- Tempo opens a public testnet backed by Stripe and Paradigm for stablecoin settlement.
- The payments first chain uses reserved blockspace and sub cent fees paid in USDT and USDC.
- UBS, Mastercard, Visa, OpenAI and others are already testing cross border and agentic payment flows.
Tempo, a blockchain for payments backed by Stripe and Paradigm, announced on Tuesday that its public testnet is now open to developers worldwide. The move builds on the concept unveiled in September.
As per Bloomberg report, Tempo debuts a functioning network that companies can begin experimenting with immediately. Stripe’s existing payments infrastructure is expected to connect with the network once it reaches mainnet in 2026.
Paradigm, which guides the network’s technical direction, said that the goal is to make stablecoins practical instruments for real world commerce.
A Payments-First Chain Built for Predictability
Tempo has a payments-first design that separates transfer activity from the rest of the network. The goal here is to prevent the fee spikes and congestion that often arise on general-purpose blockchains whenever volumes jump.
The chain reserves its own blockspace for transfers, allowing stable settlement times and transaction costs measured around 0.1 cent.
By removing reliance on a volatile native token, Tempo allows fees to be paid in familiar USD stablecoins such as USDT and USDC.
The network supports microtransactions, global remittances, tokenized deposits, and agentic payments straight out of the box. Its early technical suite includes stablecoin swap tools, passkey authentication, and full EVM compatibility.
Related: Kyrgyzstan launches $50M gold-backed USDKG stablecoin to modernize cross-border payments
Tempo currently relies on four rotating validators operated by the team, though it plans to incorporate design-partner validators and later open the validator set entirely.
A Growing Roster of Global Partners
UBS, Cross River Bank, Mastercard, Klarna, and prediction-market operator Kalshi joined the testnet opening along with earlier participants such as Deutsche Bank, Nubank, OpenAI, and Anthropic.
Firms including DoorDash, Shopify, Visa, Coupang, Revolut, and Standard Chartered contributed design feedback during the network’s early phases.
Brex, Ramp, Payoneer, Figure, Persona, and Coastal Bank entered after the initial announcement and are exploring cross-border payments and usage-based billing models on Tempo.
Matt Huang, Paradigm’s managing partner and the project’s lead, said that the team’s aim is to close the developer-experience gap for anyone planning real-world stablecoin applications.
<blockquote>It’s been a pleasure working with great design partners to shape the chain: from teams moving billions across borders, to banks testing tokenized deposits, to AI companies exploring agentic flows,” Huang said.<blockquote>
The main focus of this project will be the United States, where institutional interest in crypto is increasing with President Donald Trump’s signature on the GENIUS ACT in July 2025.
Related: Wall Street Titans Intervene in Senate Crypto Talks: ‘Kill the Stablecoin Yield’
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