Amid ongoing discussions about whether quantum technology could threaten blockchain security, Vet, a popular validator on the XRP Ledger, believes Bitcoin may be more exposed to future quantum risks than XRP.
In a recent review, he explained that about 300,000 XRP accounts, holding roughly 2.4 billion XRP, have never made outgoing transactions. Since these wallets have only received funds, their public keys have not been exposed on-chain, which makes them theoretically more secure against quantum attacks.
He also noted that just two long-inactive accounts hold around 21 million XRP, with their public keys exposed. This represents only about 0.03% of the total supply, showing that vulnerable dormant XRP wallets are extremely rare.
While most active XRP accounts do have exposed keys, Vet said users can still change or “rotate” their keys if needed. He contrasted this with Bitcoin, which may face higher theoretical risk due to a larger number of dormant coins and older transaction formats that can expose public keys.
“Your XRP is safe. There are no known quantum computers capable of threatening public blockchains today. By the time that changes, the industry will have found a solution,” he stated.
Notably, the broader discussion around quantum risks has gained momentum following recent research from Google. According to its researchers, a quantum computer may need fewer than 500,000 physical qubits to break the cryptographic security of Bitcoin and Ethereum, about 20 times less than earlier estimates.
In experimental simulations, Google tested circuits using between 1,200 and 1,450 logical qubits, requiring tens of millions of quantum gates. Under standard assumptions, the computation could take between 9 and 12 minutes, potentially within Bitcoin’s 10-minute block time.
This raises the possibility of an “on-spend attack,” a theoretical scenario where an attacker could derive a private key from a publicly revealed key during a transaction window.
In response to these long-term risks, the Ethereum Foundation has already begun preparing the network for a post-quantum future, with major upgrades targeted for 2029.
Its roadmap includes a series of protocol upgrades designed to strengthen security across all layers of the network. These include introducing backup validator keys for emergency scenarios, reducing verification costs for quantum-safe signatures, and implementing advanced techniques such as zero-knowledge proofs to securely compress blockchain data.
The plan also involves replacing current signature schemes with post-quantum alternatives, along with new methods to maintain efficiency despite the increased cryptographic overhead. Additional measures aim to secure layer-2 networks and improve data storage resilience.
While developers estimate that truly “cryptographically significant” quantum computers may still be 8 to 12 years away, the foundation emphasized the need to act early.
Despite increasing attention, experts broadly agree that quantum threats remain a long-term concern rather than an immediate danger. For now, networks like Bitcoin, XRP, and Ethereum continue to operate securely, but the race to prepare for a quantum future is clearly underway.
