Stripe wants to buy PayPal. Let that sink in for a moment.

The payments giant and private equity firm Advent International have submitted a joint takeover bid valuing PayPal at over $53B, or $60.50 per share. That’s roughly a 28% premium over PayPal’s closing price of $47.37 on July 14. PayPal shares responded exactly how you’d expect, surging approximately 17% on the news after premarket gains hit as high as 19%.

The proposed deal would split ownership equally between Stripe and Advent, with around $50B in bank financing potentially backing the transaction. The goal: take PayPal private and unlock monetization opportunities that public market pressures have apparently been suffocating.

A deal that’s been brewing

This isn’t exactly a bolt from the blue. Stripe reportedly showed interest in acquiring PayPal as far back as February 2026, making this bid more courtship than surprise proposal.

PayPal hasn’t publicly commented on the offer yet, though its board is expected to discuss the proposal shortly. Not everyone thinks the price is right, either. Michael Burry, the investor famous for calling the 2008 housing crash, described the $60.50 bid as “simply too low.” His read: this is an opening salvo, not a final number.

PayPal sits on roughly 400 million accounts, including Venmo, one of the most recognizable peer-to-peer payment brands in the US.

Why crypto investors should pay attention

PayPal’s PYUSD stablecoin currently ranks as the eighth-largest stablecoin by market cap, sitting at approximately $185M. PYUSD runs on both Ethereum and Solana, and PayPal has been steadily building out crypto buying, selling, and transfer capabilities across its platform.

Stripe itself has been warming to crypto after years of cautious distance. The company began accepting USDC payments in 2024 and has been building out crypto-native payment rails. Stripe also acquired Bridge and has been involved with OpenUSD as part of its stablecoin initiatives.

What this means for investors

The immediate question is whether the deal actually closes at $60.50 or if PayPal’s board pushes for a higher number. Given Burry’s public skepticism about the valuation, a sweetened bid seems plausible.

Regulatory scrutiny is the other wildcard. A Stripe-PayPal combination would create an unprecedented concentration of power in digital payments. Antitrust regulators in both the US and Europe will almost certainly take a long look at whether merging two of the world’s largest payment processors serves consumer interests.