Overview

• Rich Widmann outlined GCUL as a credibly neutral network for finance that uses Python-based smart contracts and offers API access with predictable monthly billing.
• Google describes the system as private and permissioned, incorporating KYC-verified accounts and compliance controls for regulated payments and tokenization.
• Google and CME said they completed an initial integration focused on tokenized assets and wholesale payments, with broader participant testing planned later this year.
• The company positioned GCUL alongside Stripe’s Tempo and Circle’s Arc, arguing that a neutral infrastructure can attract institutions that may avoid rivals’ vertically aligned chains.
• Crypto community figures criticized the permissioned, corporate-operated design and challenged Google’s neutrality framing, reflecting wider concerns over governance and decentralization.