The XRP Ledger is already testing quantum-resistant transactions on its network, a move that highlights the transition toward post-quantum security. The XRP Ledger has taken its first real step into the post-quantum era. Its AlphaNet rolled out Dilithium-based cryptography, designed to protect against future attacks from quantum computers that could render current digital signatures ineffective. According to the statement, developers can now create quantum-resistant accounts and execute transactions secured by the new algorithm.
This upgrade puts XRP ahead of Bitcoin and most other major blockchains. Bitcoin developers acknowledge that shifting to a similar standard will be a marathon, not a sprint. Casa cofounder Jameson Lopp estimates that adapting the entire Bitcoin network could take at least 5 to 10 years, as every node, wallet and stored coin would require a coordinated migration to new cryptographic rules. Lopp and others have suggested freezing vulnerable coins to prevent catastrophic breaches.
One of the downsides of these quantum-proof encryptions is the size of the signatures. XRP Ledger could be the first major blockchain to show that quantum-safe infrastructure is operational, not just possible, and to do so long before Bitcoin begins its own migration. If this test survives heavy usage, expect pressure on other chains to publish timelines, and expect XRP narratives to pivot from speed to security, pulling in developers and institutions quicker globally. If you want to feel how a fully quantum-proof XRP Ledger, including consensus, feels like, check this testnet out.
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