'Stablecoin Summer': Stripe Makes Tender Offer at $159 Billion Valuation
Stripe is launching a tender offer to repurchase shares from current and former employees, valuing the company at $159 billion. The buyback is mostly funded by major investors such as a16z and Thrive Capital, with Stripe also contributing some of its own funds. This valuation places Stripe among the largest global firms, close to Unilever and Pfizer, and just behind Charles Schwab. Stripe processes $1.9 trillion in annual business volume and powers over 5 million businesses, including 90% of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and 80% of the Nasdaq 100. The company reported a 34% year-over-year increase in business volumes. Stripe’s founders also highlighted the rapid growth in stablecoin payments, with industrywide volume doubling to $390 billion last year and volume through Stripe’s own Bridge platform more than quadrupling. Stripe acquired Bridge for $1.1 billion and was recently granted a National Bank Trust Charter by the OCC. It is also developing a blockchain network—Tempo—with major firms like Visa, Nubank, and Shopify already testing it for uses such as global payouts and embedded finance.
