Digital Bank Klarna Will Launch Its Own Stablecoin KlarnaUSD on the Tempo Blockchain

• Klarna has announced the launch of its KlarnaUSD stablecoin on the Tempo blockchain by Stripe and Paradigm.
• It will enter the mainnet in 2026.
• The fintech became the first bank with a stablecoin on the new network to reduce the cost of global payments.

Global digital bank and flexible payments provider Klarna has announced the launch of its first stablecoin, KlarnaUSD.

According to the statement, the launch of KlarnaUSD marks a significant turnaround in the company’s strategy, as its CEO, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, was previously a well-known critic of cryptocurrencies.

Now, Klarna has become the first bank to issue stablecoins on the new Tempo blockchain created by Stripe and Paradigm specifically for the payment infrastructure.

This comes amid rapid market growth — according to McKinsey, the volume of transactions with stablecoins already exceeds $27 trillion a year and may overtake traditional payment networks by the end of the decade.

As a reminder, the capitalization of stablecoins exceeded $300 billion for the first time in October 2025.

According to analysts, the cross-border payments market generates about $120 billion a year in fees alone. Klarna sees stablecoins as a way to dramatically reduce costs for both users and businesses.

Siemiatkowski emphasized that Tempo’s scale and infrastructure will allow it to compete with old networks:

He also noted that the crypto industry has reached a new level:

The new stablecoin is built on Open Issuance by Bridge, the infrastructure for stablecoins owned by Stripe.

The launch on the main Tempo network is scheduled for 2026.

Currently, KlarnaUSD operates on a test network and is not available for public use. This allows the company to conduct extensive testing and integration before the product’s debut.

The cooperation also deepens the existing strategic partnership between Klarna and Stripe, which covers payment solutions in 26 international markets.

It is worth noting that Visa has recently expanded its support for stablecoins in four different networks, while Western Union is not only testing payments in stablecoins but also plans to launch its own stablecoin in the first half of 2026.

Attention to this class of crypto assets has increased after US President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act, which became the first crypto law in the country.