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SINGAPORE — Oct. 6, 2026 — zerohash, an onchain infrastructure platform for financial institutions, has been named as a validator on Tempo, a Layer 1 blockchain built for stablecoin payments at scale. The appointment — announced at the TOKEN2049 conference in Singapore — makes zerohash the first pure infrastructure provider to hold a validator seat on the network and opens Tempo's settlement rails to the banks, fintechs, and payment platforms in zerohash's partner ecosystem.
The validator seat is a step beyond integration. On Tempo, validators help secure the chain, confirm transactions, and keep the network running. Tempo has said its validator set is deliberately composed of companies that move money, not just anonymous stakers, and zerohash fits that definition: its infrastructure already powers money movement for partners including Visa Direct, Marqeta, Gusto, Kalshi, Worldpay, and Félix Pago.
That partner list cuts across card networks, payroll providers, prediction markets, merchant acquirers, and cross-border remittance platforms — a sign that stablecoin infrastructure has moved from a niche crypto discussion into mainstream financial services. zerohash says the new role makes it the first pure infrastructure provider, as opposed to an exchange, wallet, or trading firm, to hold a Tempo validator seat.
The distinction matters. Exchanges and trading desks have long acted as validators on major networks, but infrastructure firms that sit behind banks and payment companies are a newer addition to consensus sets. It signals a governance shift as stablecoin networks court regulated financial users.
zerohash's pitch to institutions has always been about removing complexity. Rather than connecting each partner to each blockchain on a one-off basis, the company operates a single integration layer that provides cross-chain and cross-asset interoperability across more than 100 assets and over 35 chains. Underneath, it manages the liquidity, compliance, custody, and settlement functions that banks and fintechs would otherwise have to build themselves.
The volume already running through that layer is considerable. According to zerohash's platform data, roughly one in every twelve dollars of tokenized Treasury transfer volume ever recorded has settled over its rails, a figure derived from RWA.xyz's all-time tally of tokenized U.S. Treasury transfers. In practical terms, the settlement infrastructure that many still describe as emerging is already handling a measurable share of institutional money movement.
A validator seat on a proof-of-stake network is not a ceremonial title. Validators propose and confirm blocks, help maintain network security, and, depending on the protocol's design, influence decisions about its development. Validators typically lock up native tokens as stake and are expected to maintain reliable uptime; poor behavior can be penalized. That economic alignment is one reason Tempo has positioned its validator set as a reflection of the businesses that use the network, rather than a pool of anonymous operators.
For an infrastructure company, taking on that role means a long-term commitment to the network's operations — and for Tempo, it widens the group of businesses responsible for how the chain runs. Tempo was incubated by Stripe and Paradigm and designed together with banks, commerce platforms, and fintechs. Mark Daly, chief business officer at zerohash, said Tempo's architecture offers the speed and predictability that institutional stablecoin flows require. "The validator seat puts us closer to the core of how this network operates," Daly said, "and lets us bring that reliability directly to the world-class institutions and platforms we serve."
Dan Romero, chief business officer at Tempo, said the validator set is designed to reflect the businesses that move money. "Having zerohash on board to help secure the network, in addition to connecting with it, strengthens Tempo for every business using it to move money with stablecoins."
The announcement lands as stablecoins push beyond exchange trading and into payroll, commerce, remittances, and treasury management. Card networks have started settling transactions over blockchain rails, payroll companies are offering digital dollar payouts, and banks are evaluating programmable money alongside traditional wire systems. Tempo's design targets that shift directly: it describes itself as a programmable settlement layer built for speed, predictable finality, and the control that enterprises require.
The stakes are larger than any single partnership. Stablecoin settlement is becoming contested infrastructure: banks, card networks, and fintechs are all choosing which rails to build on, and the choices they make now will shape how money moves for years. Networks that can demonstrate operator accountability, clear governance, and enterprise-grade controls are likelier to win those mandates — which is exactly what validator appointments like this one are designed to show.
Choosing TOKEN2049 as the venue for the announcement was itself telling. The Singapore conference has become a fixture for institutional crypto announcements, drawing senior payments and banking executives from around the world. Stablecoin companies are increasingly treating enterprise adoption as a public competition, and validator appointments are one way to signal which players are committing real operating resources, not just marketing dollars.
For the companies building on zerohash's platform, the validator seat creates a new base to build from. zerohash gains visibility into network performance, capacity, and development priorities, which it says will help partners design products with a clearer picture of how the settlement layer will behave. Likely use cases include faster cross-border payments, stablecoin-denominated payroll, tokenized deposits, and on/off-ramps that connect bank accounts to digital dollars without manual steps.
In practice, that means partners do not need to run validator software, manage token exposure, or monitor consensus health themselves; they consume Tempo through zerohash's existing interface. The validator seat is the underlying commitment, not the product partners have to think about. zerohash's broader goal, the company says, is to keep partners focused on user experience rather than plumbing. Its API and embeddable developer kit are used to launch products across payments, commerce, trading, remittance, payroll, tokenization, and on/off-ramps, backed by a regulated footprint that includes the EU, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, and the United States.
zerohash provides infrastructure for crypto, stablecoin, and tokenized assets, serving banks, fintechs, and platforms through APIs and an embeddable developer kit. The company operates regulated entities in 51 U.S. jurisdictions and maintains a regulatory footprint across the EU, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, and the U.S. Its New York entity is licensed by the New York State Department of Financial Services as a money transmitter and to engage in Virtual Currency Business Activity.
Tempo is a Layer 1 blockchain purpose-built for stablecoin payments at scale, incubated by Stripe and Paradigm. It offers businesses and developers a programmable settlement layer for stablecoins, with the speed, predictability, and privacy protections designed in consultation with banks, fintechs, and commerce platforms.
zerohash services and products may not be available in all jurisdictions, including New York. zerohash accounts are not subject to FDIC or SIPC protections, nor any equivalent protections outside the U.S. Technical support for an asset is not an endorsement and does not constitute a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any crypto asset. zerohash is not registered with the SEC or FINRA.
