Ripple has introduced a four-phase roadmap to make the XRP Ledger quantum-resistant by 2028.
Summary
- Ripple plans a four-phase XRP Ledger upgrade to reach quantum-resistant security standards by 2028.
- The roadmap includes 2026 testing, validator benchmarks, custody prototypes, and a final native amendment.
- Ripple linked the plan to rising concern over future quantum attacks on blockchain cryptography.
The plan responds to growing concern that advances in quantum computing could weaken the cryptography used across blockchain networks.
Ayo Akinyele, senior engineering director at RippleX, detailed the roadmap in a company blog post. The plan starts with a “Quantum-Day” contingency that would block classical signatures and direct users to quantum-safe accounts if current cryptography fails unexpectedly.
Ripple said the next two phases will take place during 2026. Those stages will focus on testing quantum-resistant algorithms recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The final phase would add a native amendment to the XRP Ledger by 2028. That step is intended to bring quantum-resistant protections directly into the network’s core design.
Ripple said phases two and three will include technical testing and infrastructure work. The company is working with research firm Project Eleven on validator benchmarks and an early custody wallet prototype.
The testing phase aims to measure how quantum-safe algorithms perform under real network conditions. It also gives Ripple time to review how those tools can fit into validator operations and custody systems before a broader rollout.
Ripple’s timeline places much of the development work ahead of the final implementation target. The company said its approach is designed to prepare the ledger before quantum computing becomes a direct threat to blockchain security.
The roadmap also arrives one year before Google’s 2029 post-quantum cryptography target mentioned in the report. That comparison puts Ripple’s deadline earlier than one benchmark often cited in the wider technology sector.
Focus turns to long-term cryptography risk
Ripple linked the plan to the “harvest now, decrypt later” threat. That risk refers to attackers collecting public-key data today and waiting until quantum machines become strong enough to break it later.
The company said this issue matters for long-term holders whose public-key information may remain exposed over time. Recent Google Quantum AI research, cited in the report, found that about 500,000 physical qubits could derive a private key from an exposed public key in nine minutes.
That estimate marked a sharp reduction from earlier assumptions about the resources needed for such an attack. As a result, blockchain developers are giving more attention to how current networks can prepare for future cryptography risks.
XRP Ledger feature may support the transition
Ripple said the XRP Ledger has one built-in feature that could help during the transition. Unlike Ethereum, XRPL supports native key rotation, which allows users to replace vulnerable keys without moving their funds.
That design may make it easier for holders to respond if existing signature methods become unsafe. It also gives the network a direct way to manage account security without forcing full asset transfers during a migration.
The report added that more than 6.9 million Bitcoin sit in wallets with exposed public keys. XRP traded near $1.43 on Monday, up about 7% over the week as the broader crypto market moved higher.
