The Breakdown Stripe’s Tempo Chain and the Return of Enterprise Blockchains
Sep 9, 2025
Stripe's launch of Tempo, a blockchain for stablecoin payments, has sparked intense debate in the crypto world. With major backers like Visa and Shopify, many wonder if it's a breakthrough or just another corporate venture. The clash between ideals of decentralization and the need for practical financial solutions is front and center. Expert insights reveal the challenges Stripe faces in balancing these conflicting narratives while exploring the implications for existing systems like SWIFT. Is decentralization still vital in this evolving landscape?
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Tempo Targets High‑Throughput Payments
- Stripe built Tempo to meet 10,000 TPS payments needs that existing chains couldn't handle.
- They positioned Tempo as an independent L1 with partners like Visa and Shopify to serve high-throughput stablecoin payments.
Permissionless Claim With Permissioned Start
- Paradigm and Stripe claim Tempo will be permissionless with permissioned validators at launch.
- They argue for compliance tooling at the application level while keeping the base layer neutral.
Neutral Base Layer ≠ Neutral Assets
- Critics argued Stripe-led neutrality will fall short of community standards like Ethereum's.
- The episode notes that even decentralized base layers can host centralized stablecoins with freeze controls.