According to an exclusive report published by Bloomberg yesterday, payment processing giant Stripe Inc. has expressed preliminary interest in considering acquiring some or all of the business/assets of online payment giant PayPal Holdings Inc. People familiar with the matter revealed that relevant discussions are still at a very early stage, and there is great uncertainty about whether they will ultimately come to fruition.
The predecessor of PayPal was founded in 1998. Elon Musk also served as the CEO of PayPal (but later left due to differences). As a giant in the global online payment field, PayPal still has a high market share but faces a difficult transformation.
As a rising star in the payment field, Stripe has gained a large number of users by actively expanding merchant transactions, providing modern transaction processes, and providing developers with a better payment experience. However, Stripe does not usually involve person-to-person transfers.
At the same time, the company is also actively expanding transactions in the field of cryptocurrency, providing cryptocurrency payments for qualified merchants and users. Users only need to pay cryptocurrency, and merchants can receive the converted legal currency, without friction throughout the process.
Speaking of which, PayPal's current market capitalization is US$44 billion, while Stripe's valuation has reached US$159 billion (a 74% increase from 2025). This terrifying growth may even tremble the old giants like PayPal.
However, the relevant acquisition transactions are only in the early discussion stage at this stage. Both Stripe and PayPal refused to comment on this news. According to the acquisition practices in the technology industry, if there is hope, more news may come in two or three months.
Another issue worthy of attention is the antitrust issue. As the two giants in the online payment field, Stripe may face great regulatory resistance if it wants to acquire PayPal. Even if the two parties reach terms, they will still need antitrust review by regulatory agencies.
Note: PayPal has also obtained a payment license through acquisition in the Chinese mainland market. If Stripe acquires PayPal as a whole, it will also obtain this payment license, which means it can enter the Chinese mainland market.