Klarna introduced KlarnaUSD, a dollar‑backed stablecoin on Tempo’s testnet with a public mainnet launch planned for 2026, bringing a base of 114 million customers and $112 billion in annual GMV.

KlarnaUSD is a U.S. dollar-pegged token, fully backed 1:1 by USD reserves, and built using Open Issuance infrastructure from Bridge, a Stripe-owned stablecoin platform. The stablecoin is debuting on Tempo, a payments-optimized blockchain co-developed by Stripe and crypto venture firm Paradigm, making Klarna the first traditional bank to launch on the network. Currently live on Tempo's testnet for internal prototyping, Klarna plans a full mainnet rollout in 2026, initially supporting its 114 million customers' everyday transactions and merchant payouts before expanding to broader consumer use.

“With 114 million customers and $112 billion in annual GMV, Klarna has the scale to change payments globally: with Klarna’s scale and Tempo’s infrastructure, we can challenge old networks and make payments faster and cheaper for everyone,” says Sebastian Siemiatkowski, co-founder and CEO of Klarna. “Crypto is finally at a stage where it is fast, low-cost, secure, and built for scale. This is the beginning of Klarna in crypto, and I’m excited to work with Stripe and Tempo to continue to shape the future of payments.”

If Klarna executes on 2026 mainnet with clear redemption rights and transparent reserves, expect accelerated merchant adoption and more fintechs to launch network‑native stablecoins to reclaim economics in cross‑border payments.

Read More:
https://www.klarna.com/international/press/klarna-launches-klarnausd-as-stablecoin-transactions-hit-usd27-trillion/