Google Cloud goes ahead with plans to launch its own layer 1 (L1) Blockchain, positioning the network as a neutral infrastructure for global finance at a time when Fintech competitors develop their own distributed books.
In a LinkedIn article published Tuesday, Rich Widmann, Google’s Google’s strategy, provided new details on the project, known as Google Cloud Universal Ledger (GCU). He described the platform as a credibly neutral high performance blockchain designed for institutions, supporting Python-based intelligent contracts to make it more accessible to developers and financial engineers.
“Any financial institution can build with GCUL,” said Widmann, arguing that even if companies like Tether may be unlikely to adopt blockchain and Circle payment companies, like Adyen, can hesitate to use Stripe, Google’s neutral infrastructure removes these obstacles.
He also developed a comparative graphic by the Fintech Chuk Okpalugo strategist, emphasizing how GCU greeds from the Stripe tempo and the Circle Arc, two other high -level L1 efforts.
By defining the case of Google for the big universal book, Widmann made contrasts with other high -level participants.
The Stripe project, Tempo, is rooted in its payment empire, effectively extending the existing merchant rails of the company in a vertically box chain. The Arc de Circle, on the other hand, places its stablecoin in the center of the system, dealing with the USDC as the native fuel of the protocol and the promising rapid light of lightning with integrated exchange of currency.
Google’s approach is still different: the major universal book is designed as a shared infrastructure layer, intended to be credible and accessible to any institution rather than linked to a single payment ecosystem.
Deadlines also distinguish projects. Circle has already started to pilot the arc, while Stripe targets a launch next year. Google and CME, on the other hand, ended an initial integration of GCUc, with broader tests to follow later this year and full services expected in 2026.
The history of distribution strengthens these distinctions. Stripe can rely on more than one dollars billion in payment flows for annual merchants. The circle can count on the global footprint and the liquidity integrations of the USDC. Google brings the scope of its cloud platform, as well as the promise to scale a large book that can take charge of billions of users and hundreds of institutions.
The characteristics also differentiate the chains. Arc’s objective is speed and foreign exchanges without seam, the tempo is the integration of the merchant and GCUL is programmability thanks to intelligent contracts based on Python and tokenization of institutional quality.
The result, Widmann explained, is a divergent positioning. The Stripe and Circle registers can well serve their own ecosystems, but may dissuade competitors, while Google launches Gucul as a neutral land – a large book that anyone, exchanges to payment suppliers, can use without fear of strengthening a rival.
The institutional positioning first is not new.
In March, Google Cloud and CME Group jointly announced GCUL, revealing it as a large distributed book programmable adapted to wholesale payments and tokenization of assets.
CME Group said that it had already completed the first phase of integration and test, describing technology as a potential breakthrough for guarantees, payment and market payments that are increasingly evolving towards 24/7 trading.
“As the president and the new administration have encouraged the congress to create historical legislation for the structure of the common sense market, we are happy to associate ourselves with Google Cloud to allow innovative solutions for digital transfer at low cost and digital,” said CME president-director, Terry Duffy. He suggested that GUCU could provide significant efficiency through the basic functions of the market, in particular the margin and collateral management.
According to the announcement of March, CME and Google plan to start direct tests with market players later this year, with the aim of launching services in 2026. Widmann’s remarks on August 26 add new details to this roadmap, strengthening the role of GUCU as an infrastructure designed to be largely adopted in the financial sector rather than controlled by a single payment company.
By positioning Gucu against the Stripe tempo and the Circle Arc, Google indicates that competition between large technological companies to define the next generation of financial settlement rails is accelerating.
The technical details of GCU architecture remain limited, although Widmann said that more would be published in the coming months. For the moment, Google presents the big universal book as a basis for world -scale payments, institutional token and capital infrastructure 24 hours a day.
Find out more: Why circle and band (And many others) Launch their own blockchains
