DoorDash teams up with Tempo to streamline cross-border driver payouts with stablecoins

DoorDash is partnering with payments firm Tempo to pay delivery workers in stablecoins across more than 40 countries, according to CoinDesk. The food, grocery and retail delivery company said it is building a blockchain-based system—on a network incubated by payments giant Stripe and crypto venture firm Paradigm—to reduce the friction of international payouts that involve multiple currencies, payment rails and country-specific compliance rules. DoorDash cofounder Andy Fang said global payments are difficult to scale because each market has its own requirements. The company said the key is delivering a seamless experience for end users while integrating with rails flexible enough to meet local needs. DoorDash expects the Tempo-powered infrastructure to emphasize faster settlement, lower cross-border costs and greater transaction flexibility enabled by stablecoins. A company representative said that paying merchants and delivery personnel more quickly—and at a lower cost—would benefit the broader ecosystem. Stablecoin settlement can complete in seconds, while traditional payout timelines for merchants and couriers vary by country and can take longer. DoorDash also noted that using stablecoins can reduce FX spreads and intermediary fees. DoorDash said it selected Tempo over other stablecoin infrastructure providers because Tempo is built around payments and enterprise-grade applications. The company added that Tempo combines crypto technical capabilities with operational readiness for large businesses. Tempo's public mainnet launched in March. The project has worked with several large companies on early design collaboration and payments research, including Visa, Shopify and OpenAI. The network focuses on payments and stablecoins and has introduced a proxy payment protocol amid growing interest in AI trading agents. DoorDash (DASH) shares fell nearly 2% Tuesday to about $186, though the stock is up roughly 19% over the past month. A DoorDash representative said the collaboration centers on building infrastructure to streamline global payment processes. In remarks cited by Decrypt, the company said the effort remains in early stages and is being developed cautiously to ensure reliability, compliance and a better payment experience for drivers and merchants. Editor's note: This article was updated following comments from DoorDash.