PayPal shares plunged 15% after Stripe and Advent International withdrew from a proposed $50 billion acquisition. Bloomberg first reported Stripe's interest in February, and negotiations continued through August when PayPal deemed the initial bid insufficient. The deal's collapse eliminated the takeover premium that had driven PayPal's stock up over 40% this quarter. Meanwhile, Affirm surged 13% as investors reassessed the competitive landscape following the deal's abandonment. Klarna rose 5% whilst the Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF remained flat, indicating these are company-specific moves rather than sector-wide shifts. PayPal's market capitalisation now sits at roughly $52.59 billion, close to the withdrawn offer price. The company's underlying business remains solid, with second-quarter results showing non-GAAP earnings per share of $1.38 versus $1.28 expected and total payment volume of $486.45 billion, up 10%.

Fireblocks Flow enables seamless stablecoin payments for PSPs. August 28, 2026 Blockchain News general Positive Fireblocks has launched Fireblocks Flow, a purpose-built stablecoin payments solution designed to enable payment service providers, fintechs, and digital platforms to accept and process stablecoin transactions without overhauling existing checkout infrastructure. The product targets a critical pain point in crypto payment adoption - the costly and time-consuming need to rebuild payment rails from scratch - by offering seamless integration that sits on top of current systems. Fireblocks Flow stablecoin payments, stablecoin PSP integration, enterprise crypto payments infrastructure, and stablecoin checkout solutions are the keyword phrases driving search interest among fintech decision-makers and crypto payment operators evaluating this launch. The announcement arrives at a pivotal moment for stablecoin adoption, with global stablecoin transaction volumes surpassing traditional payment networks on several metrics in 2024 and regulatory frameworks such as the U.S. Genius Act and the EU's MiCA providing clearer legal ground for institutional stablecoin use. Fireblocks, which already secures and moves hundreds of billions of dollars in digital assets annually for over 1,800 institutional clients, is positioning Flow as the enterprise-grade bridge between traditional payment infrastructure and the stablecoin economy. By removing the technical barriers to stablecoin acceptance, Fireblocks is directly competing in a fast-growing space that includes players like Stripe, PayPal, and Checkout.com, all of which have made aggressive stablecoin payment moves recently. Watch for adoption announcements from major PSPs and potential expansion of Flow's supported stablecoin assets, including USDC, USDT, and emerging fiat-backed tokens, in the months ahead. Fireblocks Flow streamlines stablecoin payments for PSPs, fintechs, and platforms, eliminating the need for rebuilding checkout systems.

Stripe and Advent International have withdrawn their bid to acquire PayPal Holdings, which had exceeded $50 billion. Reuters previously reported the offer stood at $60.50 per share, valuing PayPal at over $53 billion, but the board deemed it too low. PayPal shares dropped as much as 16% in premarket trading following the announcement. The consortium, which originally included Block before its departure, first approached PayPal in April. A future bid remains possible if circumstances change. PayPal's market capitalisation currently stands at approximately $52.6 billion, up more than 40% this quarter following stronger-than-expected second-quarter results. The company is undergoing restructuring under CEO Enrique Lores, including workforce cuts of roughly 20%.