**[Stripe Acquires Valora Team to Expand Stablecoin Business]** Odaily Planet Daily News: Payment giant Stripe is further expanding its crypto business footprint by acquiring the startup team behind the crypto wallet Valora (team integration, non-technical asset acquisition) to strengthen its strategic layout for global financial system accessibility. Valora founder Jackie Bona stated that the team will join Stripe to continue advancing the mission of "enabling more people worldwide to access the modern financial system." Valora's technology and application will not be included in the acquisition but will return to Celo's core development organization, cLabs, to continue independent operations. Launched in 2021, Valora is a mobile self-custody crypto wallet specifically designed for Celo chain stablecoin users. It has received investments from institutions such as a16z and Polychain and has collaborated with M-Pesa and Tether to promote global stablecoin adoption. In recent years, Stripe has rapidly enhanced its stablecoin infrastructure, acquiring Bridge and Privy to advance stablecoin issuance, custody, and payment solutions, while jointly developing the payment-focused Layer 1 blockchain Tempo. Currently, Stripe is also applying for a U.S. banking license to further deepen its crypto payment capabilities. Stripe's co-founder previously stated in an annual letter that stablecoins represent an "improvement in currency usability" and will become a key component of global payments. (The Block)