Ripple Unveils Four-Phase Plan to Quantum-Resistant XRP Ledger by 2028

Ripple has unveiled a plan to make its XRP Ledger fully quantum-resistant by 2028. The four-phase roadmap, detailed in a blog post by RippleX senior engineering director Ayo Akinyele, responds to growing concerns about the threat of quantum computing to blockchain cryptography.

The first phase establishes a 'Quantum-Day' contingency, which would block classical signatures and route holders to quantum-safe accounts if cryptography breaks unexpectedly. Phases two and three, scheduled for 2026, cover testing of algorithms recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Ripple is partnering with research firm Project Eleven on validator benchmarks and a custody wallet prototype.

The fourth phase proposes a native amendment to the ledger by 2028. Akinyele pointed to a 'harvest now, decrypt later' risk, where attackers collect public-key data now and wait for quantum hardware to catch up, a concern for long-term holders. Recent Google Quantum AI research showed that around 500,000 physical qubits could derive a private key from an exposed one in nine minutes, a roughly 20-fold cut from earlier estimates.