Stripe, Paradigm Open Tempo to Public, Add Kalshi and UBS

• Tempo blockchain opens for stablecoin payments, led by Stripe and Paradigm globally.
• Dedicated payment lanes prevent congestion, ensuring low fees and consistent transfers.
• UBS, Cross River, and other firms join testing, showing rising institutional adoption.

Stripe and Paradigm opened the Tempo blockchain to the public, allowing companies worldwide to test real-world stablecoin payments on the new network. The launch happened after months of private development involving financial firms, AI startups, and global banks. The project aims to solve congestion issues seen on traditional blockchains by offering a payment-first structure that separates payment traffic from trading activity.

Tempo Adds New Partners as the Test Opens

The public release followed Tempo’s first announcement in September, which included Deutsche Bank, Nubank, OpenAI, and Anthropic as early partners. Stripe and Paradigm added UBS, Cross River Bank, and prediction markets operator Kalshi to this list. 

This expansion created a broader testing group as firms evaluated how stablecoin payments behave in high-volume environments. Developers joining the trial encountered a network designed to simplify stablecoin integration. 

Matt Huang, Paradigm’s co-founder and Tempo’s project lead, said the crypto sector still feels difficult for teams building payment applications. He noted that Tempo intends to reduce those barriers by offering tools similar to Stripe’s plug-and-play model. 

This design choice links directly to Stripe’s history of offering simple payment rails for online commerce. The test environment introduced stablecoin-native fees that accept USDT, USDC, and other dollar-denominated options. 

This approach is connected directly to Tempo’s goal of reducing fee volatility while supporting firms that process frequent transactions. It also aligned with growing demand from companies seeking real-time billing systems for service usage, including AI providers.

Dedicated Payment Lanes Aim To Avoid Congestion

Tempo’s architecture introduces dedicated lanes for payments, notably preventing trading surges from slowing down routine transfers. This structure addressed previous issues on other blockchains where memecoin launches pushed gas fees higher and delayed transactions. 

Stripe’s president of technology and business, William Gaybrick, referenced past disruptions where payroll processors using stablecoin rails struggled to send wages on time during periods of heavy market activity.

By isolating payments from trading traffic, Tempo targeted predictable processing times. The network charged a fixed one-tenth of a cent per payment, which contrasted with card fees that often range between one and three percent plus an additional flat fee. 

This fixed cost supported microtransaction use cases that rely on low and steady fees to remain practical for businesses. The approach also positioned Tempo for workloads involving global payouts, cross-border transfers, and frequent small-value transactions. 

Because these tasks require consistent throughput even during market spikes, developers tested the network’s ability to maintain steady settlement during congestion elsewhere on the chain.

Related: Tempo Secures $500M to Build the Future of Stablecoin Payments

Stablecoin Demand Influences Platform Design

Stablecoins still remain closely tied to trading activity; however, their role in payments continues to grow. Data from Allium Labs and Visa showed nearly $4 trillion in stablecoin volume in February, while only $6 billion came from actual payments, according to figures organized by Artemis, Castle Island Ventures, and Dragonfly Capital. This gap showed the early stage of stablecoin payment adoption compared to trading use.

Tempo’s model sought to address this disconnect by offering payment-specific infrastructure. The network accepted any US dollar-denominated stablecoin for transaction fees, which aligned with demand from companies that prefer to handle payments without switching assets. 

Citigroup projections cited in the data indicated that total stablecoin supply could reach $3.7 trillion by 2030 if adoption continues and regulation progresses. Analysts also stated supply could remain closer to $500 billion if regulatory delays or security issues persist.

As firms evaluated Tempo, its backers emphasized that more validators will join over time. This step would move the system toward a fully decentralized permissionless network where anyone can participate. Developers tested real transfers on the testnet, with partners like Deutsche Bank and Nubank examining how the system performs under practical conditions.

Tempo’s opening to the public indicates that Stripe and Paradigm are advancing a payment-focused blockchain built around stablecoins. The addition of UBS, Cross River Bank, and Kalshi expands the testing environment while highlighting institutional interest in stablecoin payment rails. The project’s design, which separates payments from trading activity and supports fixed fees, reflects ongoing efforts to support real-world usage across global businesses.