XRP Ledger Drafts Quantum-Resistant Keys, Keeps Base Fees Steady

XRP Ledger developers have floated a quantum-resistant account upgrade that lets holders register new signing keys and switch off their old signatures. The pitch: wallets could be armored against future quantum-powered attacks without users changing how they store or access their assets, and without paying more per transaction. The proposal is the Foundation's bid to get ahead of a threat that isn't practical yet but could someday crack accounts whose public keys are already exposed on-chain.

The chosen weapon is ML-DSA-44, a digital signature standard the National Institute of Standards and Technology approved in 2024. It isn't light. Public keys and signatures together eat 3,732 bytes, and once database overhead is factored in, each protected payment would occupy 5,331 bytes of storage against just 1,704 bytes for a current payment. The Foundation still plans to hold the network's base fees where they are, absorbing the extra storage.

Timing is drawn out. The quantum migration study is slated for the first half of 2027, with development continuing afterward, and Ripple is targeting full quantum protection by 2028. The roadmap sets aside between $215,000 and $255,000 for technical reviews and security audits, plus 640 development hours.

Loose ends remain. Developers are still untangling inconsistencies in key generation across the Python, JavaScript and server versions of the proposed system, and the Foundation has yet to publish tests of how validators perform end-to-end with the quantum-resistant signatures.

The quantum work isn't the only movement on the ledger. The XRP Ledger Batch amendment is now live, letting users bundle multiple transactions into a single operation, and Ripple has approved a proposal covering sponsored transaction fees and reserves that lets another party pick up certain account costs. Earlier, the ledger floated controls aimed at stopping unauthorized stablecoin minting by approved partners.