Stripe and Paradigm Roll out Tempo Blockchain for Instant Stablecoin Payments

Payments giant Stripe and crypto venture firm Paradigm announced the launch of Tempo, a purpose-built blockchain designed specifically for stablecoin payments, with Paradigm co-founder Matt Huang serving as the project's first CEO. The San Francisco-based Stripe, valued at $91.5 billion, partnered with Paradigm to create what they describe as a payments-first blockchain infrastructure . 

Huang, who is already a Stripe board member, will maintain his role as managing partner at Paradigm while leading Tempo, according to sources familiar with the project. This dual role represents a significant bet on Stripe's future dominance in the crowded stablecoin landscape as the fintech giant pushes deeper into crypto infrastructure. 

Tempo operates as an Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible Layer 1 blockchain that does not settle directly to Ethereum, distinguishing it from typical Layer 2 solutions. The platform promises to process over 100,000 transactions per second with sub-second finality, targeting high-volume payment use cases that existing blockchain infrastructure struggles to handle efficiently .

The project secured backing from a notable roster of design partners including major corporations and financial institutions. These partners include AI companies Anthropic and OpenAI, e-commerce platforms Shopify and DoorDash, South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang, financial services firms Deutsche Bank and Standard Chartered, digital banks Mercury and Nubank, and payment processor Visa.  

Stripe's blockchain initiative builds on the company's recent crypto acquisitions, including stablecoin firm Bridge and crypto wallet provider Privy over the past year. By launching its own blockchain, Stripe seeks full ownership of the technology stack powering its burgeoning stablecoin business.

Tempo's architecture incorporates several payment-specific features designed to address real-world transaction needs. The blockchain includes a dedicated payments lane that isolates payment transactions from other blockchain activity, ensuring predictable low fees. Users can pay transaction fees in any stablecoin through an enshrined automated market maker, and the platform supports batch transfers, memo fields compatible with ISO 20022 standards, and compliance features.

Paradigm, co-founded by Huang and former Coinbase co-founder Fred Ehrsam, manages $12.7 billion in assets and has backed industry leaders including Uniswap, Kalshi, and Fireblocks. The firm has a history of incubating projects like the Ethereum development toolbox Foundry and the open-source crypto bot Artemis .

Huang announced the project on social media, emphasizing that Tempo represents a neutral platform approach to stablecoins rather than favoring any particular token. The blockchain will initially operate with a diverse group of independent validator nodes, including some design partners, before transitioning to a fully permissionless validator model.

The announcement comes as competition intensifies in crypto payments, with major players including Circle announcing their own blockchains. Tempo currently operates in a private testnet phase with select partners testing various payment applications, though the companies have not disclosed a specific timeline for public mainnet launch.