The Canton Network Explained: Canton Coin, the Global Synchronizer and Who Runs It
A short guide to how Canton works, what Canton Coin is for, how new coins are issued, and the roles of Super Validators and the Canton Foundation.
Canton is a blockchain network built for regulated finance. Banks, exchanges and asset managers use it to issue and settle assets while keeping their data private. This guide covers the essentials.
The Global Synchronizer
Canton connects independent ledgers through the Global Synchronizer, a decentralized service that lets them settle a transaction atomically, all parts or none, while each party sees only the data it is entitled to. It orders and confirms messages with a Byzantine fault-tolerant protocol that needs a two-thirds majority. Validators connect to it, validate transactions and record activity, and each stores only the data it needs.
The Global Synchronizer and Canton Coin went live on 1 July 2024. Since 29 June 2026 the network can be upgraded with Logical Synchronizer Upgrades: new infrastructure runs in parallel and the network switches over without migrating data or stopping.
Canton Coin (CC)
- What it is for. CC is the network's utility token. Users burn CC to pay for traffic on the Global Synchronizer. Fees are set in US dollars and converted to CC at a rate taken, each round, as the median of the rates Super Validators publish.
- How it is issued. New CC is minted as rewards to Super Validators, validators and featured applications, in about 52,560 ten-minute rounds a year. Over time, the CC burned is meant to roughly balance the CC minted, the burn-mint equilibrium.
- Recent changes. CIP-0078 removed nearly all transfer and lock fees; validator liveness rewards ended on 30 April 2026 under CIP-0096; and 5% of issuance goes to the Foundation's Development Fund under CIP-0082.
- No pre-mine. Canton says there was no pre-mine and no allocation to venture investors: every coin in circulation was earned by contributing to the network.
Super Validators
Super Validators are independent organisations that run the Global Synchronizer's core components, sequence transactions, validate CC transactions and vote on the network's rules. New ones are admitted through Canton Improvement Proposals (CIPs). Most admissions in 2026 are milestone-based: a firm's weight is held in escrow and released as an accountability committee verifies what it delivers.
The Canton Foundation
The Canton Foundation, set up with the Linux Foundation, coordinates the governance of the Global Synchronizer and the growth of the ecosystem. It runs its own Super Validator node, votes on behalf of its members and administers the Development Fund. It was called the Global Synchronizer Foundation until it was renamed on 22 September 2025. Its Head is Viv Diwakar.
Token standards
