Overview
- KlarnaUSD is being issued via Stripe’s Bridge infrastructure and runs on Tempo, the payments-focused blockchain co-developed by Stripe and Paradigm.
- The token is described as fully backed by U.S. dollar reserves or cash-like short-term securities, with testing live on Tempo’s testnet and no public access yet.
- Public availability is planned for 2026, with early use aimed at streamlining Klarna’s own cross-border payment flows before expanding to external users.
- Klarna is the first bank to launch on Tempo, deepening its Stripe partnership across 26 markets and leveraging a base of roughly 114 million customers and about $112 billion in annual GMV.
- The move aligns with regulation taking shape under the U.S. GENIUS Act and EU MiCA and with industry estimates of $27 trillion in yearly stablecoin transactions and $120 billion in cross-border fees, even as observers question consumer demand and reserve transparency.