XRP Ledger Draft Adds Quantum Resistant Signatures Without Fee Hike

The XRP Ledger Foundation has proposed adding MLDSA44 quantum-resistant signatures to accounts while retaining the network’s existing transaction fee schedule. The amendment remains a draft and would require validator approval before it could take effect.

The proposal is intended to let account holders replace vulnerable signing credentials with a post-quantum key and disable the original master key without changing their account addresses. The Foundation says the design would also cover validator and network operations. The measure addresses a potential future risk: current account signatures rely on cryptography that sufficiently powerful quantum computers could eventually break.

The Foundation estimates a protected payment would occupy 5,331 bytes when transaction history and database overhead are included, compared with 1,704 bytes for a conventional payment. The MLDSA44 public key is 1,312 bytes and its signature can reach 2,420 bytes. Despite the larger data footprint, the draft leaves fees unchanged. The Foundation says the resulting bandwidth and storage requirements need further evaluation, including whether transaction size could warrant a separate fee rule.