Ripple Unveils Plan to Make XRP Ledger Quantum-Ready By 2028

Highlights:

• Ripple plans to make the XRP Ledger quantum-ready by 2028, with testing starting in 2026.
• The company warned that long-term quantum risks could threaten crypto assets held untouched for years.
• Ripple’s four-phase roadmap covers risk study, testing, and a full shift to quantum-safe signatures.

Ripple has shared a new plan to prepare the XRP Ledger for a future quantum threat. In a blog post on Monday, the company said the danger is not immediate. However, it no longer sees it as just a far-off idea. Ripple wants to make the XRP Ledger fully ready by 2028. Before that, it plans to start testing and early development work in 2026.

RIPPLE: $XRP LEDGER WILL BE QUANTUM RESISTANT BY 2028@Ripple is making its $XRP Ledger quantum-ready. These super-fast machines could one day break the codes that protect digital money today.

The company has a clear plan to complete the upgrades by 2028 across four phases in… pic.twitter.com/RsA5jY2uqb

— BSCN (@BSCNews) April 20, 2026

Ripple Says Quantum Risks Now Need Early Planning

Ripple said recent research has made the issue more urgent, as blockchains depend on cryptography to protect wallets, verify transactions, and keep funds safe. The company also warned about a long-term risk known as “harvest now, decrypt later.”

This refers to attackers collecting public cryptographic data today and saving it until future quantum computers become powerful enough to break it. Ripple said the threat is especially important for assets that remain untouched for a long time.

“The findings don’t point to an immediate break. But they do make it clear that systems securing long-lived value need to start planning for a post-quantum transition,” the company said.

Ripple said the XRP Ledger already has some built-in features that could make a future quantum upgrade smoother than on many other blockchains. One is native key rotation, which allows users to change their keys without leaving their existing accounts. 

Another is seed-based key generation, which can help users create and manage new keys during any future transition. Ripple added that these features are not quantum-safe solutions on their own, but they do give XRPL a stronger starting point for a gradual upgrade.

The company added that a quantum shift would not be a simple one-time fix. According to Ripple, it would be a broader technical challenge that could affect network performance, storage, usability, and overall protocol design. In that sense, Ripple is treating the issue as a long-term infrastructure effort rather than a single software update.

Four Phases from Testing to Full Rollout

Ripple said its roadmap will unfold in four phases. The first step focuses on preparing for a possible “Q-Day,” a moment when current cryptographic systems may no longer be safe. In that scenario, the network could move away from traditional signature methods and shift funds into quantum-safe accounts. Ripple also said it is exploring the use of zero-knowledge proofs, which could let users prove ownership of their existing keys without revealing them.

The second phase, planned for the first half of 2026, will focus on measuring quantum risk across the network and testing cryptographic systems recommended by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST. Ripple said it also wants to examine how larger post-quantum keys and signatures could affect transaction speed, bandwidth, and storage on the XRP Ledger.

In the second half of 2026, Ripple plans to test post-quantum signature systems on Devnet alongside its current cryptography. It is also working with Project Eleven on validator tests, benchmarking, and a custody wallet prototype to see what can scale without disrupting the network.

The final phase is a full ecosystem transition, which Ripple aims to complete by 2028. At that stage, it plans to propose an XRPL amendment for native post-quantum cryptography and move the network toward production-ready quantum-safe signatures. Ripple said the shift should be secure, practical, and smooth for users, developers, institutions, and validators.

Ripple is not alone in preparing for this risk. Last week, Tron founder Justin Sun said Tron is also taking early steps to deal with the future security threats linked to quantum computing.

While Bitcoin debates whether to freeze vulnerable coins and Ethereum forms research committees, TRON is building.

Today I'm announcing that TRON is officially launching its post-quantum upgrade initiative. TRON will be the first major public blockchain to deploy…

— H.E. Justin Sun 👨‍🚀 🌞 (@justinsuntron) April 14, 2026