Payments firm Stripe and private equity firm Advent International made a joint offer to acquire PayPal in early July 2026, valuing the company at over $53 billion or $60.50 per share, about a 28% premium to PayPal's closing price the previous Tuesday [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The acquisition proposal includes approximately $50 billion in committed financing from banks [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Stripe and Advent plan to own PayPal equally and keep the company intact rather than breaking it up [1, 3, 5]. Despite the bid, PayPal has not responded publicly to the offer as of August 7, 2026 [1, 3, 4, 5].
PayPal's stock had declined roughly 18-19% over the year prior to the bid, falling from above $70 per share a year ago to below the offer price [1, 3, 4, 5]. Once a pioneer in digital payments, PayPal has struggled to modernize and fend off competition from Apple and Alphabet [1, 3, 5]. New CEO Enrique Lores, appointed in March 2026, is leading a turnaround effort that includes planned cuts of about 20% of the workforce over the next few years [1].
Stripe remains privately held after a $159 billion valuation from an employee tender offer in February 2026 [1, 3]. Stripe co-founder John Collison said, "We are not in a hurry to go public" in relation to the acquisition plans [3].
The initial reports of the offer surfaced around July 15, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The deal now awaits a response from PayPal's board and shareholders.
The next key development will be PayPal's official decision on the bid, expected in the coming weeks.
