Stripe is stepping up its involvement in the cryptocurrency sector, announcing two separate initiatives that deepen its exposure to digital assets and blockchain-based finance.
First, the payments company has acquired Valora, a startup known for its crypto-focused digital wallet. In parallel, Privy — Stripe’s wallet infrastructure subsidiary — has entered into a collaboration with buy now, pay later provider Klarna to explore the development of a cryptocurrency wallet for Klarna’s users.
Both announcements were made this week, with details released on consecutive days.
Valora Joins the Stripe Ecosystem
Valora’s leadership said the acquisition aligns closely with the company’s mission to broaden access to financial tools. In a blog post, CEO Jackie Bona described Stripe as a partner that shares Valora’s belief in the potential of stablecoins and cryptocurrencies to lower barriers to participation in the global financial system.
Stripe, which operates with headquarters in both San Francisco and Dublin, has not disclosed how much it paid for Valora or when the transaction is expected to close. Representatives for Valora also declined to comment beyond the published announcement.
Founded in San Francisco, Valora originally emerged from the Celo blockchain ecosystem. In 2021, the wallet provider spun out as an independent company and raised $20 million to support its expansion.
Klarna and Privy Explore a Crypto Wallet
Separately, Stripe-owned Privy has entered into a research partnership with Klarna aimed at designing a digital wallet that supports cryptocurrency products. The wallet would be built with Klarna’s customer base in mind, though development remains in an early phase.
Klarna confirmed that the agreement was recently finalized and said there is no set timeline for completing the wallet. The initiative follows Klarna’s launch of its own stablecoin, KlarnaUSD, introduced in November.
According to the companies, one of the goals of the wallet project is to make digital currencies — particularly stablecoins — easier to adopt for everyday users rather than limiting them to crypto-native audiences.
Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski said the collaboration positions the company to integrate crypto into mainstream financial activity, rather than treating it as a niche product reserved for early adopters.
A Broader Crypto Strategy
Taken together, the Valora acquisition and the Privy–Klarna partnership highlight Stripe’s growing interest in crypto-related infrastructure. Rather than focusing on speculative trading, the company appears to be targeting practical use cases that connect digital assets with familiar consumer payment experiences.