LONDON, July 15. /TASS/. US payment service Stripe and private equity firm Advent International are considering a joint acquisition of PayPal for more than $53 bln, Reuters reported, citing sources. A merger between Stripe and PayPal would create the world’s largest payment operator with an annual turnover of around $1.9 trillion.

Under the proposal submitted earlier this month, the companies intend to acquire the payment service on an equal basis, Reuters reported. The price per share at which Stripe and Advent International are considering acquiring PayPal is $60.5, which is 28% higher than the latest closing price.

PayPal was founded in the late 1990s as one of the early players in the digital payments market. In recent years, the company has faced slowing growth and intensifying competition amid the rising popularity of Apple Pay and Google Pay. This year’s market capitalization of the company has been $36 bln, one-tenth of what it was five years ago. Despite the decline, PayPal boasts over 430 mln consumer accounts, which will enable Stripe that is primarily focused on merchants, to establish direct relationships with consumers.