Stripe, the $92 billion payments giant, has officially unveiled Tempo, a payments-focused Layer 1 blockchain developed with crypto venture firm Paradigm. Unlike most blockchains born from trading or DeFi culture, Tempo is designed from the ground up to move money; fast, cheap, and at scale.
Tempo aims to handle tens of thousands of transactions per second, settling stablecoin payments with predictable, low fees. Stripe CEO Patrick Collison has said existing blockchains weren’t optimized for real-world payments, which pushed Stripe to build a new rail from scratch.
From Stealth to Spotlight
Earlier this summer, Tempo surfaced via a job posting describing it as a “high-performance, payments-focused blockchain.” At the time it was still in stealth with a small team. Now, Stripe and Paradigm have confirmed the project publicly, with Matt Huang; Paradigm co-founder and Stripe board member – serving as Tempo’s CEO.
The network is Ethereum-compatible, easing developer adoption and ensuring interoperability. What started as a five-person stealth unit has grown into a dedicated team backed by enterprise partners.
Building on Stripe’s Crypto Playbook
Tempo is the capstone of Stripe’s broader crypto push. The company acquired Bridge in 2024 for $1.1 billion, gaining stablecoin infrastructure, and in 2025 bought Privy, a wallet developer. Together with Stripe’s global merchant base, these moves created the foundation for a full-stack stablecoin ecosystem: wallets, compliance rails, and now, a blockchain optimized for payments.
Regulatory and Market Tailwinds
The launch comes just weeks after the U.S. passed the GENIUS Act, the first federal stablecoin legislation, which provided much-needed regulatory clarity. Stablecoins are now processing trillions in annual volume, even surpassing Visa and Mastercard’s payment flows in 2024. Stripe is betting Tempo will ride this momentum and become the backbone for global stablecoin settlement.
The Competitive Landscape
Stripe isn’t alone. Apple, Google, Airbnb, Meta, and X are all exploring stablecoin integrations. Visa and Mastercard are piloting stablecoin settlement. What sets Stripe apart is that instead of just plugging into existing rails, it’s building its own — and bringing partners like Shopify, Revolut, and OpenAI along for early adoption.
Key Takeaways for Fintech Startups
- Stablecoins are here to stay: $27 trillion+ in yearly volume shows they’ve gone mainstream.
- Regulation can unlock innovation: Tempo launched right after the GENIUS Act clarified the rules.
- Lean teams can scale big bets: Tempo started in stealth with only a handful of people.
- Partnerships are leverage: Stripe enlisted Paradigm, Visa, and major tech players from the start.
- Solve real payment pain points: Tempo targets cross-border payouts and microtransactions — practical use cases with immediate value.
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