Stripe, Advent bid $53bn to acquire PayPal
A $53 billion acquisition bid from Stripe and Advent International could consolidate mainstream stablecoin payments, though PayPal has so far resisted engagement.
Stripe and private equity firm Advent International have offered $60.50 per share to acquire PayPal, valuing the target at $53 billion. The proposal represents a 28% premium over PayPal’s Tuesday closing price of $47.37. PayPal shares surged more than 18% to $56.10 in pre-market trading following the report.
The approach follows an earlier expression of interest. However, PayPal has reportedly been reluctant to engage with the new bid. Representatives for Stripe, PayPal and Advent did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
For investors, the bid signals a potential shakeup in the digital payments sector, where both companies are prominent players. The proposed combination would unite two of the largest traditional financial firms integrating stablecoins into mainstream payment rails. A merger would consolidate significant digital assets infrastructure under one corporate roof.
Acquiring PayPal would immediately hand Stripe control of PYUSD, which ranks as the eighth-largest stablecoin with a $185 million market capitalization. While this is a fraction of the $184 billion market controlled by Tether’s USDT, PYUSD provides a regulated digital settlement layer tied to a massive merchant network.
Stripe brings a complementary but evolving crypto strategy. The San Francisco-based company historically built its infrastructure around Circle Internet’s USDC, the second-largest stablecoin. Stripe is now moving to offer blockchain-based services more independently through the development of its own mainnet, Tempo.
The acquisition would also align PayPal with Stripe’s recent entry into the Open USD venture. This coalition, which includes Mastercard, Visa and BlackRock, is developing a new stablecoin positioned to challenge USDC. Combining these assets would create a traditional finance powerhouse with deeply embedded digital currency capabilities.
Until PayPal's board officially responds, the deal remains speculative. However, the scale of the offer ensures continued market scrutiny of both companies' digital asset strategies.
