Payments company Stripe and private equity firm Advent International have made a joint offer to acquire PayPal Holdings for USD 60.50 per share, in a deal that would value the company at more than USD 53 billion, according to two people familiar with the matter who declined to be named due to the confidential nature of the discussions.
Details of the proposal
The offer, submitted earlier in July 2026, is backed by approximately USD 50 billion in committed bank financing, according to one of the sources. The proposed price represents around a 28% premium to PayPal's recent closing share price. Under the proposal, Stripe and Advent would jointly own PayPal, each holding an equal stake, rather than dividing the company between them.
The proposal follows an initial approach made in early April 2026. Stripe and Advent have not received a response from PayPal and are said to be seeking to advance discussions in the coming weeks. PayPal, Stripe, and Advent International declined to comment.
Market and industry context
PayPal has faced increasing competition in recent years as consumers have adopted alternative payment methods, including Apple Pay and Google Pay, contributing to a decline in the company's market value from a 2021 peak of approximately USD 360 billion to as low as roughly USD 36 billion in 2026. Enrique Lores, who became chief executive officer in March 2026, has since led a restructuring of the company's operations into three units covering checkout, Venmo, and payments and crypto, alongside broader efficiency measures.
A potential deal of this scale would add to a wider period of consolidation in the global payments sector, following transactions including Global Payments' USD 24.25 billion acquisition of Worldpay in 2025 and Nuvei's USD 2.75 billion acquisition of Payoneer Global, as companies pursue scale and exposure to faster-growing payment segments.
What happens next
As of the time of reporting, PayPal had not issued a public response to the proposal, and discussions remain confidential. According to the sources, Stripe and Advent are seeking to advance discussions in the coming weeks, though no formal agreement or rejection has been confirmed by any of the parties involved, and there is no certainty the approach will result in a transaction.
