An XRP Ledger contributor has proposed testing a hybrid post-quantum system in 2027, followed by a possible move to the mainnet in 2028. However, these dates have not been confirmed in an official XRPL roadmap.
Vet, an XRP Ledger Foundation contributor and validator, shared the proposed timeline on Sept. 9. The plan would first test new quantum-resistant signatures and then run them alongside the current signing system in a hybrid setup.
The proposed schedule would put XRPL’s possible quantum upgrade ahead of Ethereum’s expected timeline. Ethereum researcher Justin Drake has discussed 2029 as his target for making Ethereum fully post-quantum secure. However, neither timeline is a guaranteed network upgrade date.
For XRPL, the 2028 target remains a contributor proposal. No official amendment, technical specification, validator vote or published roadmap has confirmed that year as the deadline for a quantum-resistant mainnet upgrade.
XRPL currently uses secp256k1 and Ed25519 for digital signatures. Both types of cryptography could eventually be vulnerable to a powerful enough quantum computer using Shor’s algorithm.
The XRP Ledger already has a key-management feature called RegularKey, which allows users to change their signing key while keeping the same public account address. This could help make a future transition easier, but it does not by itself make the network quantum-resistant.
A full migration would need to address master keys, multisignature accounts, transaction verification, validator keys and other areas that could be exposed to future quantum attacks.
Vet has also discussed a possible emergency response called “Quantum-Day,” which could allow vulnerable accounts to be protected without stopping the ledger. However, no approved XRPL feature or detailed technical specification for this mechanism has been published.
Ethereum’s quantum plans provide another point of comparison. Justin Drake has said Ethereum needs to replace cryptography in three major areas: BLS signatures used by consensus, KZG commitments used for data, and ECDSA signatures used by accounts.
Drake has estimated that Ethereum could become fully post-quantum secure by 2029, while placing his personal estimate for “Q-Day” around 2032. But the exact timing of powerful quantum computers remains uncertain.
For XRPL, any major quantum upgrade would require developers to create and test the new code before validators could support it. XRPL amendments generally need more than 80% support from trusted validators for two weeks before activation.
A quantum upgrade would also need testing for transaction size, verification speed, validator performance, wallet compatibility and account recovery.
Another important question is which post-quantum algorithm XRPL would choose. NIST has already finalized standards including ML-DSA and SLH-DSA for digital signatures, but choosing a standardized algorithm would still require additional testing and engineering for the XRP Ledger.
For now, the 2027 testing and 2028 mainnet dates should be viewed as a proposed timeline rather than confirmed XRPL deadlines. The actual schedule will depend on development, testing, security reviews and validator support.