# Tempo

> Tempo is a payments-first, EVM-compatible Layer 1 incubated by Stripe and Paradigm that launched mainnet on 18 March 2026; it has no native volatile token — gas is paid in USD-denominated TIP-20 stablecoins — and it co-drafted the Machine Payments Protocol (MPP) with Stripe, with node code dual-licensed Apache-2.0 OR MIT.

A payments-first EVM Layer 1 incubated by Stripe and Paradigm.

- **Category:** Payment Infrastructure
- **License:** Apache-2.0 OR MIT
- **Language:** Rust
- **Self-hosted:** Yes
- **Repository:** https://github.com/tempoxyz/tempo
- **Last verified:** 2026-10-04

> Caveat: Tempo is a blockchain network, not a 'protocol' — the protocol in this space is MPP. Reported testnet throughput (~20,000 TPS) is an engineering figure, not observed mainnet load, and on-chain value remains small.

Source: https://agent.c8.fit/tools/tempo/