlap, creating possible concentration concerns for competition regulators. Other risks include shareholder opposition and the outcome of PayPal’s upcoming quarterly results.

PayPal has faced slower growth and intensified competition from platform-based wallet services. The company replaced Alex Chriss as chief executive and installed Enrique Lores as president and CEO earlier in 2026 to lead turnaround efforts. Analysts have noted continued investment to drive growth and persistent investor skepticism about near-term performance.

If completed at $60.50 per share, the transaction would rank among the largest fintech acquisitions on record and would be notable for a venture-backed private company pursuing control of a major public firm. The offer remains open and the companies involved have not confirmed any agreement.