The company evaluates post-quantum cryptography without sacrificing performance or scalability of XRPL.
The plan includes testing with hybrid signatures and validators in controlled environments.
Ripple presented a phased roadmap to adapt XRP Ledger (XRPL) to a post-quantum scenario, this April 20, 2026, with the aim of completing the transition in 2028, without compromising the operation of the network.
He advertisement It comes amid growing attention to the risks that quantum computing poses to today’s cryptography. Recent research from Google Quantum AI suggests that, going forward, algorithms widely used in cryptography could be vulnerablewhich has accelerated preparation plans in the cryptocurrency industry.
Ripple’s strategy against the post-quantum threat
Ripple proposes a progressive strategy in four phases. The first focuses on preparation for an eventual “Q-Day”, that is, the moment when classic cryptography is no longer secure. In this scenario, the network could force a migration to accounts protected with post-quantum cryptographyincluding through zero-knowledge proofs that allow proving ownership of keys without exposing them.
The second phase, scheduled for the first half of 2026, focuses on risk assessment and experimentation with algorithms resistant to quantum attacksespecially those recommended by the NIST (American organization that defines cryptography and cybersecurity standards). This process includes testing the impact on performance, storage, and operating costs within the ledger.
The third phase, scheduled for the second half of 2026, contemplates the progressive integration of these schemes in test environmentsoperating alongside current systems. This will allow developers and ecosystem participants to evaluate its viability without affecting the main network.
Finally, the fourth phase aims to a complete transition to post-quantum signatures before 2028. This process will involve the implementation of new protocol amendments and extensive coordination with users, developers and node operators to ensure an orderly migration.
The “harvest now, decipher later” problem
Ripple recognizes risks such as the so-called “harvest now, decrypt later” (harvest now, decrypt later), a strategy in which malicious actors collect encrypted data today to decrypt it in the future with more advanced quantum computers, as reported by CriptoNoticias.
Ripple maintains that XRPL has structural advantages for this transition, such as native key rotation and the deterministic generation of new credentials, which would facilitate a gradual migration without the need to move funds to new accounts. With this plan, the company seeks to anticipate a risk that, Although it is not yet immediate, it is no longer theoretical.
This risk is not unique to XRPL. In Bitcoin, for example, millions of public keys are already exposed on the chain after having been used in transactions, which opens the door—at least in theory—for them to be compromised in a quantum scenario.
In the case of Ethereum, the transition is also under discussion: although there are proposals to introduce resistant cryptography without modifying the base protocol, the official roadmap does not yet define concrete deadlines and could require deeper structural changes.
Let us remember that The debate over quantum risk is not new within the ecosystem. Figures such as Adam Back, co-founder of Blockstream, have noted that the threat is not immediate and that the industry could have one to two decades to adapt. Even so, the consensus is not total: while some organizations advance migration deadlines, others maintain that the urgency does not yet correspond to the current state of quantum hardware.