PayPal shares have shown significant growth following news of a potential acquisition of the company or its stake by payment giant Stripe. According to informed sources, Stripe is considering various scenarios for collaboration with PayPal — from purchasing a stake to complete acquisition.
This is reported by Business • Media
Negotiations Between Stripe and PayPal: What We Know
According to available information, the negotiations are in the early stages, and there is currently no certainty that a deal will actually take place. If the parties reach an agreement, it could become one of the largest mergers in the payment technology sector. Both companies are actively developing their cryptocurrency services and digital finance offerings.
Amid news of a potential deal, PayPal shares rose by 6.74% during a single trading session. However, the quotes remain below the closing level of Friday, February 20, 2026.
Financial Situation of Stripe and PayPal and Developments in the Crypto Sphere
Recently, Stripe released a tender offer for the repurchase of its own shares, which included financial indicators: the transaction volume processed by Stripe amounts to $1.9 trillion, and the company’s market value is estimated at $159 billion. As of the preparation of this material, PayPal’s market capitalization stands at $64.1 billion.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Stripe President John Collison commented on the current situation at PayPal:
“PayPal has obviously been going through tough times over the past few years, and the situation has significantly changed with the emergence of Apple Pay, Google Pay, and similar services. I cannot speak about any hypothetical merger and acquisition scenarios, but they have certainly had a hard time.”
It is noted that both Stripe and PayPal are actively expanding their range of cryptocurrency products and services. In particular, PayPal launched its own stablecoin PYUSD back in August 2024. Stripe, for its part, has added the ability to open accounts in stablecoins, expanded its cryptocurrency subscription payment functionality, and acquired two crypto startups — Bridge and Privy.