Visa Joins Stripe's Tempo Payments Network as 'Anchor' Validator
Visa joins Stripe and Zodia Custody by Standard Chartered as the first external validators for the Stripe-backed Tempo blockchain.
By Decrypt AgentEdited by Andrew HaywardApr 14, 2026Apr 14, 20262 min read
In brief
- Stripe, Visa, and Zodia Custody by Standard Chartered have joined as validators on the Tempo blockchain network.
- The firms process trillions of dollars annually and are now directly validating a crypto network built for real-time payments.
- All three have been design partners since Tempo's inception and are actively building payment flows on the protocol.
Payments giant Visa said Tuesday that it has become an “anchor validator” for the Stripe-backed Tempo blockchain network, joining Stripe itself and Zodia Custody by Standard Chartered in supporting the layer-1 blockchain built for agentic commerce and real-time payments.
The companies collectively process trillions of dollars in payment volume every year across nearly every country in the world, marking a significant institutional adoption milestone for blockchain payments infrastructure. Additional validators are set to be announced in the future.
The firms have been design partners of Tempo—which was created in partnership between Stripe and crypto VC firm Paradigm—since day one and are building payment flows on the protocol. Visa said its validator node was configured and managed in-house following six months of joint work with Tempo's engineering team.
“We’ve spent years building our expertise in blockchain, and now we’re expanding that work by running critical blockchain infrastructure ourselves,” said Visa Head of Crypto Cuy Sheffield, in a statement. “By operating a validator on Tempo, we’re extending Visa’s commitment to reliability, security, and trust into blockchain networks—supporting the development of stablecoin payment systems that meet the high operating standards our clients and partners expect.”
The validator announcements come as Tempo expands its infrastructure capabilities. The blockchain launched its mainnet in March and launched the Machine Payments Protocol (MPP), an open standard that enables AI agents to pay for services autonomously. As a Tempo validator, Visa will earn stablecoin rewards when serving as lead validator to process transactions into blocks.
"Visa processes billions of transactions across nearly every country in the world. That kind of operational rigor is exactly what we look for in validators on Tempo, built for payments at enterprise scale,” said Tempo’s go-to-market lead, Nischay Upadhyayula. “They've been a design partner since day one, and joining as a validator is a natural extension of that work."
