Stripe Valuation Soars to $159bn as IPO Takes Backseat | FT.com

Stripe’s valuation has surged to February 24, 2026, reaching $159 billion following a tender offer for employee and shareholder stock, a more than 70% increase from a similar sale last year. The deal allows employees to monetize their holdings and alleviates immediate pressure for the 15-year-old fintech company to pursue an initial public offering.

The tender offer was backed by existing investors Thrive Capital, Coatue, and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), alongside Stripe’s own capital repurchase of shares. This influx of capital comes as Stripe focuses on capitalizing on opportunities presented by artificial intelligence and the growing adoption of stablecoins, rather than prioritizing a public listing.

“A big capital markets transaction like [an IPO] is not in our top 10 or 20 list of priorities,” said John Collison, president and co-founder of Stripe, signaling a continued preference for private operation and strategic investment.

The company reported processing $1.9 trillion in payments during 2025, a 34% increase year-over-year. This growth is attributed, in part, to a surge in new start-ups leveraging AI technologies, as well as continued business from established tech giants like Nvidia and Microsoft. Stripe also reported being “robustly” profitable for the second consecutive year.

A significant portion of Stripe’s recent growth stems from international expansion. More than half of the new companies joining the Stripe platform in the past year were based outside the United States, reflecting the increasing globalization of software development and the ease with which new ventures can be established thanks to advancements in AI.

Stripe’s early investment in stablecoins, exemplified by the 2024 acquisition of stablecoin platform Bridge for $1.1 billion, has proven prescient. The passage of the Genius Act in the US last year, which provided regulatory clarity for stablecoins, spurred a more than fourfold increase in payment volumes on the Bridge platform.

Looking ahead, Stripe is urging European lawmakers to avoid falling behind in the regulation of stablecoins. While the US has established a framework, the European Union is currently considering a digital euro, potentially prioritizing central bank digital currency over privately issued stablecoins. Collison emphasized the importance of Europe not missing out on the benefits of stablecoins, particularly for remittances and the development of new fintech applications.

“When people talk about stablecoins, they often mean dollar-denominated stablecoins… we are seeing that being used for remittances or for people creating new kinds of fintech applications. It’s important that Europe not miss out there,” Collison stated.

Beyond stablecoins, Stripe anticipates a future where AI agents will facilitate a new wave of “agentic payments.” Collison predicts rapid consumer adoption of these automated payments, particularly for routine, low-value transactions, such as AI-powered chatbots sourcing ingredients for recipes. He noted that consumers prioritize convenience and are likely to embrace solutions that eliminate the friction of traditional online checkout processes.

“We think consumer adoption will happen very, very quickly because again, no one likes clicking through all the web forms to buy things… They like buying things. They like shopping, but they don’t like filling out web forms,” Collison explained.

The latest valuation positions Stripe as one of the most valuable fintech companies globally. While an IPO remains a possibility, the company’s current trajectory suggests a continued focus on innovation, strategic acquisitions, and sustained profitability as a privately held entity. Stripe was ranked 10th on CNBC’s Disruptor 50 list for 2025, further solidifying its position as a leading force in the financial technology sector.

Coatue Management’s founder and portfolio manager, Philippe Laffont, highlighted Stripe’s role in the evolving “token economy,” stating that the company is “emerging as the default financial layer for companies at the frontier” of the industry.