Stripe wants to buy PayPal. Let that sink in for a moment.
The payments giant and private equity firm Advent International have submitted a joint takeover bid valuing PayPal at over $53B, or $60.50 per share. That’s roughly a 28% premium over PayPal’s closing price of $47.37 on July 14. PayPal shares responded exactly how you’d expect, surging approximately 17% on the news after premarket gains hit as high as 19%.
The proposed deal would split ownership equally between Stripe and Advent, with around $50B in bank financing potentially backing the transaction. The goal: take PayPal private and unlock monetization opportunities that public market pressures have apparently been suffocating.
A deal that’s been brewing
This isn’t exactly a bolt from the blue. Stripe reportedly showed interest in acquiring PayPal as far back as February 2026, making this bid more courtship than surprise proposal.
