XRP's Quantum-Proof Account Plan Comes With a Bigger Data Bill
Published on 11/12/2026 at 08:01 | Editorial boerse-global.de
The XRP Ledger Foundation is drafting a path for accounts that can withstand quantum-computing attacks, and the headline promise is that switching over would leave the base transaction fee untouched. The catch sits in the fine print: the same draft pairs that unchanged fee with substantially larger signed payments.
That tension — between technical hardening, data volume and actual delivery — is where the story matters for holders. The migration remains a work in progress, with concrete steps still outstanding.
A second key, a disabled old one, and 5,331 bytes
Under the proposal, users would be able to attach an additional quantum-resistant signature key and deactivate their existing one. Press reports indicate the swap could happen without raising the base transaction fee, allowing accounts to move to the new signing method — provided the unfinished draft ever ships.
The numbers behind the design are what draw attention. A modelled signed payment in the draft runs to 5,331 bytes, against a baseline of 1,704 bytes cited for an ordinary payment. An unchanged fee therefore sits opposite a markedly larger data footprint.
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Two layers matter here for investors: what users would actually pay, and how the network processes bulkier transactions. The draft ties both together, and how durable that combination proves will only emerge as development continues.
Study first, mainnet later
The Foundation's roadmap schedules a migration study for the first half of 2027, while Ripple is aiming for a full quantum transition by 2028. Technical groundwork and the target date thus sit on different timelines.
What the draft offers is a concrete account model for changing signature schemes. Whether it becomes a workable migration route is another question. No approved activation date for the mainnet exists yet; the next scheduled step is the study.
A dated reset for the test networks
Separately, a maintenance step already has a calendar slot. Testnet and Devnet are set for a reset on 25 November 2026, intended to improve the stability of servers holding full history. Data on those test networks will be wiped.
Developers should expect new addresses for rebuilt automated liquidity pools, among other changes. The mainnet is unaffected. The two tracks carry very different levels of commitment: the test-network intervention is fixed, while quantum-resistant accounts still hinge on the draft being finished and the planned migration study.
Fund outflows and a thief's reshuffled stash
Market pressure has been building from another direction entirely. US spot ETFs on XRP logged net outflows of USD 10.4 million on Tuesday, according to press reports, following a week in which the products failed to record a single day of positive net inflows.
That keeps the demand picture through the fund channel weak. On Monday, USD 9.4 million of outflows were attributed to Bitwise's XRP fund. Over seven days, XRP shows a change of -13%, framing the softness as more than a one-day event.
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Yesterday's market coverage also pointed to muted risk appetite and possible expectations of higher US rates, with reports on the broader crypto market citing ETF outflows and liquidations as drags. XRP-specific capital moves are landing in an already difficult environment.
Then there is the aftermath of the Binance security incident of 29 October. Elliptic put the attackers' remaining holdings at roughly 60 million XRP as of Tuesday, per press reports. Overnight, about 35 million XRP were swapped through THORChain, predominantly into Bitcoin — a significant shift in the composition of the stolen stash.
The swap route is the key detail for interpretation: the reported transactions concern the reshuffling of the loot. They explain only part of the overall XRP decline, given that fund outflows and broader market weakness are working at the same time.
For a more supportive demand picture through the ETFs, outflows would need to ease or inflows would have to return. Until then, network housekeeping addresses technical stability while the near-term price story is shaped by fleeing fund money and the movements of stolen tokens.
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