XRP Ledger Maps Quantum-Resistant Accounts With No Base Fee Increase by 2028
The XRP Ledger Foundation has proposed an amendment adding ML-DSA-44 quantum-resistant signatures to user accounts, validators and validator list publishers, with the base transaction fee unchanged. The proposal sits within a roadmap targeting a full transition by 2028, with a migration study due in the first half of 2027.
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What the Proposal Would Do
The XRP Ledger Foundation has outlined an amendment that would let account owners attach an ML-DSA-44 signing key and disable their existing master key, according to its 2027 protocol roadmap updated November 4. The proposal would extend post-quantum protection to user accounts, validators and validator list publishers. CoinDesk summarized the design as allowing owners to add a quantum-resistant key and switch off the old one, with no extra fees for users.
The proposal is still in development. A migration study is scheduled for the first half of 2027, to be followed by further engineering, reviews and security audits before any amendment is adopted.
Why the Migration Is Needed
The XRP Ledger currently supports secp256k1 and Ed25519 signatures, both of which could eventually be broken by sufficiently powerful quantum computers. Each time an account signs a transaction, its public key is published on-chain, which a future quantum machine could in principle use to recover the private key. Existing accounts can rotate regular signing keys without changing addresses, but replacing one classical key with another does not address that quantum exposure, which is the gap the new design targets.
The Foundation's research identifies exchanges, custodians and institutions holding large balances as likely early adopters.
Cost and Storage Trade-offs
The Foundation selected ML-DSA-44, which NIST standardized as FIPS 204 in August 2024. The cost is size. According to the Foundation's calculations, an ML-DSA-44 public key is 1,312 bytes and its signature is 2,420 bytes, totaling 3,732 bytes against 105 bytes for the equivalent data in a conventional XRP transaction. Including transaction history and database overhead, storage per protected payment is estimated at 5,331 bytes, compared with a 1,704-byte baseline.
The amendment does not change the base transaction fee, which remains at the minimum of 10 drops of XRP, though congestion can still push fees higher. Larger transactions, network bandwidth and long-term storage are listed as areas for evaluation during the migration study. Neither source quantifies the expected effect on node operating costs.
Timeline and Ripple's Broader Plan
Ripple published a four-phase post-quantum security plan in April 2026. Its first phase covers emergency measures should a practical quantum threat emerge unexpectedly, and later phases cover algorithm testing, validator benchmarking and compatible wallet infrastructure. Ripple has said it worked with Project Eleven on validator testing and an early post-quantum custody wallet prototype. The Foundation's roadmap places the full network transition at 2028, the same target date reported earlier by crypto.news from a phased migration discussion led by XRP Ledger contributor Vet.
The sources differ slightly in framing. CoinDesk presents 2028 as the date the network is 'on track' for a full transition, while crypto.news describes the proposal as still under development with testing expected before a possible 2028 transition. The more cautious reading, that 2028 is a target contingent on the 2027 study and subsequent audits, is better supported by the roadmap language.
Why It Matters
For Traders
The proposal is still pre-audit with a study not due until 2027, so no near-term change to XRP supply, fees or network behavior is expected from it.
For Investors
A credible quantum migration path for a top-tier payments ledger addresses a long-horizon custody risk, particularly for institutions holding large balances.
For Builders
Anyone building on the XRP Ledger should plan for roughly 2.2x larger transaction data and to track the 2027 migration study for signature-scheme changes.
This article is for information only and is not financial advice. Read the full disclaimer.
