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TIP-20 Token Standard

TIP-20 is Tempo's native token standard for stablecoins and payment tokens. TIP-20 is designed for stablecoin payments, and is the foundation for many token-related functions on Tempo including transaction fees, payment lanes, DEX quote tokens, and optimized routing for DEX liquidity on Tempo.

TIP-20 extends ERC-20.

This means ERC-20 functions works with TIP-20 out of the box.

All TIP-20 tokens are created by interacting with the TIP-20 Factory contract, calling the createToken function. If you're issuing a stablecoin on Tempo, we strongly recommend using the TIP-20 standard. Learn more about the benefits, or follow the guide on issuance here.

Benefits & Features of TIP-20 Tokens

Below are some of the key benefits and features of TIP-20 tokens:

Payments

Pay for Blockchain Transaction Fees
Only TIP-20 tokens can be used to pay for transaction fees on Tempo.
Get Predictable Payment Fees
TIP-20 tokens have dedicated blockspace from all other transactions, ensuring predictable payment fees.
Transfer Memos
Attach 32-byte memos to transfers for payment references, invoice IDs, or transaction notes.
Reward Distribution
Opt-in reward distribution system for issuing rewards to token holders.

Exchange

Currency Declaration
Declare currency identifiers (e.g., USD, EUR) for proper routing and pricing in the stablecoin exchange.
DEX Quote Tokens
TIP-20 tokens can serve as quote tokens in Tempo's DEX for trading pairs and liquidity pools.

Compliance & Controls

Built-in Role-Based Access Control
Set access control roles for minting, burning, pausing, and administrative operations.
Enforce Transfer Policies
Enforce compliance with whitelist and blacklist policies via the TIP-403 Policy Registry.
Operational Controls
Supply caps, pause/unpause controls, and 32-byte transfer memos for payment references.

Pay Fees in Any Stablecoin

Any USD-denominated TIP-20 token can be used to pay transaction fees on Tempo.

The Fee AMM automatically converts your token to the validator's preferred fee token, eliminating the need for users to hold a separate gas token. This feature works natively: no additional infrastructure or integration required.

Full specification of this feature can be found in the Payment Lanes Specification.

Get Predictable Payment Fees

Tempo has dedicated payment lanes: reserved blockspace for payment TIP-20 transactions that other applications cannot consume. Even if there are extremely popular applications on the chain competing for blockspace, payroll runs or customer disbursements execute predictably. Learn more about the payments lane.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

TIP-20 includes a built-in RBAC system that separates administrative responsibilities:

  • ISSUER_ROLE: Grants permission to mint and burn tokens, enabling controlled token issuance
  • PAUSE_ROLE / UNPAUSE_ROLE: Allows pausing and unpausing token transfers for emergency controls
  • BURN_BLOCKED_ROLE: Permits burning tokens from blocked addresses (e.g., for compliance actions)

Roles can be granted, revoked, and delegated without custom contract changes. This enables issuers to separate operational roles (e.g., who can mint) from administrative roles (e.g., who can pause). Learn more in the TIP-20 specification.

TIP-403 Transfer Policies

TIP-20 tokens integrate with the TIP-403 Policy Registry to enforce compliance policies. Each token can reference a policy that controls who can send and receive tokens:

  • Whitelist policies: Only addresses in the whitelist can transfer tokens
  • Blacklist policies: Addresses in the blacklist are blocked from transferring tokens

Policies can be shared across multiple tokens, enabling consistent compliance enforcement across your token ecosystem. See the TIP-403 specification for details.

Operational Controls

TIP-20 tokens can set supply caps, which allow you to set a maximum token supply to control issuance.

TIP-20 tokens also have pause/unpause commands, which provide emergency controls to halt transfers when needed.

Transfer Memos

Transfer memos enable you to attach 32-byte memos to transfers for payment references, invoice IDs, or transaction notes.

Reward Distribution

TIP-20 supports an opt-in reward distribution system that allows issuers to distribute rewards to token holders. Rewards can be claimed by holders or automatically forwarded to designated recipient addresses.

Currency Declaration

A TIP-20 token can declare a currency identifier (e.g., "USD", "EUR") that identifies the real-world asset backing the token. This enables proper routing and pricing in Tempo's stablecoin exchange. USD-denominated TIP-20 tokens can be used to pay transaction fees and serve as quote tokens in the DEX.

DEX Quote Tokens

TIP-20 tokens can serve as quote tokens in Tempo's decentralized exchange (DEX). When creating trading pairs on the stablecoin exchange, TIP-20 tokens function as the quote currency against which other tokens are priced and traded.

This enables efficient stablecoin-to-stablecoin trading and provides optimized routing for liquidity. For example, a USDC TIP-20 token can be paired with other stablecoins, allowing traders to swap between different USD-denominated tokens with minimal slippage through concentrated liquidity pools.

By using TIP-20 tokens as quote tokens, the DEX benefits from the same payment-optimized features like deterministic addresses, currency identifiers, and compliance policies, ensuring secure and efficient exchange operations.

Additional Links

TIP-20 Specification
Learn how TIP-20 works and its features
Guide: Make Payments
Send and receive payments using stablecoins on Tempo
Guide: Issue Stablecoins
Create and manage your own stablecoin on Tempo
Reference Implementation
Solidity reference implementation of the TIP-20 standard