Tempo L1 Blockchain by Stripe + Paradigm (Tempo): status and timeline

Tempo L1 Blockchain

A Layer 1 blockchain optimized for stablecoin payments and autonomous machine transactions, with finality in under a second.

DeployStage 4 of 5

Mainnet live since March 2026. Processing autonomous machine payments.

Updated 18 Mar 2026Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · 100+ services integrated in Machine Payments Directory

Tempo announced4 Sep 2025Complete.
Public testnet launches with major payment companiesDec 2025Complete.
Series A funding closed at $5B valuationOct 2025Complete.
Tempo mainnet launch with Machine Payments Protocol18 Mar 2026Complete.
100+ services integrated in Machine Payments DirectoryTarget 2026Current milestone.

Most important updates

Upcoming

2026100+ services integrated in Machine Payments Directory (next)
Q4 2026Machine Payments Protocol adoption by major compute platforms
2027Stablecoin integration by major exchanges and wallets

Current obstacles

Adoption from payment incumbentsStripe and Visa have existing settlement networks; migration to Tempo requires choosing when to route transactions through blockchain versus traditional rails.
Regulatory clarity on stablecoin railsStablecoin payment networks are new and may face regulatory scrutiny, particularly around reserve requirements and settlement risk.

Physics limits

Blockchain throughput versus centralized systemsEven at 0.6-second finality, Tempo is decentralized settlement, which trades some speed and cost efficiency for settlement assurance and no single point of failure.
Stablecoin dependencyThe payment system depends on stablecoin issuers remaining solvent and maintaining USD reserves; a major stablecoin failure would affect Tempo's utility.

How it works

3 parts

Settlement

Instant finality

Tempo blocks settle in 0.6 seconds rather than waiting 12+ seconds for Ethereum or hundreds of seconds for traditional payment networks.

Payments

Stablecoin rails

Transactions use USD stablecoins instead of volatile tokens, lowering merchant and platform costs and making budgets predictable.

Machine Protocol

Autonomous service payments

The Machine Payments Protocol lets AI agents buy compute, data, and services directly from providers without manual approval loops.

Spec sheet

Spec	Tempo L1 Blockchain
Block finality	0.6 seconds^R (reported)
Gas currency	USD stablecoins^R (reported)
Initial validators	Stripe, Visa, Paradigm, and others^R (reported)
Services in Machine Payments Directory	100+^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

3 updates

About Stripe + Paradigm (Tempo)

The team behind Tempo L1 Blockchain

Stripe + Paradigm (Tempo)

Tempo L1 blockchain, stablecoin payments, Machine Payments Protocol

Stripe and Paradigm launched Tempo, a Layer 1 blockchain designed for stablecoin payments with 0.6-second finality. The platform powers autonomous machine payments and is operated by validators including Stripe, Visa, and Paradigm.

Mainnet launched March 18, 2026, with Machine Payments Protocol for AI agent payments.
The $500M Series A was led by Thrive Capital and Greenoaks, with Sequoia, Ribbit Capital, and SV Angel.
Design partners: OpenAI, Shopify, Visa, Mastercard, UBS, Klarna tested on public testnet in December 2025.

tempo.so (opens tempo.so)Company profile →

Founded: 20251 yrs
Headquarters: United States
Status: Private
Valuation: $5BprivateOct 2025
Raised: $500M1 round
Last round: Series A · $500MOct 2025
Works in: CryptoBlockchains (L1s)
Coverage: 1 program · 4 updateslatest 18 Mar 2026checked 10 Oct
Lead investors: Thrive CapitalGreenoaks
Customers: Visa (opens visa.com)
Partners: Stripe (opens stripe.com)Paradigm (opens paradigm.xyz)OpenAI (opens openai.com)
People: Matt Huang (opens paradigm.xyz)CEO, Tempo; Managing Partner, ParadigmPatrick Collison (opens stripe.com)CEO, Stripe

Spec

Tempo L1 Blockchain

Block finality

0.6 seconds^R (reported)

Gas currency

USD stablecoins^R (reported)

Initial validators

Stripe, Visa, Paradigm, and others^R (reported)

Services in Machine Payments Directory

100+^R (reported)

Tempo L1 Blockchain

Milestones

Most important updates

Upcoming

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Instant finality

Stablecoin rails

Autonomous service payments

Spec sheet

Update log

Wed 18 Mar

Dec 2025

Thu 4 Sep 2025

About Stripe + Paradigm (Tempo)

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Instant finality

Stablecoin rails

Autonomous service payments

Spec sheet

Update log

Wed 18 Mar

Dec 2025

Thu 4 Sep 2025

About Stripe + Paradigm (Tempo)