Tempo. Arc. And now… GCUL?
There’s a battle brewing between blockchains. Surprisingly, it’s not between cutting-edge Layer 2 or Layer 3 chains, or among competing cross-chain models.
Instead, three market leaders are going ‘back to the future’ with plans for their own new Layer 1 solutions:
- Google Cloud plans the Google Cloud Universal Ledger (GCUL)
- Stripe aims to launch Tempo, its own Layer 1 payments solution
- Circle will add its own $USDC as the native token for its Arc Layer 1
What’s behind the push for new fundamental crypto layers? And will Google dominate crypto like it dominates tech?
And even more importantly, with the recent push, which is the best crypto to buy now to profit from the launch of the new Layer 1s?
Google’s ‘Credibly Neutral’ Crypto Infrastructure
Announced by Rich Widmann, Google Cloud’s head of Web3 strategy, the GCUL blockchain is designed as a ‘performant’ and ‘credibly neutral’ infrastructure tailored for institutional finance. It marks Google’s most serious step yet into Web3 and blockchain infrastructure.
However, Google is also making a few interesting decisions with GCUL that could either increase adoption or make the new Layer 1 seem like an outsider.
Breaking from blockchain tradition, GCUL allows for Python-based smart contracts – a clear contrast to Ethereum’s Solidity or Solana’s Rust. This choice is likely pragmatic, reducing the barrier for enterprise and fintech developers who are familiar with Python from finance, data, and AI fields.
But without comprehensive tooling, auditing frameworks, and interoperability bridges, Python-based ecosystems might isolate developers from broader blockchain communities.
Google also brands GCUL as infrastructure that any financial institution can build on – hence the ‘neutrality’ claims. Unlike Stripe’s Tempo or Circle’s Arc, which tie directly into their own payment ecosystems, the pitch for GCUL is that it will be open and scalable to billions of users across existing blockchains.
Skepticism remains. Can institutions and individuals trust Google not to prioritize its own sprawling business interests? Or is ‘neutrality’ more marketing than reality,’ noting Google’s entrenched verticals in payments, cloud services, and advertising.
Reimagining Blockchain Infrastructure
The Universal Ledger is not just theoretical. CME Group has already completed the first phase of integration and testing, exploring its viability for tokenized asset settlement and wholesale payments.
Google hasn’t confirmed yet whether GCUL will be public or permissioned, but a broader deployment across market participants is expected to ramp up in 2025, with a potential full rollout in 2026.
GCUL stakes a claim in a growing market of institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure. Like Arc and Tempo, GCUL is engineered to meet the demands of growing global financial markets.
But unlike its potential competitors, Google wants it all – not just payments or stablecoin dominance, but everything:
- Commercial bank money
- Stablecoins
- Tokenized assets
- AI-powered compliance
If GCUL delivers on its promises—faster settlement, regulatory-aligned compliance, and developer accessibility—it could potentially undermine Ethereum’s dominance in stablecoin settlement. Solana might also face increased competition from institutional players.
The rise of GCUL could benefit a range of adjacent players:
- Cloud infrastructure providers like AWS and Azure may see increased demand for compute power.
- Blockchain ETFs could attract new investment tied to institutional blockchain growth.
- Crypto custodians like Fireblocks or BitGo might become essential partners for institutions managing tokenized assets on GCUL.
GCUL has a long way to go first, facing several obstacles: market headwinds, strict regulatory scrutiny around cross-border securities, competition among themselves, and institutional trust in a supposedly neutral platform operated by a corporate giant.
As Circle, Google, and Stripe duke it out, which under-the-radar projects could turn out to be the best crypto to buy?
1. Maxi Doge (MAXI) – The Next Evolution of Dogecoin Bulks Up for Big Gains
Maxi Doge ($MAXI) picks up where Dogecoin left off. $MAXI is building a meme coin community focused on one thing, and one thing only – making the most from the meme coin market.
Trade. Lift. Repeat. That’s what raised $MAXI to $1.6M in mere weeks of the ongoing presale. And with tokens priced at only $0.0002545 – and our price prediction showing $0.0024 by the end of the year – expect bigger gains to come.
The Maxi Doge roadmap focuses on community and hype. Those two combined will lift $MAXI to greatness, and the tokenomics is focused accordingly, with a full 40% put into marketing.
What is Maxi Doge? It’s the next big dog-themed meme coin, and it’s ready for the pump.
Visit the presale page to learn more.
2. Snorter Token ($SNORT) – Copy Trade and Find the Best Underground Solana Memes
Google, Stripe, and Circle all realize just how much room there still is to develop the crypto ecosystem. They’re returning to basics, but traders need new, more advanced tools for existing chains like Solana to identify the next crypto to explode.
For Solana meme coins, there’s Snorter Bot.
Powered by the $SNORT token, the Snorter Bot offers Solana meme coin traders a range of advanced tools. Those include:
- Automated sniping
- Stop loss/take profit orders
- Rugpull and honeypot protection
Since the bot is based on Solana, it benefits from Solana’s fast swaps and low fees. Hold the $SNORT token, and the trading fees with Snorter Token decrease to 0.85%, outperforming the competition.
The Snorter Token presale has raised over $3.4M – you can learn how to buy $SNORT with our guide. Tokens currently cost $0.1027, but that price could climb to $0.94 by the end of 2025, according to our price prediction.
The Snorter Token project could be one of the best crypto to buy in 2025 due to its meme coin vibe and inherent utility.
Check out the Snorter Token presale page for more information.
3. Dogecoin ($DOGE) – The Original Doge Still Leads the Pack
Rumors of $DOGE’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. $MAXI may lift more weight in the long run, but $DOGE is still the big dog for now.
The market cap for $DOGE is over $33B, holding a top-ten position among all cryptos by market cap. And the price sits at $0.22 – not sky-high, but still up 122% from a year ago.
Put it all together, and you’ve got a major market leader with proven staying power and a lot going for it – meme coin and all. $DOGE spawned numerous imitators – but so far, nothing’s been able to supplant $DOGE.
Google Aims for the Clouds
The Google Cloud Universal Ledger is arguably the most ambitious Layer-1 blockchain project to date, redefining infrastructure for institutional finance.
Its actual impact depends on execution, regulatory clarity, and whether users trust Google to remain neutral. If successful, GCUL, Arc, and Tempo could be the foundational layers of the next version of the blockchain and propel existing tokens like $MAXI to new heights.
Do your own research: this isn’t financial advice.
