Stripe and private equity giant Advent International have lobbed an unsolicited bid north of $53 billion to acquire PayPal, potentially creating the most consequential merger in fintech history. The offer, priced at $60.50 per share, represents roughly a 28% premium over PayPal’s closing price on July 14.
The anatomy of a mega-deal
The consortium has lined up approximately $50 billion in bank financing to back the proposal. Stripe first signaled interest in exploring a PayPal acquisition back in February 2026, with an initial approach made in early April 2026. Stripe and Advent plan to maintain equal ownership stakes in PayPal rather than carving the company up for parts.
PayPal’s shares responded accordingly, surging 16.2% in premarket trading on July 15.
Why PayPal, and why now
