Tech giant Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), is preparing to enter blockchain finance with the commercial launch of Google Cloud Universal Ledger (GCUL) in 2026.
The platform mirrors several capabilities of Ripple Labs' decade-old XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) Ledger (XRPL), raising questions about potential competition in payments and tokenization, Protos reported.
What Happened: GCUL will support global payments, tokenized assets, financial APIs, and enterprise infrastructure, areas where XRPL has positioned itself for years.
The Chicago Mercantile Exchange is already piloting tokenization of commodities, futures, and options on GCUL, marking a significant first-mover advantage compared to XRPL, where large-scale asset tokenization has yet to take off.
Unlike cryptocurrencies aiming to replace money, GCUL is designed as a complementary infrastructure layer for existing financial systems. Alphabet first introduced the project in March, but newly revealed details confirm a 2026 rollout.
Also Read: XRP Holds Strong Around $3: Is A Breakout Brewing?
Why It Matters: In a recent LinkedIn post, Google's Head of Strategy, Rick Woodman, described GCUL as "neutral infrastructure," noting that financial firms may avoid building on blockchains owned by competitors, but any institution could leverage GCUL's ecosystem.
""Tether won’t use Circle’s blockchain – and Adyen probably won’t use Stripe’s blockchain. But any financial institution can build with GCUL," he added.
Still, major differences remain: XRPL is public, decentralized, and powered by its native token XRP, with consensus run by global validators. GCUL, by contrast, will be private, permissioned, and has no announced native token. GCUL is also built in Python, while XRPL runs on C++.
With 300+ banking partnerships, XRPL has a decade of real-world operation but has yet to see mass adoption for on-chain banking.
Google's deep enterprise reach and early CME collaboration could make GCUL a formidable new rival in blockchain finance.
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