DoorDash Reportedly Explores Crypto Payouts For Gig Workers Via Tempo

• DoorDash's foray into stablecoins marks its first serious move into crypto, following earlier exploratory phases that didn’t lead to the launch of native payment features.
• Citi believes the stablecoin market will reach $1.6 trillion by 2030, reflecting a shift from crypto-native use cases toward broader financial infrastructure.
• The move comes as regulators sound the alarm, with BIS chief Pablo Hernandez de Cos warning that major stablecoins like USDT and USDC behave more like “securities” due to structural limitations and pricing frictions.

DoorDash (DASH) edged higher on Tuesday after reportedly looking to integrate stablecoin payments into its platform and partner with payment infrastructure startup Tempo to enable crypto-based compensation options for drivers.

The move will allow DoorDash to enable stablecoin payments to merchants and delivery workers worldwide via Tempo, a blockchain project backed by Stripe (STRIPE) and investment firm Paradigm, as per The Information’s report. The connection is meant to facilitate payouts across DoorDash’s operations in more than 40 countries.

The firm believes stablecoins may be used to trade faster and cheaper than existing payment rails, particularly for cross-border payments. Tempo, which raised $500 million last year and is valued at $5 billion, is moving to become a major player in the developing stablecoin payments ecosystem. Other partners, like Stripe and Coastal Community Bank, are already looking at its infrastructure for real-world payment use cases, along with DoorDash.

DoorDash’s price was trading at $188, down 0.2% in the opening trade on Tuesday. On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around DASH remained in the ‘bearish’ zone, while chatter stayed at ‘high’ levels. 

Stablecoins Move Toward Mainstream Adoption Amid Regulatory Scrutiny

Previously, DoorDash did not support native crypto payments, allowing users to pay indirectly via gift cards or cryptocurrency debit cards. The company reportedly was looking into crypto integration, including talks with Coinbase (COIN) and its Layer 2 Base leadership about stablecoins, but did not officially release any products.

Last year,  Citi projected stablecoins could reach $1.6 trillion by 2030 in a base case. The report concluded that stablecoins are evolving from being primarily tools for crypto-natives to infrastructure with broader applications in finance and the public sector, driven by greater regulatory clarity, institutional participation, and a global appetite for U.S. dollar-denominated digital assets.

Citi also compared today’s stablecoins to ChatGPT's early-adopter curve, suggesting the sector is approaching an inflection point. It identified 2025 as a potential inflection point when stablecoins would become more deeply integrated into the global financial system.

DoorDash's announcement came as global regulators scrutinize stablecoins. Tether (USDT) and Circle's (CRCL) USDC were more like “securities” than money, according to Bank for International Settlements chief Pablo Hernandez de Cos. Hernandez de Cos said earlier this week at a seminar in Japan that redemption frictions could cause secondary market price deviations from their $1 peg for the two largest stablecoins.

Read also: A Tiny Miner With $100M Bitcoin Ambition Is Back At The ‘Halfway’ Mark

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