Tempo, the stablecoin-focused blockchain Stripe incubated and developed with venture firm Paradigm, gives 90% of its block space to simple payments and puts trades in second priority, Chief Business Officer Dan Romero said in a November 6 interview with Payments Dive. Romero said that is worse for Tempo's business because it makes less money per transaction. He also said he thinks Stripe, after acquiring Bridge and Privy, realized that none of the existing blockchains were particularly well suited for at-scale payments.
Stripe and Paradigm introduced Tempo in September 2025 with Anthropic, DoorDash and Visa as initial partners. Payments Dive says companies now use it for remittances, cross-border payouts and agentic commerce. Fortune reported in October 2025 that Tempo raised $500 million at a $5 billion valuation. Paradigm co-founder Matt Huang, also a Stripe director, leads the company.
On agent payments, Romero said three months ago there were basically none, and that this has materially changed in the last two months with Instinct and Meta's Muse. He said he anticipates more agentic payments in the next 6 to 12 months, and that most such transactions today run over cards, many through Stripe Link. He added that some big banks are wary of agents touching accounts.
