Tempo, the payments-focused blockchain developed by payments giant Stripe and cryptocurrency investment firm Paradigm, launched its mainnet on Wednesday, taking its stablecoin payment system out of testing and putting it into live use.
The network is designed to process a large number of transactions quickly and at low cost. Its goal is to make sending money with stablecoins (digital tokens pegged to currencies like the US dollar) as simple 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 such as Mastercard, UBS, Klarna and Visa began experimenting with sending payments on the network. That phase allowed developers to test how stablecoins could handle everyday financial activity, such as cross-border payments and transfers.
Along with the mainnet launch, Tempo introduced the Automatic Payments Protocol, a system co-developed with Stripe that allows software programs to make payments on their own. This allows artificial intelligence (AI) applications or tools to pay for services such as data or computing power without human approval at every step.
Tempo is also targeting more familiar uses, such as sending money across borders or paying large groups of workers at once. These processes usually take days and involve multiple intermediaries.
The launch comes as global payment processing companies increasingly see blockchain rails and stablecoins as a key piece for cross-border finance. Mastercard said this week that it will acquire stablecoin infrastructure startup BVNK for $1.8 billion to incorporate digital dollars into its payments network. That deal followed Stripe’s purchase of startup Bridge and crypto wallet firm Privy.
Tempo is also looking to establish itself in agent finance, an emerging trend in which AI agents use blockchains to pay for certain services that require micropayments.
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