Klarna Becomes First Bank To Issue Stablecoin On Stripe’s Tempo Network
Klarna Group PLC (NYSE:KLAR) announced Tuesday the launch of KlarnaUSD, marking a significant milestone as the first bank to introduce a stablecoin on Stripe’s Tempo blockchain. This development represents a notable pivot for the Swedish fintech company, whose leadership previously expressed reservations about digital currencies.
The payments company, serving 114 million customers and processing $112 billion in annual gross merchandise volume, has selected Tempo as its blockchain infrastructure partner. Tempo is a payments-optimized network developed through collaboration between Stripe and Paradigm.
Strategic Rationale For Blockchain Adoption
The KlarnaUSD initiative targets inefficiencies in international payment settlement while addressing the substantial fee burden associated with cross-border transactions. Given that worldwide cross-border payment fees total roughly $120 billion annually, Klarna aims to capture meaningful market share through blockchain-based infrastructure.
Market conditions appear favorable for this entry. The stablecoin sector has expanded to $304 billion in total capitalization as of November 2025, up from $260 billion in July. Research from McKinsey indicates that stablecoin transactions have reached $27 trillion annually, demonstrating widespread acceptance of blockchain payment infrastructure.
“Crypto is finally at a stage where it is fast, low-cost, secure, and built for scale,” …
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