Tempo, the payments-focused blockchain developed by payments giant Stripe and crypto investment firm Paradigm, launched its mainnet on Wednesday, bringing its stablecoin payment system out of testing and into live operation.
The network is built to process large numbers of transactions quickly and at low costs. The goal is to make sending money with stablecoins – digital tokens pegged to currencies like the US dollar – feel as easy as using a card or bank transfer, but faster and available at all times.
The launch follows a public testnet that began in December, when companies like Mastercard, UBS, Klarna and Visa began experimenting with sending payments over the network. That phase allowed developers to test how stablecoins could handle everyday financial activities, such as payouts and cross-border transfers.
In addition to the launch of the mainnet, Tempo introduced the Machine Payments Protocol, a system developed together with Stripe that allows software programs to make payments themselves. This allows applications or artificial intelligence (AI) tools to pay for services such as data or computing power without human approval at every step.
Tempo also focuses on more well-known applications, such as sending money across borders or paying large groups of employees at once. These processes often take days and involve multiple intermediaries.
The launch comes as global payment processing companies increasingly see blockchain rails and stablecoins as an important part of cross-border finance. Mastercard said this week it will acquire stablecoin infrastructure startup BVNK for $1.8 billion to integrate digital dollars into its payments network. That deal followed Stripe’s purchase of stablecoin startup Bridge and crypto wallet company Privy.
Tempo also wants to gain a foothold in agentic finance, an emerging trend where AI agents use blockchains to pay for certain services that require micropayments.
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