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Quantum computing has become a major focus across the technology and crypto sectors in recent days, after Google suggested that a sufficiently advanced machine could potentially break legacy blockchains using far less computational power than previously believed.
XRP holders may get some reassurance after Ripple unveiled a plan to make the XRP Ledger (XRPL) quantum-proof by 2028. The initiative is part of a multi-phase roadmap intended to upgrade the network’s cryptographic security well before a potential “Q-Day” threat materializes.
In a blog post dated April 20, Ripple said quantum computing does not pose an immediate threat, but that rapid progress in the field has made the risk credible enough to justify proactive steps now.
Ripple’s roadmap targets a full transition to quantum-resistant security measures by 2028. The company linked its timeline to research from Google Quantum AI, which estimates that breaking ECDLP-256 cryptography would require roughly 500,000 physical qubits. Ripple said this revises earlier assumptions and reduces the estimated resource requirement by around 20 times.
Ripple also highlighted the “harvest now, decrypt later” risk: malicious actors could collect publicly available encrypted blockchain data today, store it, and potentially decrypt it later once quantum computing capabilities improve. Ripple said this is especially relevant for long-term holders, where data security needs to remain intact for years or even decades.
The firm added that addressing these risks requires preparation across multiple areas, including performance, storage, usability, and core protocol design.
Ripple outlined a four-phase plan to upgrade the XRPL over time to withstand future quantum computing threats.
In the first phase, Ripple aims to set up a coordinated migration away from traditional public-key signature systems. Ripple said it will introduce post-quantum zero-knowledge proofs to help existing account holders securely recover and maintain access to funds during the upgrade process.
Phase 2, scheduled for the first half of 2026, will begin formal testing of quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Ripple said the phase will benchmark key performance factors, including signature size, verification costs, and overall throughput, under real-world XRPL workloads.
In the third phase, Ripple plans to deploy a hybrid cryptographic framework on Devnet. The approach combines post-quantum and elliptic-curve signatures while exploring privacy-focused tools such as zero-knowledge proofs and homomorphic encryption for tokenization and Confidential Transfers on the XRP Ledger.
Phase 4 is designed to culminate in a full-scale XRPL amendment by 2028, targeting quantum-era performance and coordination.
Ripple said the XRP Ledger has an inherent structural advantage due to its native key rotation and seed-based key generation. The company argued that this gives XRPL a head start in adapting to post-quantum security requirements, particularly compared with blockchains such as Ethereum, which Ripple said currently lack equivalent migration tools built directly into the protocol layer.
In the market, XRP was up less than 1% on the day and trading near $1.43, while weekly gains exceeded 6.8% amid a broader crypto market resurgence. Ripple’s announcement also comes as Bitcoin developers advance proposals aimed at defending networks against quantum computing threats, and the Ethereum Foundation has created a dedicated post-quantum team to future-proof its ecosystem against the same risk.
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