Stripe and private equity firm Advent International are in ongoing talks to acquire PayPal under revised terms, with a deal possible in the coming weeks, sources said on August 15, 2026 [1, 2, 3].
The negotiations follow a joint offer made in July to buy PayPal at $60.50 per share, valuing the payments company around $53 billion [1, 2, 3]. This July offer represented about an 85% discount from PayPal's 2021 peak market value near $360 billion [1, 2]. Prior to the offer, PayPal’s valuation was reported around $40 billion by some sources, though others implied a higher valuation based on the discount [1, 2, 3].
PayPal has faced increasing competition from Apple Pay and Google Pay and recently issued disappointing profit guidance for 2026, contributing to its lower market value [1, 2]. The company recently reorganized under CEO Enrique Lores, who was appointed in March 2026. Lores restructured PayPal into three units focused on checkout, Venmo, and payments/crypto [3].
Stripe, a privately held company valued at about $185 billion, was founded in 2010 by brothers Patrick and John Collison to simplify online payments for businesses [1, 2]. A merger with PayPal could allow Stripe to reduce its reliance on Visa and MasterCard networks and integrate PayPal’s Venmo and crypto capabilities [3].
Together, Stripe and Advent would each hold equal stakes and serve as joint owners, with no current plans to break up PayPal [3]. PayPal processes an estimated $3.7 trillion in payments annually, underscoring its scale despite recent challenges [3].
Following the news of renewed talks, PayPal shares rose nearly 1.8% at market close August 14, 2026 [1, 2]. PayPal declined to comment on the sale discussions [1, 2].
The parties are expected to conclude negotiations within the next few weeks, potentially announcing new deal terms by early September [1, 2, 3].
