Talks to sell PayPal to Stripe and Advent are heating up

In Brief Posted: 3:43 PM PDT · August 14, 2026 Image Credits: CFOTO/Future Publishing / Getty Images Lucas Ropek Talks to sell PayPal to Stripe and Advent are heating up PayPal CEO Enrique Lores’ turnaround plan for the fintech company could include a sale — of itself. The prospect first popped in July when Stripe and private equity giant Advent offered to buy PayPal for $60.50 a share in a deal that would have valued it at $53 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported at the time. PayPal balked. But apparently, negotiations never stopped and a deal could come together in the coming weeks, according to new reporting by the WSJ, which cited unnamed sources. PayPal declined to comment on the report. A Stripe spokesperson said the company doesn’t “comment on rumors or speculation.” The negotiations are taking place as Lores attempts to save the company from its lagging trajectory . Lores joined PayPal in March, after spending years at HP. In April, Lores made the first moves in his turnaround plan , including an executive shuffle and splitting the business into three operating models: checkout solutions and PayPal, consumer financial services (and Venmo), and payment services and crypto. A month later, Lores told investors that PayPal would recommit to the fundamentals,” which included “becoming a technology company again.” PayPal’s turnaround will also include a cost-saving plans, which is expected to reduce its workforce by 20% over the next two to three years. PayPal was founded in 1998 by a number of men who went on to be Silicon Valley luminaries, including Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Max Levchin, Luke Nosek, and others. The company has struggled in recent years, after ballooning during the pandemic due to an e-commerce boom . Topics Advent , Fintech , Fintech , PayPal , stripe October 13 – 15 San Francisco Scale faster. Grow your portfolio. Gain practical expertise. No matter your goal, Disrupt can empower you. Save up to $300 toda y! REGISTER NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage. TechCrunch Mobility TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight. Startups Weekly Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly. StrictlyVC Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day. No newsletters selected. Subscribe By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . Related Transportation Self-driving trucks are officially testing on California highways Kirsten Korosec 2 hours ago Venture Thrive’s Joshua Kushner chides Silicon Valley VCs over AI euphoria Julie Bort 3 hours ago Security What we know about the alleged Iranian hacks on US water utilities Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai 4 hours ago Latest in Fintech In Brief Talks to sell PayPal to Stripe and Advent are heating up Lucas Ropek 11 seconds ago Fintech India moves to give its instant payments network a business model Jagmeet Singh Aug 4, 2026 TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 TechCrunch Disrupt 2026’s new Smart Money Stage explores fintech, payments, AI, and everything between TechCrunch Events Jul 24, 2026