Stripe grabs headlines with a $159 billion valuation jump, early acquisition interest in PayPal, and a federal trust charter win through Bridge. Meanwhile, Crypto.com and Payoneer join the charter race, the CFPB faces a potential gutting in court, banks brace for possible citizenship checks, and OpenClaw AI raises fresh security concerns. We break down what it all means for fintech’s power balance — and where regulation, innovation, and risk collide next.