Catenaa, Friday, February 27, 2026- Stripe has expressed preliminary interest in acquiring all or part of PayPal, according to a Bloomberg report citing people familiar with the matter, signaling a potential shakeup in the global digital payments sector.
The private payments firm has approached investors about a possible transaction involving the online payments pioneer or certain assets. Stripe declined to comment on the report.
The development comes as Stripe announced it signed agreements with investors including Thrive Capital, Coatue and Andreessen Horowitz to fund a tender offer valuing the company at $159 billion. The deal will offer liquidity to current and former employees, with Stripe also repurchasing shares using its own capital.
PayPal, founded in the early days of online commerce, helped normalize digital wallets and internet-based payments.
In recent years, it has faced growing competition from newer entrants including Stripe, even as both companies expanded into digital assets and stablecoins.
Stripe acquired stablecoin platform Bridge last year, while PayPal launched its PYUSD stablecoin in partnership with Paxos in 2023. Paxos later received a federal banking charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
PayPal shares rose earlier this week on reports of takeover interest, though the stock remains down nearly 40% over the past year.
