# Stripe

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/stripe
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-07
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Stripe — official](https://stripe.com/)
- [Stripe Annual Letter](https://stripe.com/annual-letter)

## Overview

**Stripe** is **the world's leading developer-first payments infrastructure**, operated by **Stripe, Inc.** — founded **September 2010 by Patrick + John Collison** (Irish brothers) <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>. In **2025**, Stripe reported **$1.9 trillion total payment volume (TPV) (+34% YoY)** + **~$19.4 billion estimated gross revenue (+61.67% since 2021)** across **5+ million businesses** in **51 countries**. Stripe holds **22.3% global payment-processing-software market share** + powers **90% of the Dow Jones Industrial Average + 80% of the Nasdaq 100**. Among new 2025 businesses, **57% are based outside the US** and **new-business growth ~50% faster than 2024 cohort**.

Stripe is structurally distinct from consumer wallets — it's **B2B payments infrastructure** (Stripe Connect for marketplaces, Stripe Issuing for card programs, Stripe Treasury for embedded banking, Stripe Atlas for global incorporation, Stripe Capital for merchant lending). Stripe also early-invested in + still partners with [Wave QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/wave-qr) (West African fintech) — illustrating Stripe's role as infrastructure powering other major fintechs.

## History

**September 2010 — Founded by Patrick + John Collison** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Irish-born brothers (Patrick CEO, John CTO/President).

**2011 — Stripe API public launch** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: "7 lines of code to accept payments" pitch defined Stripe's developer-first ethos.

**2012-2018 — Y Combinator + multi-round funding** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Backed by Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, Khosla, Visa, etc.

**2018-2021 — Multi-product expansion** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Stripe Atlas, Issuing, Connect, Treasury, Capital, Radar added.

**March 2021 — $95B valuation peak** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Then-highest private company valuation.

**2023-2024 — Valuation reset + return to growth** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: $50B 2023 tender offer; returns to net-revenue growth.

**2024 — Net revenue ~$5.1B (+28% YoY)** <sup>[3][3]</sup>.

**2025 — $1.9T TPV (+34% YoY) + ~$19.4B estimated gross revenue + new tender offer valuation** <sup>[1][1], [4][4]</sup>: Major rebound.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **Stripe, Inc.** — Delaware-incorporated private company; subsidiary **Stripe Payments Europe** + many per-country subsidiaries.

**Founders + CEOs**: **Patrick Collison** (CEO) + **John Collison** (President).

**Major investors**: Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, Khosla Ventures, Capital G (Alphabet's growth fund), Tiger Global, Allianz X, Visa, Goldman Sachs, Baillie Gifford, Coatue, broad cap table.

**Valuation history**: $95B peak (March 2021) → $50B (2023 tender offer) → revised upward (2025 tender offer reflecting growth).

**Regulators (multi-jurisdiction)**:
- **United States**: state-level money transmitter licenses + **NYDFS** + **FinCEN MSB**.
- **United Kingdom**: **FCA** Electronic Money Institution license.
- **European Union**: **Central Bank of Ireland (CBI)** + Stripe Payments Europe Ltd.
- **Asia + Australia + Latin America**: per-country licensing.

## Technical integration

Stripe is **comprehensive developer-first payments infrastructure** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Channels** | **API-first** (Stripe.com, Stripe SDK) + mobile SDKs + checkout JS + hosted checkout |
| **Identifiers** | Card number, IBAN, email, Stripe customer ID |
| **Underlying rails** | **EMV-tokenization (Visa/Mastercard/Amex/Discover/UnionPay/JCB)** + **SEPA + UK Faster Payments + US ACH** + 100+ local payment methods (Bizum, iDEAL, Klarna, Affirm, etc.) |
| **Products** | Stripe Payments, Connect (marketplaces), Atlas (global incorporation), Issuing (card programs), Treasury (embedded banking), Capital (merchant lending), Radar (fraud), Tax, Climate (carbon removal), Identity, Sigma (analytics), Terminal (in-person POS) |
| **Local payment-method coverage** | 100+ across 51 countries (including [Bizum](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/bizum) ES, [OVO](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/ovo) ID, [PayNow QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/paynow-qr) SG, etc.) |
| **Wave investor + partner** | Stripe early-invested in + still partners with [Wave QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/wave-qr) (West African fintech) |

## Users & growth

**Global (2025)** <sup>[1][1], [4][4]</sup>:
- **TPV**: $1.9 trillion (+34% YoY)
- **Estimated gross revenue**: ~$19.4 billion (+61.67% since 2021)
- **Businesses**: 5+ million
- **Countries**: 51
- **New-business international share**: 57% based outside US (2025 cohort)
- **New-business growth rate**: ~50% faster than 2024 cohort
- **Global payment-processing software market share**: 22.3%

**Enterprise penetration**:
- **Dow Jones Industrial Average**: 90% of companies use Stripe.
- **Nasdaq 100**: 80% use Stripe.

## Use cases

**Online checkout + e-commerce** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Cardinal use.

**SaaS subscription billing** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Stripe Billing.

**Marketplace + platform payments (Stripe Connect)** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Marketplaces, on-demand platforms, fintechs.

**Card issuance (Stripe Issuing)** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Card-program-as-a-service.

**Embedded banking (Stripe Treasury)** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Platforms offer banking-like features to their customers.

**Global incorporation (Stripe Atlas)** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Delaware C-corp + UK Ltd setup.

**Merchant lending (Stripe Capital)** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Cash-advance / loan to Stripe merchants.

**Fraud prevention (Stripe Radar)** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: ML-based fraud detection.

**In-person POS (Stripe Terminal)** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Card-present payments.

**Local payment methods** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: 100+ across markets (Bizum, iDEAL, Klarna, Affirm, etc.).

## Implementations & partners

**Operator**: **Stripe, Inc.** + Stripe Payments Europe + per-country subsidiaries.

**Founders**: **Patrick + John Collison**.

**Major investors**: Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, Khosla, Capital G, Tiger Global, Allianz X, Visa, Goldman Sachs, Baillie Gifford, Coatue.

**Card-network partners**: **Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, UnionPay, JCB**.

**Strategic fintech investments**: **[Wave QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/wave-qr)** (West African fintech; Stripe early investor + technology partner).

**Major competitors**:
- **[PayPal](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/paypal)** (Braintree subsidiary — Stripe's most direct competitor; PayPal's developer-side play).
- **Adyen** (NL public; competes for large-merchant payment processing).
- **Square** (Block's POS arm; competes for SMB).
- **Worldpay (FIS subsidiary)** + traditional acquirers.
- **Local processors per country**.

## Fun facts

- **Founded September 2010 by Patrick + John Collison** (Irish brothers from Limerick).
- **"7 lines of code to accept payments"** pitch defined Stripe's developer-first ethos.
- **$95B valuation peak (March 2021)** — then-highest private-company valuation.
- **$1.9T 2025 TPV + ~$19.4B gross revenue + 5M+ businesses in 51 countries**.
- **22.3% global payment-processing software market share** — second-most-used payment solution globally.
- **90% of DJIA + 80% of Nasdaq 100 use Stripe** — substantial enterprise penetration.
- **57% of 2025 new businesses outside US** + **new-business cohort growing 50% faster than 2024** — international + growth acceleration.
- **Patrick + John Collison are Forbes billionaires** (often listed among self-made tech billionaires).
- **Early Wave investor + still partners** — Stripe powers West African fintech infrastructure.
- **Annual Letter** — Stripe publishes detailed annual letters covering industry trends.

## Comparison

| Feature | Stripe | [PayPal](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/paypal) (+ Braintree) | Adyen (NL) | Square (Block POS) | Worldpay (FIS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **Stripe, Inc. (private)** | PayPal Holdings (PYPL) | Adyen NV (ADYEN.AS) | Block, Inc. (XYZ) | FIS subsidiary |
| Type | **Developer-first payments infrastructure** | Online checkout + Braintree + Venmo | Enterprise payments | POS + SMB | Traditional acquiring + processing |
| TPV (2024-25) | **$1.9T (+34% YoY)** | $1.68T | €1+T | $67.2B Q3 2025 GPV | Trillions |
| Revenue (2024-25) | **~$19.4B gross** | $31.8B | €2B+ | Block $10.25B gross profit | Major |
| Markets | **51 countries** | 200+ | 25+ | Multiple | 100+ |
| Distinctive | **Developer-API-first + comprehensive products (Atlas, Issuing, Treasury, Capital, Connect, Radar, etc.)** | Consumer + merchant integrated | Large-enterprise focus | SMB + iconic Square Reader | Acquiring legacy |
| Valuation | **$95B peak (Mar 2021); revised upward 2025 tender** | $80B+ market cap (PYPL) | ~$30B market cap | $35B+ (Block XYZ) | Public (FIS) |

## Status

**Active, dominant developer-first payments infrastructure** <sup>[1][1], [4][4]</sup>:
- **Stripe, Inc.** (private; Collison brothers as founders + CEOs).
- **2025: $1.9T TPV (+34% YoY) + ~$19.4B gross revenue + 5M+ businesses + 51 countries**.
- **22.3% global payment-processing software market share**.
- **90% Dow Jones + 80% Nasdaq 100 enterprise penetration**.
- **Comprehensive product breadth**: Payments, Connect, Atlas, Issuing, Treasury, Capital, Radar, Tax, Climate, Terminal, etc.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.chargeflow.io/blog/stripe-statistics "Stripe Stats 2026 — Chargeflow"
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stripe,_Inc. "Stripe, Inc. — Wikipedia"
[3]: https://coinlaw.io/stripe-statistics/ "Stripe Statistics 2026 — CoinLaw"
[4]: https://www.fxcintel.com/research/analysis/stripe-annual-letter-2025 "Stripe Annual Letter 2025 — FXC Intel"
[5]: https://electroiq.com/stats/stripe-statistics/ "Stripe Statistics — ElectroIQ"
[6]: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1417115/stripe-value-of-transactions-processed/ "Stripe transaction value 2015-2025 — Statista"

- [1] [Stripe Stats 2026 — Chargeflow][1]
- [2] [Stripe, Inc. — Wikipedia][2]
- [3] [Stripe Statistics 2026 — CoinLaw][3]
- [4] [Stripe Annual Letter 2025 — FXC Intel][4]
- [5] [Stripe Statistics — ElectroIQ][5]
- [6] [Stripe transaction value 2015-2025 — Statista][6]

## Source

Biography extracted from [stripe.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/stripe). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.