Key Takeaways
- Stripe and Advent have reportedly offered $53 billion for PayPal.
- Experts said the deal could expand adoption of Bitcoin and stablecoins.
- Michaël van de Poppe predicts Bitcoin could reach $80,000 in August.
A potential Bitcoin price surge is in focus as Stripe and private equity firm Advent International reportedly submitted a $53 billion bid for PayPal, prompting predictions that a deal could accelerate crypto adoption across global payments.
The proposed takeover would bring together PayPal’s consumer-facing crypto products and Stripe’s expanding stablecoin infrastructure, potentially giving the combined group access to hundreds of millions of consumers and millions of merchants.
Stripe and Advent Make $53B Offer for PayPal
Stripe has joined forces with private equity firm Advent International to acquire PayPal, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the proposal.
The consortium has offered $60.50 for each PayPal share, putting the company’s value above $53 billion. That price is roughly 28% higher than PayPal’s previous closing level.
Around $50 billion in bank financing has already been secured to support the offer, Reuters reported. Stripe and Advent would share ownership equally if the transaction goes ahead.
The proposal comes after years of declining investor confidence in PayPal.
Once valued at approximately $360 billion during the pandemic-era technology boom in 2021, the company was worth close to $42 billion before news of the bid emerged.
PayPal has struggled to maintain its earlier growth as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, and other payment services have expanded.
Stripe, by comparison, has continued to grow rapidly.
Bringing the two companies together would unite PayPal’s large consumer wallet business with Stripe’s merchant and online payment infrastructure.
However, PayPal has not responded to the proposal, and there is no certainty that a transaction will be agreed.
Stripe PayPal Merge Would Boost Bitcoin Adoption, Says Experts
Industry experts told CCN that combining the two companies could create one of the largest crypto-enabled payment networks in the world.
PayPal already allows eligible customers to buy, sell, and use Bitcoin and other crypto, while also operating its dollar-backed PYUSD stablecoin.
Stripe has built its stablecoin capabilities through its $1.1 billion acquisition of Bridge, which it completed in February 2025.
Stefan Deiss, co-founder and CEO of The Hashgraph Group, said a takeover would demonstrate that mainstream payment infrastructure was increasingly converging with crypto.
“This deal signals that mainstream payments infrastructure is converging around crypto rails in a bigger way than ever,” Deiss told CCN.
“A combined Stripe-PayPal entity would give over 400 million consumers seamless access to both Bitcoin, via PayPal’s Paxos integration, and stablecoin infrastructure, via Stripe’s Bridge acquisition. That kind of reach normalises crypto adoption at scale.”
Deiss argued that Bitcoin could benefit if easier consumer access encouraged more merchants to support crypto payments.
“Bitcoin stands to benefit as the reserve asset in this ecosystem, particularly as merchant adoption follows consumer access,” he said.
“Stripe’s developer-first approach combined with PayPal’s consumer trust could make accepting crypto payments the default for millions of businesses.”
However, Deiss warned that a deal would face regulatory and technical obstacles.
“Antitrust scrutiny is inevitable given the combined market share,” he said.
“On the crypto side, stablecoin regulation will shape how products like PYUSD and Bridge can operate under unified ownership.”
Chris Jones, managing director at PSE Consulting, said the proposed takeover would be one of the payments industry’s most significant transactions in years.
Jones estimated the combined group would handle approximately $3.7 trillion in annual payment volume, placing it alongside the world’s largest merchant-acquiring businesses.
However, Jones warned that overlaps between Stripe and PayPal’s existing products could complicate the integration.
“The overlap between Stripe’s core gateway business and PayPal’s Braintree offering would need careful handling, as merchants are understandably nervous of platform migration,” he said.
Can Bitcoin Price Reach $80,000 in August?
The takeover speculation comes as analyst Michaël van de Poppe predicts Bitcoin could climb to between $75,000 and $80,000 in August.
“There we go for Bitcoin,” van de Poppe wrote on X.
“It’s holding the crucial level at $61,000 and flipping important MAs for support, indicating that there’s more momentum on the horizon.”
Van de Poppe expects Bitcoin to initially reach $68,000 over the next one to two weeks before continuing higher next month.
“I’m expecting to see a rally to $68,000 in the next 1-2 weeks, followed by a continuation towards $75,000-$80,000 in August,” he said.
With Bitcoin trading at approximately $64,680 at the time of reporting, a move to $80,000 would require a nearly 24% rise.
Major Traders Maintain Bullish Bitcoin Positions
Van de Poppe’s prediction follows earlier CCN reporting that some of the largest traders on Hyperliquid had maintained unusually high Bitcoin long exposure.
Glassnode data showed top participants holding some of the largest sustained long positions recorded on the platform, exceeding levels seen during Bitcoin’s previous advance toward $83,000.
Total whale exposure on Hyperliquid stood at approximately $3.5 billion, with long positions slightly outweighing shorts.
One of the platform’s largest publicly visible traders continued increasing exposure even after Bitcoin temporarily fell below $60,000.
The wallet held approximately $445 million in crypto assets at the time, including around 2,500 BTC and 120,000 ETH.
The positioning suggests some large traders have treated Bitcoin’s recent weakness as a buying opportunity.
However, it does not guarantee that the market will rise.
The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as, financial advice. We do not make any warranties regarding the completeness, reliability, or accuracy of this information. All investments involve risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results. We recommend consulting a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
