Stripe and private equity firm Advent International made a joint offer for PayPal Holdings worth more than $53 billion on July 14, 2026, according to Reuters, which cited two people familiar with the confidential talks.
Key Takeaways
- Stripe and Advent International proposed $60.50 per share for PayPal, valuing the payments giant at more than $53 billion, per Reuters.
- Banks have committed roughly $50 billion in financing to back the joint bid.
- The plan keeps PayPal whole. Stripe and Advent would each hold an equal 50% stake rather than breaking up the company.
- PayPal shares jumped about 15% after news of the offer emerged, though PayPal has not responded and no deal is certain.
- The approach follows an initial contact made in early April, months after PayPal created a crypto division running PYUSD, issued by an OCC-regulated trust company.
What Happened?
Stripe and Advent International offered $60.50 per share for PayPal, valuing the company at more than $53 billion, a premium of about 28% over PayPal’s closing share price on Tuesday. The proposal was filed earlier this month, after an initial approach in early April.
Banks have lined up roughly $50 billion in committed financing to back the bid. Under the proposal, Stripe and Advent would jointly own PayPal, with each holding an equal stake, rather than breaking the company apart.
PayPal, Stripe and Advent all declined to comment, and Stripe and Advent have not received a response from PayPal. There is no certainty the approach will result in a transaction.
That kind of jump fits a familiar pattern: M&A speculation alone can move a stock well before either side signs anything.
Stripe and Advent Reportedly Offer $53 Billion to Acquire PayPal
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) July 15, 2026
According to Reuters, Stripe and Advent International have offered to acquire PayPal for $60.50 per share, valuing the payments giant at more than $53 billion. The offer is backed by around $50 billion in committed… pic.twitter.com/1d2c8W91sj
PayPal’s Stablecoin Business Would Change Hands
PYUSD, PayPal’s dollar stablecoin, is available across 70 markets worldwide and issued by Paxos Trust Company, a trust company regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). A takeover would hand Stripe and Advent the payments and crypto division PayPal created in April, the unit that runs PYUSD.
Stripe brings its own stablecoin bet to the table. Stripe completed its acquisition of Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure company. “We believe stablecoins will play a critical role in turbocharging cross-border commerce,” said Neetika Bansal, business lead at Stripe.
Pairing Bridge with PYUSD’s regulated issuance would place a large share of US stablecoin distribution under one owner, reaching into the exchanges where dollar-pegged tokens settle.
Antitrust and Stablecoin Rules Await Regulators
The GENIUS Act became Public Law No. 119-27, creating a federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins, the exact product both PYUSD and Bridge operate in. Under that framework, permitted issuers must back stablecoins one-to-one with US currency or similarly liquid assets and publish reserve details monthly, per the GENIUS Act Text.
Any deal this size draws scrutiny well beyond the crypto desk. Combining two major US payment platforms invites hard antitrust review, a process that would run alongside the crypto oversight as federal stablecoin rules are still being implemented.
A combined stablecoin operation would need to satisfy that reserve and disclosure regime at real scale, adding a second regulatory track alongside any standard antitrust review.
PayPal’s Turnaround Under Pressure
PayPal lost more than 40% of its market value over the past 12 months. CEO Enrique Lores, who took over in March, started a turnaround built around simplifying the business and sharpening its focus on growth. The approach lands mid-restructuring, testing whether an outside bid reaches PayPal before that plan has room to prove itself.
A 50/50 joint-ownership structure, rather than a breakup, suggests Stripe and Advent see more value in PayPal’s combined checkout, Venmo and crypto stack than in selling the pieces apart.
CoinLaw’s Takeaway
PYUSD already reaches 70 markets as a regulated dollar token, and Stripe spent the past year building Bridge into its own stablecoin infrastructure layer. Combine those two businesses under one roof and the buyer would control real reach across issuance, merchant acceptance, and cross border settlement. That reach would arrive just as the GENIUS Act hands the product line a new federal rulebook.
None of that makes the more than $53 billion deal more certain to close. PayPal has not responded, all three companies declined to comment, and the reporting rests on anonymous sourcing rather than a filing or a signed term sheet. The offer signals where Stripe and a major private equity firm think payments competition gets decided next: increasingly in who controls the stablecoin rails moving money beneath the checkout button.
