Payments giant Stripe reportedly mulling PayPal acquisition. Here is what it means for crypto

Bloomberg reported that Stripe — which has growing stablecoin and blockchain ambitions — is exploring a deal for the embattled fintech.

Updated Feb 24, 2026, 9:59 p.m. Published Feb 24, 2026, 9:51 p.m.

Stripe, which processed $1.9 trillion in transactions last year and was recently valued at $159 billion, is considering an acquisition of all or parts of PayPal (PYPL), according to a Bloomberg report.

Deliberations are in early stages, the report continued.

If completed, the deal would bring together two major payment firms that have both moved into stablecoins.

PayPal launched its dollar-backed stablecoin PYUSD$1.0004 in 2022 through issuer Paxos. The token has since grown to a market value of about $4 billion. It allows users to move dollars across crypto networks at any time of day, often at a lower cost than bank wires.

Stripe has also pushed deeper into crypto. In 2024, it acquired Bridge for $1.1 billion, a company that builds tools for businesses and crypto projects to issue their own U.S. dollar-backed tokens. Stripe is also working with venture firm Paradigm to develop Tempo, a payments-focused blockchain now in testing.

PayPal has struggled mightily in recent years, its stock tumbling about 80% from record highs hit in 2021. Shares were already higher this week on buyout chatter, and they rose another 7% late Tuesday in the wake of the Stripe report.

Read more: Stripe’s Bridge sees stablecoin volume quadruple as utility insulates from ‘crypto winter’

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