Ripple Sets Sights on Quantum-Resistant XRP Ledger by 2028

Ripple has announced a four-phase plan to make its XRP Ledger quantum-resistant by 2028. This move comes in response to growing concerns about the threat posed by quantum computing to blockchain cryptography.

The plan, outlined in a blog post by RippleX senior engineering director Ayo Akinyele, involves establishing a 'Quantum-Day' contingency, which would block classical signatures and route holders to quantum-safe accounts if cryptography breaks unexpectedly.

Ripple is partnering with research firm Project Eleven on validator benchmarks and a custody wallet prototype as part of the testing phase in 2026. The company aims to propose a native amendment to the ledger by 2028, marking a significant milestone in its efforts to safeguard against quantum threats.

Akinyele highlighted the risk of a 'harvest now, decrypt later' attack, where attackers collect public-key data now and wait for quantum hardware to catch up. This concern is particularly relevant for long-term holders, as Google's Quantum AI research has shown that around 500,000 physical qubits could derive a private key from an exposed one in just nine minutes.