Stripe Goes All-In on Crypto: Crypto.com Partnership and Tempo Blockchain Signal Massive 2026 Push
Stripe just made its biggest crypto bet yet—and it's not alone.
The $106 billion payments giant announced a partnership with Crypto.com on January 6, enabling merchants to accept crypto payments across its platform. But that's just the warm-up act. Stripe is also preparing to launch Tempo, its own Layer 1 blockchain built specifically for stablecoin payments, with a mainnet rollout expected in 2026.
Stripe + Crypto.com: Pay With Bitcoin, Merchants Get Cash
The new integration lets Crypto.com users spend crypto directly at millions of Stripe-powered merchants in the US—no manual conversion required.
How it works:
- Customer pays in Bitcoin, Ethereum, or stablecoins via Crypto.com Pay
- Stripe converts crypto to local currency (USD, EUR, etc.)
- Merchant receives fiat in their bank account like any other payment
Stripe processes $1.4 trillion annually and serves half of the Fortune 100. This partnership instantly gives crypto a distribution channel most projects can only dream about.
"We're excited to partner with Stripe to catalyze a new era for crypto-enabled commerce," said Joe Anzures, Crypto.com's EVP of Payments.
The feature rolls out in the US this month, with international expansion coming soon.
Tempo Blockchain: Stripe's Secret Weapon
Stripe's real power move is Tempo, a payments-focused blockchain built with crypto VC firm Paradigm.
What makes Tempo different:
- 100,000 TPS (transactions per second) vs. Ethereum's ~15 TPS
- Sub-second finality for instant settlement
- Dedicated payment lanes that don't compete with NFT mints or DeFi activity
- Pay gas fees in any stablecoin (USDC, USDT, etc.) instead of a volatile native token
- Built-in stablecoin AMM for platform neutrality
Tempo's testnet launched in December 2025 with backing from Mastercard, UBS, Deutsche Bank, Visa, Shopify, OpenAI, and Klarna. The blockchain raised $500 million at a $5 billion valuation.
Stripe CEO Patrick Collison said current blockchains—even fast ones like Solana—don't match Stripe's throughput requirements. Tempo targets real-world payment use cases: cross-border transfers, payroll, remittances, and AI agent payments.
The Fintech Crypto Arms Race
Stripe isn't the only payment giant doubling down on crypto in 2026:
PayPal: PYUSD stablecoin grew 600% in 2025 to $3.6 billion supply. Now hiring a "senior manager of crypto business development."
Klarna: Launching KlarnaUSD stablecoin on Tempo blockchain. CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski admitted: "We were wrong on crypto and Bitcoin, must rethink!"
Revolut: Opening 11 crypto positions. Head of Product Leonid Bashlykov said: "2026 is going to be massive."
Why This Matters
Fintechs control payment flows for billions of users. If they integrate crypto rails, adoption could explode overnight.
Stripe's dual strategy—partnering with Crypto.com for short-term merchant access AND building Tempo for long-term infrastructure control—shows they're serious about crypto becoming a core payment method, not just a speculative asset.
With regulatory clarity improving (the CLARITY Act votes January 15) and stablecoins hitting $420 billion market cap, 2026 could be the year crypto payments finally go mainstream.
References:
- DL News (January 8, 2026)
- PYMNTS (January 6, 2026)
- Cryptopolitan (January 8, 2026)
- Fortune Magazine (October 2025)
- Paradigm blog (September 2025)
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments carry risk. Always do your own research. See our Financial Disclaimer for details.