Advent and Stripe consortium dropped its $50 billion PayPal pursuit, Bloomberg reported
- Deal value
- $53B
- Place in VP50
- #6
- Sources
- 2
- Claims verified
- 0 of 5
What happened
Bloomberg reported on August 27, 2026, that a consortium of Advent International and Stripe had decided to abandon its pursuit of PayPal Holdings. Bloomberg's headline described it as a $50 billion pursuit. The report cited people familiar with the matter and said the potential deal would have ranked as one of the biggest-ever leveraged buyouts. Bloomberg's article page is dated August 28.
Reuters reported on August 28 that PayPal shares fell about 12% in morning trading after the Bloomberg report, and that PayPal, Stripe and Advent declined to comment. Reuters also said analysts had flagged a valuation gap and regulatory hurdles. The decision to drop the pursuit was reported through unnamed sources and was not confirmed by the companies. Neither report, as available, set out the terms the consortium had offered.
Key points
- Bloomberg reported on August 27, 2026, that the Advent and Stripe consortium had decided to abandon its pursuit of PayPal Holdings, citing people familiar with the matter.1
- Bloomberg's headline described a $50 billion pursuit, and the report said the deal would have ranked as one of the biggest-ever leveraged buyouts.1
- Reuters reported that PayPal shares fell about 12% in morning trading and that PayPal, Stripe and Advent declined to comment.2
- Reuters said analysts had flagged a valuation gap and regulatory hurdles.2
Why it matters
The abandonment was reported through people familiar with the matter, and the three companies declined to comment, according to Reuters. Stripe did not state its own position in the sources.
Reuters said analysts had flagged a valuation gap and regulatory hurdles, the issues that stood between the consortium and a deal of this size.
Stripe was one of two named members of a consortium pursuing what Bloomberg said would have been one of the biggest-ever leveraged buyouts, which shows the size of transactions the private company was reported to be weighing.
In context
| Round | Date | Post-money valuation | Raised | Led by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series D | Nov 25, 2016 | $9.2B | $150M | CapitalG and General Catalyst |
| Series F | Jan 29, 2019 | $23B | $100M | Unknown |
| Series G extension | Apr 16, 2020 | $36B | $600M | Unknown |
| Series H | Mar 14, 2021 | $95B | $600M | Unknown |
| Series I | Mar 15, 2023 | $50B | $6.5B | Unknown |
Updated
Fact-check
- Bloomberg reported on August 27, 2026, that a consortium of Advent and Stripe had decided to abandon its pursuit of PayPal Holdings, citing people familiar with the matter.Bloomberg [1] returned HTTP 403 to the checker; this rests on the writer's read of the article and on the event record, which dates the report August 27 (Bloomberg's URL carries August 28).Partly verified
- Bloomberg's headline described a $50 billion pursuit.The source title recorded for [1] is 'Advent and Stripe Abandon $50 Billion Pursuit of PayPal'; the page could not be opened by the checker. The event record lists $53 billion, which is not used because the source title says $50 billion.Partly verified
- The potential deal would have ranked as one of the biggest-ever leveraged buyouts.Rests on the writer's read of Bloomberg [1]; the page returned HTTP 403 to the checker.Partly verified
- Reuters reported on August 28 that PayPal shares fell about 12% in morning trading and that PayPal, Stripe and Advent declined to comment.Reuters [2] could not be fetched; this rests on the checked research notes on the Reuters article, dated August 28, 2026 in the event record.Partly verified
- Analysts flagged a valuation gap and regulatory hurdles.Reuters [2] could not be fetched; this rests on the checked research notes on the Reuters article.Partly verified
Sources
- [1]Bloomberg (opens in a new tab)Advent and Stripe Abandon $50 Billion Pursuit of PayPalhas decided to abandon its pursuit of fintech pioneer PayPal Holdings Inc.
- [2]Reuters (opens in a new tab)PayPal shares fall after report Advent-Stripe consortium abandons takeover
