Digital payments giant Stripe and private equity firm Advent International have jointly submitted a takeover offer for PayPal (PYPL), valuing the transaction at approximately $53.4 billion, according to confirmed reports. The news propelled PayPal shares to close up 17% on Wednesday.
Sources familiar with the matter indicate the bidders proposed acquiring the payments company for $60.50 per share in cash. These sources added that Stripe, Advent International, and Block are collectively providing $17 billion in equity financing for the offer. The board of directors at PayPal is expected to convene a meeting as early as July 20 to discuss the proposal.
The offer, which was submitted earlier this month, reportedly includes around $50 billion in committed bank loan financing and represents a premium of approximately 28% over PayPal's closing share price on Tuesday. PayPal has not yet responded to the offer.
Under the proposed terms, Stripe and Advent International would jointly own PayPal in equal proportions. The parties involved aim to advance negotiations in the coming weeks. PayPal, Stripe, and Advent International all declined to comment.
Stripe, valued at roughly $159 billion, was reported in February to be considering a takeover of PayPal, with the parties said to be in preliminary discussions at that time.
In recent years, PayPal has struggled to gain ground amid an increasingly competitive digital payments landscape. Earlier this year, the company issued disappointing profit guidance for 2026, forecasting a low single-digit percentage decline in full-year adjusted earnings.
Concurrently, PayPal replaced its CEO Alex Chriss, who was initially brought in to turn the company around, appointing HP executive Enrique Lores as its new President and Chief Executive Officer.
Analysts at Citigroup noted in a July 7 report that PayPal is making significant investments to reignite growth, but also pointed out that investors remain skeptical given that "previous multiple turnaround efforts have failed to reverse the company's slowing momentum."