Tempo
Category: AI in Fintech
A purpose-built, Layer 1 blockchain for payments, designed for stablecoin transactions and real-world payments Tempo was founded in 2025. The company is led by Matt Huang. Based in San Francisco, USA. Team size: 15-50. Total funding raised: $500 million. Latest round: Series A. Key investors include Greenoaks, Thrive Capital (Joshua Kushner), Sequoia, Ribbit Capital, SV Angel.
- Founded
- 2025
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, USA
- Team size
- 15-50
- Total funding
- $500 million
Value proposition
High-speed, low-cost blockchain for stablecoin payments targeting 100,000+ TPS with sub-second finality, allowing fees to be paid in stablecoins
Products and solutions
Tempo Blockchain (Layer 1 Mainnet), Machine Payments Protocol (MPP) for AI agent payments, Built-in Stable Asset DEX, Payment Metadata Infrastructure, Deterministic Settlement System, Privacy / confidential transactions, Tempo Zones, TIP-20 token standard, Onchain yield (e.g. BlackRock BUIDL)
Unique value
Payments-first blockchain specifically architected for stablecoins from the ground up, with dedicated payment lanes and stablecoin-native gas fees
Target customer
Enterprises, financial institutions, fintechs, and businesses requiring high-throughput payment solutions
Industries served
Fintech, E-commerce, Banking, Payments, Remittances, Cross-border Payments
Technology advantage
High-performance L1 targeting 100,000+ TPS and ~0.6s finality; stablecoin-native gas; dedicated payment lanes; EVM compatibility; Machine Payments Protocol for AI agents; mainnet live with validators including Visa/Stripe; incubated by Stripe and Paradigm
How they differentiate
Tempo differentiates by being a 'payments-first' blockchain specifically designed for stablecoins, focusing on high-throughput, low-cost transactions with dedicated payment lanes and stablecoin-native fees, backed by major players in traditional finance
Main competitors
Solana, Ethereum L2s (Optimism, Arbitrum, Base), Circle (USDC infrastructure), Tether (USDT infrastructure)
Key partnerships
Stripe (Co-creator / incubator / validator), Paradigm (Co-creator / incubator), Visa (validator), Zodia Custody by Standard Chartered (validator), MoneyGram (first remittance validator & settlement partner), Deutsche Bank, Shopify, Nubank, OpenAI, Revolut, Mastercard, UBS
Notable customers
Visa (validator), Stripe, MoneyGram (remittance validator), DoorDash (stablecoin payment operations), Deel (exclusive stablecoin wallet for contractors), Coupang (KRW stablecoin payments with Woori Bank), Shopify, OpenAI, Anthropic, Deutsche Bank, Nubank, Revolut
Major milestones
Raised $500 million Series A at $5 billion valuation (October 2025), Launched public testnet (December 9, 2025), Launched Tempo Mainnet (March 18, 2026), Launched Machine Payments Protocol (MPP) with Stripe for AI agent payments (March 2026), Visa, Stripe, and Zodia Custody (Standard Chartered) joined as validators (April 2026), MoneyGram joined as first remittance validator and settlement partner (May 2026), Deel launched stablecoin wallet exclusively on Tempo (June 2026), Integrated BlackRock BUIDL onchain yield (July 2026), Coupang and Woori Bank completed first end-to-end KRW stablecoin payment on Tempo (July 2026)
Growth metrics
Mainnet live March 18, 2026; public RPC endpoints open; targets 100,000+ TPS and ~0.6s finality; Machine Payments Protocol (MPP) live for agentic payments
Market positioning
Positioned as infrastructure for global payments, targeting both traditional financial institutions and the growing digital economy, aiming to bridge the gap between traditional finance and crypto
Geographic focus
Global, with strong focus on US and European markets
Patents and IP
Not publicly available
About Matt Huang
Co-founder and Managing Partner at Paradigm, Partner at Sequoia Capital, Founder and CEO of Hotspots (acquired by Twitter)
More AI in Fintech companies
Official website: https://tempo.xyz/