Link gives personal agents a budget to spend, powered by stablecoins on Tempo

For agents to buy on someone's behalf, they need a way to pay without a person stepping in at checkout. Stripe solves that with Link balances, settled in stablecoins on Tempo.

The challenge

Agents can find what people want, but paying still needs a person. A card payment can trigger an issuer approval, so the agent waits. That rules out purchases that can't wait, like tickets when a presale opens or shoes when the price drops.

Link balances for agents

More than 350 million consumers use Link to check out online. On October 26, 2026, Link introduced Link balance. People add money and set a limit per purchase. Their agent spends within it without asking each time and never sees their card details.

In Instinct, one message can cover a week: weekday lunches, concert tickets, bills and dinner for four.

Why Tempo

Near-instant settlement, 24/7. Stablecoins on Tempo move at any hour, so purchases go through when the agent acts, not when banks open.

Sub-cent fees paid in stablecoins. No separate token to hold, and costs stay predictable from a $16 lunch to $180 tickets.

Blockspace reserved for payments. Dedicated payment lanes keep payments moving regardless of other network activity.

What's next

Link balance is rolling out to Instinct users in eligible US regions, with New York coming soon. Other agents can connect through the open-source Link CLI.