Tempo, the payments-first Layer 1 blockchain incubated by Stripe and Paradigm, has integrated Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol to make Coinbase Wrapped Bitcoin available on its platform for the first time.
The development, announced on May 15, 2026, introduces cbBTC with more than $5 billion in circulating supply to Tempo’s ecosystem. It marks the initial availability of Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, on the network, which was built for high-throughput stablecoin payments and real-world financial applications.
This follows Tempo’s mainnet launch in March 2026 and its April stablecoin advisory initiative aimed at helping businesses adopt stablecoins. Coinbase first launched cbBTC in 2024 as a tokenized version of Bitcoin, and Chainlink CCIP has served as the exclusive bridging infrastructure for all Coinbase wrapped assets since late 2025.
Security features cited in the choice of CCIP
Tempo selected CCIP because of its enterprise-grade cross-chain security. The protocol features secure-by-default infrastructure and holds institutional certifications, including ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2.
Each CCIP bridge lane is secured by a minimum of 16 independent, security-reviewed node operators that provide redundant validation of every transaction. Additional risk controls include native rate limits that function as circuit breakers.
Unlike other bridging solutions, CCIP’s architecture is designed to meet the requirements of advanced institutional use cases, according to the announcement.
Mechanics of the cbBTC integration
cbBTC is now live on Tempo through Chainlink CCIP. The bridging process allows the secure distribution of tokenized assets across the blockchain economy, with CCIP serving as the exclusive infrastructure for Coinbase wrapped assets.
Lukas Staniszewski, Director of Product Management at Coinbase, stated: “cbBTC gives the Tempo ecosystem access to Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency and a premier collateral asset, via Chainlink CCIP. This access unlocks the next wave of innovation on Tempo, and we are excited to see how the community leverages it.”
The announcement includes a diagram illustrating the integration. Enterprises and institutions building on Tempo can now access cbBTC for use as collateral in lending, trading across decentralized exchanges, and earning DeFi yields.
The combination of CCIP’s security architecture and Tempo’s high-throughput payments infrastructure is positioned to provide a production-grade path for institutions to incorporate Bitcoin exposure into payment-adjacent financial products without leaving the Tempo environment.
Johann Eid, Chief Business Officer at Chainlink Labs, said: “Through Chainlink’s secure-by-default infrastructure, Tempo is unlocking Bitcoin liquidity for its ecosystem providing institutions the reliable foundation they need to participate in DeFi.”
Bitcoin liquidity in enterprise DeFi on Tempo
With cbBTC live on Tempo, builders can introduce BTC exposure into payment-adjacent financial products. Institutions can now use cbBTC alongside stablecoin flows for treasury, settlement, and embedded finance use cases.
The integration opens possibilities for BTC-backed credit, lending markets, trading, and yield strategies within the same high-throughput environment where payment products are developed. This setup addresses a noted gap in combining Bitcoin collateral with payments infrastructure for enterprise participants.
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