Stripe and private-equity firm Advent International have made an unsolicited joint offer to acquire PayPal, according to sources familiar with the matter. The $53 billion bid would combine Stripe's Bridge stablecoin infrastructure with PayPal's PYUSD token and its crypto-trading business. The proposal, if accepted, would create a payments giant with deep roots in digital assets.
The $53 billion offer
The unsolicited bid values PayPal at roughly $53 billion, a premium over its recent market cap. Stripe and Advent International are acting together, pooling resources to make a play for the payments pioneer. The offer is not yet public, but sources say it was formally presented to PayPal's board this week.
Neither Stripe nor Advent has commented on the proposal. PayPal has not responded to requests for comment.
Stablecoin strategy at the center
The deal's core logic revolves around stablecoins. Stripe acquired Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure platform, in 2025. PayPal launched its own stablecoin, PYUSD, in 2023 and has built a modest crypto-trading business around it. Combining the two would give the combined entity a dominant position in stablecoin issuance and payment rails.
Bridge's technology lets businesses issue and move stablecoins across blockchains. PYUSD is already integrated into PayPal's massive user base. Together, they could push stablecoin payments into mainstream commerce faster than either could alone.
What this means for crypto payments
The bid signals that big money sees stablecoins as the future of payments. Stripe has been quietly building out its crypto capabilities, and Advent has a history of backing fintech deals. A combined Stripe-PayPal would control both the consumer wallet and the backend infrastructure for stablecoin transactions.
That concentration worries some in the industry. But for now, the offer is just that — an offer. PayPal's board has to decide whether to engage, counter, or reject it outright.
The clock is ticking. Unsolicited bids often force a response within weeks. PayPal's next move will set the tone for the rest of the payments sector.
