Skip to main content

​
Context

Every stablecoin on Tempo is a TIP-20, including USDC.e (Stargate-bridged USDC). “USDC or a native token” is a false choice; the real question is which TIP-20 is the unit of account inside Corridor, and whether partners ever see it.

​
Decision

pathUSD is the canonical settlement unit on the hub. The edges accept any USD TIP-20. Partners never see pathUSD: they are paid in USDC on Base or Solana.

​
Consequences

  • One atomic swap on Tempo’s enshrined stablecoin DEX converts any USD TIP-20 on the way in.
  • Vaults pay gas in pathUSD through the Fee AMM, the asset they already hold.
  • The Moderato faucet issues pathUSD, so the demo runs on the production asset.
  • Across routes pathUSD (4217) → USDC on Base and others.
  • pathUSD supply is still small. Each corridor carries a settlementAsset policy, and a ticket larger than pathUSD depth settles in USDC.e directly. Switching is configuration, not a migration.

​
Alternatives rejected

  • USDC.e as the unit everywhere: deeper today, but not the fee token, and it bypasses the neutral quote token the DEX routes through.
  • Multiple units per customer: fragments balances and forecasts, which is the problem the hub exists to remove.