Tempo launched its mainnet on March 18 and introduced the Machine Payments Protocol, an open standard co-authored with Stripe. Developers can now connect through public network endpoints, moving the payments-focused blockchain beyond its earlier testing stage.
The launch announcement puts software-driven payments at the center of the release. An agent may need to pay for a data query, model inference or other service while completing a larger task.
A session can contain many small payments
MPP defines a common way for a service to request payment and for an agent to authorize it. Tempo describes a session model in which funds are set aside in advance and spending proceeds within defined limits.
That allows repeated usage to be accounted for without requiring a separate onchain transaction for every interaction. Many small payments can be combined into a settlement transaction.
The distinction matters for paid APIs. A workflow might make many low-value calls, and forcing each one through an independent blockchain settlement could add cost and operational overhead. Sessions are intended to make those repeated interactions more practical.
The spending limit remains important. Automating payment authorization changes how frequently money can move, but it does not eliminate the need to control the agent’s budget.
The protocol is broader than one blockchain
MPP runs on Tempo at launch, but its design is payment-method-agnostic. The announcement describes extensions for Visa card payments, methods supported through Stripe and Bitcoin payments over Lightning through Lightspark.
Tempo also introduces a directory of compatible services, which it says includes more than 100 integrations at launch. Named examples include Alchemy, Dune Analytics, Merit Systems and Parallel Web Systems.
Those integrations are one part of the launch. Tempo continues to describe work on established payment uses such as international payouts, remittances and tokenized deposits, with partners at different stages of testing and implementation.
The confirmed March milestone is mainnet availability and the release of MPP. It does not imply that every design partner’s proposed financial product has launched at the same time.
