Advent International

Stripe and Advent Intensify Talks to Buy PayPal

Reports state that Stripe and private equity firm Advent have continued negotiations to acquire PayPal after an initial July offer valuing the company at about $53 billion ($60.50 per share). PayPal and Stripe declined to comment on the reports. The discussions come as PayPal’s new CEO, Enrique Lores, implements a turnaround plan that includes reorganizing the business into three operating units and pursuing cost cuts — including an expected workforce reduction of about 20% over the next two to three years.

PayPal Q2 Beats as Stripe's $53B Takeover Looms

PayPal reported Q2 2026 net revenues of $8.68B, beating the Street ($8.47B), and the company raised full-year non-GAAP EPS guidance to about $5.38 and transaction margin dollars guidance to roughly $15.6B. Venmo volume grew 14% and BNPL accelerated 26%; buybacks retired nearly 10% of shares year-over-year. Despite the beat-and-raise, management guided full-year transaction margin dollar growth of only 0.9% (first-half TM$ grew 2%), implying a roughly flat second half. The quarter and valuation are complicated by an active takeover process: Stripe has been reported as a ~$53B bidder for PayPal, and the author notes Stripe and Advent have a live $60.50 bid representing about a 14.9% takeover premium. The piece also discusses Stripe's reported $10B bid for OpenRouter and the significance of a 5.5% fee in that deal.

Visa reportedly cuts 2,600 jobs

Visa is reportedly cutting about 2,600 jobs—roughly 7% of its workforce—primarily in technology and product teams as the payments industry shifts. The layoffs were reported by the Wall Street Journal based on an internal memo from CEO Ryan McInerney, who said technological trends and AI are creating a turning point in payments. Visa's share price rose ahead of the company’s quarterly results, which are due to be announced after U.S. market close. The article frames the move as part of a broader industry adjustment driven by changing consumer behavior and technologies such as stablecoins and automated trading. The piece also references a separate takeover approach by Stripe and Advent International for PayPal and PayPal’s consequent cost-cutting measures.