Stripe expressed preliminary interest in acquiring all or parts of PayPal, people familiar with the matter said in a February 24, 2026 report. Those people requested anonymity because the matter was private.
A separate February 26 report, also citing people familiar with the matter, said PayPal was not in talks to sell itself to Stripe or anyone else. Preliminary acquisition interest does not establish that negotiations are underway.
Separately, Stripe announced on February 24 that it had signed agreements with investors for a tender offer providing liquidity to current and former employees at a $159 billion valuation. Stripe also said businesses running on its platform generated $1.9 trillion in total volume in 2025.
Stablecoin payment infrastructure
Both companies have developed stablecoin payment services. Stripe announced on February 4, 2025, that it had completed its acquisition of stablecoin platform Bridge.
In a February 12, 2026 decision, the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted preliminary conditional approval for the proposed Bridge National Trust Bank. The OCC said final approval and authorization to begin business would depend on meeting all preopening requirements.
In June 2025, Stripe announced plans to support USDC stablecoin payments for Shopify merchants across 34 countries. Stripe said merchants would be able to receive proceeds in their preferred local currency or transfer USDC to an external wallet.
PayPal introduced cryptocurrency buying, holding and selling for eligible U.S. customers in 2020. It launched its dollar-denominated stablecoin, PayPal USD, or PYUSD, on August 7, 2023.
At launch, PayPal identified Paxos Trust Company as PYUSD’s issuer and said the token was fully backed by U.S. dollar deposits, short-term U.S. Treasuries and similar cash equivalents. PayPal described PYUSD as designed to reduce payment friction and facilitate transfers, including remittances and international payments.
The GENIUS Act, enacted on July 18, 2025, established a U.S. regulatory framework for payment stablecoins.
