The Stripe and Paradigm joint blockchain project, Tempo, launched its first public testnet Tuesday, advancing development of the official layer-1 blockchain focused on stablecoin payments. The open source testnet allows anyone to run a node or sync the chain while testing various features designed for financial applications.
Key Features of the Tempo Testnet
Tempo announced six key features now live on the network: dedicated payment lanes, stablecoin-native gas, built-in stable asset decentralized exchange, payments and transfers metadata, fast deterministic finality, and modern wallet signing methods. These capabilities aim to deliver instant settlement, predictably low fees, and a stablecoin-native experience that general-purpose blockchains struggle to provide.
Development Roadmap and Future Plans
The testnet launch kicks off the next development phase, with focus on scale, reliability, and integration experience. Tempo plans to continue onboarding new infrastructure partners, adding developer tooling, and stress-testing throughput under real payment loads over coming months.
Innovative Stablecoin Creation
Paradigm’s general partner and chief technology officer Georgios Konstantopoulos highlighted a feature enabling testnet users to create stablecoins directly from their browsers. Stablecoins created on the network will be built via Tempo's TIP-20 token standard, though specific liquidity and collateral requirements for the actual blockchain launch are not yet detailed in testnet documentation.
Project Background and Funding
The testnet arrives four months after payments giant Stripe and crypto venture capital fund Paradigm unveiled Tempo, and three months after the project raised $500 million at a $5 billion valuation. Initial design partners included OpenAI, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered and Shopify.
Expanding Design Partnerships
Tempo emphasized that it has since signed additional design partners including Mastercard, UBS, Kalshi and Klarna. Late last month, Klarna became the first digital bank on the network by rolling out a USD-pegged stablecoin on Tempo.
Tempo's Institutional Focus
The project positions itself as infrastructure for institutional-grade payment rails, with design partners representing diverse sectors from fintech to traditional banking. Tempo's architecture prioritizes deterministic settlement and stablecoin integration as core features rather than additions to existing blockchain frameworks.