Finance
Stripe valuation jumps to $159 billion in latest employee share sale
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 24, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 24, 2026
Quick Summary
Stripe’s latest employee tender offer values the fintech at $159B, up over 70% year on year. Backers include Thrive, Coatue and a16z; Stripe is also repurchasing shares while remaining profitable. (irishtimes.com)
Feb 24 (Reuters) - Stripe was valued at $159 billion in a tender offer for employees and shareholders, the fintech firm said on Tuesday, a more than 70% jump from a similar share sale a year earlier.
Investors poured $274 billion into startups — the second-highest total on record — last year, as U.S. venture funding rebounded strongly, according to Crunchbase data.
Most of the funding will come from existing investors, including Thrive Capital, Coatue and Andreessen Horowitz, while the company will also use some of its cash to buy back shares, Stripe said.
"Stripe remained robustly profitable, allowing us to continue investing heavily in product development as well as acquisitions," co-founders John Collison and Patrick Collison said in their annual letter.
The company, with headquarters in San Francisco and Dublin, allows companies to accept payments, make payouts and automate financial processes.
Beyond payments, Stripe's revenue suite is set to hit an annual run rate of $1 billion this year, the company said.
The company's customers include Elon Musk-led social media platform X, Amazon, car rental firm Hertz Global, and grocery delivery app Instacart.
Stripe is associated with several top AI companies and most of the biggest tech companies - 80% of the Nasdaq 100 index - as per the company.
"We believe Stripe's lead will only expand across the future of money movement due to their leadership in agentic commerce, stablecoins, and more," said Kareem Zaki, partner at Thrive Capital.
Analysts say ample financing is allowing late-stage startups to remain private for longer, as it gives them an alternative to public markets, which have remained volatile in early 2026.
(Reporting by Pritam Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Sriraj Kalluvila)
Key Takeaways
- •Stripe is valued at $159B following a new employee and shareholder tender offer. (irishtimes.com)
- •Investors include Thrive Capital, Coatue and a16z; Stripe is also using its own cash to repurchase shares. (irishtimes.com)
- •The new valuation is more than 70% higher than last year’s ~$91.5B secondary sale. (cnbc.com)
- •Stripe says it remains profitable, according to its latest annual letter accompanying the tender offer news. (irishtimes.com)
- •The deal provides employee liquidity and helps Stripe remain private longer; 2025 payment volume reached about $1.9T. (ft.com)
Frequently Asked Questions about Stripe valuation jumps to $159 billion in latest employee share sale
1What is the main topic?
Stripe has been valued at $159 billion after a new employee and shareholder tender offer, marking a significant jump from prior secondary sales. (irishtimes.com)
2Who participated in the tender offer and did Stripe buy back shares?
Investors include Thrive Capital, Coatue, and a16z. Stripe also used some of its own cash to repurchase shares as part of the transaction. (irishtimes.com)
3How does this compare to last year’s valuation?
The company was valued at about $91.5B in a February 2025 tender offer, so the $159B figure represents a rise of more than 70%. (cnbc.com)
4Does this mean an IPO is imminent?
No. The tender offer provides liquidity while allowing Stripe to remain private longer, reducing pressure to pursue an IPO soon. (ft.com)
