Stripe takes another swing at PayPal aquisition

• Key insights: Stripe and Advent International have reportedly offered to buy PayPal for $53 billion. 
• What’s at stake: For Stripe, the acquisition would give it an important avenue into enterprise payments.
• Expert quote: “While this valuation would represent a meaningful nearly 30% premium to other traditional merchant processors, we do not think PayPal’s new CEO will likely embrace what could be viewed as a low-ball offer.” —Andrew Jeffrey, research analyst, Willian Blair. 

Stripe is reportedly eyeing a second bite at the PayPal apple. 
The payments giant, in conjunction with private equity firm Advent International, has offered to buy PayPal for $60.50 per share, or $53 billion, according to Reuters, which cited unnamed sources. That offer represents a 28% premium compared with the closing price of PayPal’s shares on Tuesday. 

Processing Content

PayPal and Advent declined to comment. Stripe did not respond to a request for comment. 

Wednesday’s report marks the second time that Stripe has reportedly expressed interest in acquiring PayPal. PayPal has been going through a rough patch following an earnings slump that has resulted in a shake-up in the company’s C-Suite and a winding-down of its investment unit. 

For Stripe, acquiring PayPal would give it an important avenue to further expand into enterprise payments. It would also provide Stripe with important infrastructure to get ahead in agentic payments. 

“Strategically, we’ve discussed why PayPal could be a valuable asset. In the world of agentic commerce, having more data from consumers is a benefit,” Keefe Bruyette & Wood analyst Sanjay Sakhrani said in a research note Wednesday morning. “Also, given PayPal’s strong global reach, the company offers online acceptance with closed-loop capabilities that is unparalleled.” 

PayPal would also help accelerate Stripe’s efforts to expand its own one-click/guest checkout solution and consumer wallet, called Link, Bryan Bergin, an analyst at TD Cowen, said in a research note. Stripe said during its Stripe Sessions 2026 that it was building out its wallet to meet the needs of the AI era, which include agentic payments, local payment capabilities and identity and finance features that go beyond a saved credentials autofill tool. 

Some analysts questioned whether the offer was attractive enough to spark the attention of PayPal’s new CEO Enrique Lores. 

“While this valuation would represent a meaningful nearly 30% premium to other traditional merchant processors, we do not think PayPal’s new CEO will likely embrace what could be viewed as a low-ball offer,” Andrew Jeffrey, a senior analyst at William Blair, said. 

Jeffrey also questioned whether PayPal would meaningfully dilute Stripe’s organic revenue growth and profitability. 

“We are not entirely sure why Stripe would want to own 50% of PayPal. It is already the clear leader in e-commerce processing, with a superior tech stack and leading customers,” Jeffrey said. “PayPal could offer scale, a branded button, and new customers. However, Stripe will probably process about 40% more volume than PayPal this year despite exposure to generally smaller merchants.”