Tempo, the joint blockchain initiative from Stripe and Paradigm, launched its first public testnet on Tuesday, signaling a major step forward for its layer-1 blockchain designed specifically for stablecoin payments.
The open-source testnet allows developers and enthusiasts to run nodes, sync the chain, and experiment with new features built for real-world financial applications.
The network debuted six core features aimed at transforming payment infrastructure: dedicated payment lanes, stablecoin-native gas, a built-in decentralized exchange for stable assets, payments and transfers metadata, fast deterministic finality, and modern wallet signing methods.
These capabilities are designed to provide instant settlement, predictable low fees, and a stablecoin-native user experience that general-purpose blockchains often struggle to deliver.
Georgios Konstantopoulos, general partner and CTO at Paradigm, highlighted the ability for testnet users to create stablecoins directly from their browsers. While the network leverages Tempo’s TIP-20 token standard, specific liquidity and collateral requirements for the mainnet launch remain under development.
The testnet launch follows a rapid timeline for Tempo. Just four months ago, Stripe and Paradigm unveiled the project, and three months later, the team raised $500 million at a $5 billion valuation.
Early design partners included OpenAI, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered, and Shopify, providing strategic guidance on use cases and network performance.
Tempo has since expanded its partner roster to include Mastercard, UBS, Kalshi, and Klarna. Notably, Klarna became the first digital bank to operate on the network, issuing a USD-pegged stablecoin last month.
The project positions itself as institutional-grade payment infrastructure, emphasizing deterministic settlement and native stablecoin integration as core pillars, rather than optional add-ons.
With the public testnet live, Tempo is now focusing on scaling, reliability, and developer experience, while stress-testing the network under real payment loads.
Tempo’s vision is clear: a blockchain built from the ground up for financial rails, combining speed, stability, and usability to meet the demands of global payments.
