Stripe, along with private equity firm Advent International, has allegedly placed a joint offer to acquire PayPal, with the deal estimated at around $53.4 billion. 

According to Reuters, the bid was made earlier this month and is supported by approximately $50 billion in secured bank financing. The plan outlines that Stripe and Advent would co-own PayPal, each holding an equal share. 

This is not the first instance of Stripe being associated with a possible acquisition of the payments powerhouse. Prior reports in February indicated that the firm was looking into a potential takeover and had entered initial talks, although no formal offer was presented at that time.

If finalized, the acquisition would bring together two major players in the digital payments sector. PayPal caters to roughly 440 million active accounts and managed about $1.8 trillion in payment volume during 2025. On the other hand, Stripe is utilized by businesses to handle $1.9 trillion in payments throughout the same duration. Additionally, Stripe’s valuation surged to $159 billion earlier this year. 

PayPal has not yet publicly addressed the proposal. 

The possible acquisition arrives at a critical moment for PayPal. CEO Enrique Lores assumed his role in March after the company issued a profit warning. Since then, there have been initiatives to reduce costs by at least $1.5 billion over the next two to three years as PayPal aims to rejuvenate its growth. Reports have also indicated that the company plans to cut its workforce by roughly 20%.

PayPal, Stripe, and Advent International did not reply quickly to our request for comments.