PayPal ends in viewfinder di Stripe, a global platform active in financial services and online payments, and the fund private equity Advent InternationalAccording to an exclusive Reuters, the two groups would have presented ajoint offer of over 53 billion of dollars to acquire the company. The offer would be equal to $60,50 per share, with a premium of approximately 28 % compared to Tuesday's close of $47,37. The news sparked PayPal title purchases, which in the pre-market on Wall Street gained around 15%.
The operation remains in any case in a preliminary phase and, at the moment, there is no certainty about the start of negotiations or the conclusion of the agreement.
Stripe and Advent set their sights on PayPal: offering backed by $50 billion in funding
According to sources close to the dossier, Stripe and Advent would have formalized the proposal at the beginning of July, after an initial contact in April. The offer would be accompanied by approximately 50 billion dollars in financing already made available by a group of banks.
PayPal has not yet responded, while potential buyers are aiming to initiate more in-depth discussions in the coming weeks. The three companies involved have declined to comment publicly on the rumors.
The project it would not foresee the dismemberment of the groupStripe and Advent would maintain PayPal as it currently stands, taking control through equal stakes. Each investor would then hold an equal share of the company.
PayPal: From the pandemic boom to the stock market crash
Founded in the late 1990s, PayPal was one of the companies that contributed most to the spread of online payments. In recent years, however, the group lost ground faced with the growth of new operators and the spread of tools like Apple Pay and Google Pay. The company had reached a value of approximately $360 billion in 2021, during the phase of strong e-commerce expansion linked to the pandemic. Since then, the market capitalization dropped to around $36 billion by 2026, while the stock has lost more than 40% of its value in the last twelve months.
The main problem remains the slowdown in growthPayPal must simultaneously defend its consumer payments brand and its merchant and platform transaction processing businesses. Competitive pressure has increased in both segments, hindering the group's ability to expand at its previous pace.
The most recent results have however shown some holding signalsRevenue in the first quarter increased 7% to $8,35 billion, beating analysts' expectations of $8,05 billion. Total payment volumes, calculated at constant exchange rates, grew 8% to approximately $464 billion.
PayPal: Enrique Lores leads relaunch plan
The possible acquisition comes as PayPal faces a new phase of reorganization. Henry Lords, who took office as CEO in March, has launched a plan to simplify the company structure, reduce overlap, and put the group back on a more robust growth path. In April, the operations were divided into three areas, one dedicated to checkout, one dedicated to consumer financial services through Venmo, and one dedicated to payments and cryptocurrencies. The reorganization was followed by several management changes.
Lores also cited artificial intelligence as a key tool for streamlining operations and reducing duplication of effort. The plan is expected to generate approximately $1,5 billion in savings over the next two to three years, resources PayPal intends to reinvest in new development initiatives.
For Stripe, the operation would represent a significant leap in sizeThe privately held group, headquartered in San Francisco and Dublin, was valued at $159 billion in its latest share sale to employees and investors, more than 70% higher than a similar transaction a year earlier.
The merger with PayPal would allow Stripe to leverage its own technological infrastructure with a large user base and established brands like Venmo. Synergies could also emerge in the stablecoin sector, where PayPal operates PyUSD and Stripe controls Bridge, a platform specializing in dollar-backed token infrastructure.
