The XRP Ledger Foundation has unveiled a proposal to introduce quantum-resistant account signatures using the NIST-approved ML-DSA-44 digital signature algorithm, allowing XRP holders to replace vulnerable signing keys without paying higher base transaction fees.
Under the proposed design, account owners could assign an ML-DSA-44 signing key and disable their existing master key, preventing older credentials from authorizing transactions. The XRP Ledger currently supports secp256k1 and Ed25519 signatures, both of which sufficiently powerful quantum computers could eventually break once public keys are exposed on-chain.
According to the Foundation's calculations, an ML-DSA-44 public key measures 1,312 bytes and its signature requires 2,420 bytes, totaling 3,732 bytes compared with 105 bytes for conventional key and signature data. Including transaction history and database overhead, the estimated storage requirement would reach 5,331 bytes per protected payment against a 1,704-byte baseline.
Despite the additional data, the amendment would not change the network's base transaction fee, which remains at a minimum of 10 drops of XRP, though congestion can require higher fees. The Foundation estimates review, auditing and implementation expenses at $215,000 to $255,000, excluding 640 development hours and 400 engineering review hours.
The proposal remains under development, with a migration study scheduled for the first half of 2027. Exchanges, custodians and institutions holding substantial balances are identified as likely early users. Ripple targets a full quantum-resistant transition by 2028, subject to testing, validator approval and the XRP Ledger amendment process.
