Stripe and private equity firm Advent International submitted a joint $53 billion offer to acquire PayPal. The unsolicited bid values the company at $60.50 per share. This price reflects a 28% premium over PayPal’s market value before the news became public.
Approximately $50 billion in committed financing supports the proposal. PayPal shares surged 17% on the news, though the company has not issued a formal response. The bid follows a sharp decline in PayPal’s valuation since its 2021 peak.
Stripe and Advent would each maintain a 50% stake in the combined business. The merger would integrate Stripe’s merchant platform with PayPal’s consumer network and Venmo. This consolidation would increase competition for established payment networks like Mastercard and Visa.