Quantum Threat to Crypto? XRP Ledger Shows Surprising Resilience

A recent analysis of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) shows that only 0.03% of its circulating supply is held in wallets with exposed public keys, indicating far lower theoretical vulnerability to quantum computing attacks than Bitcoin (BTC), where an estimated 32%–37% of supply may be at risk.

Around 300,000 XRP accounts collectively holding 2.4 billion XRP have never initiated a transaction, meaning their public keys have not been revealed on-chain. This keeps them effectively hidden from potential future attackers. 

In contrast, only two inactive XRP whale wallets with exposed keys hold about 21 million XRP, representing a minimal share of total supply.

The difference is tied to underlying design, as XRP uses an account-based model in which public keys are only disclosed when transactions are made. Bitcoin, particularly in its early Pay-to-Public-Key (P2PK) format, embedded public keys directly on-chain, and this has left millions of Bitcoin addresses permanently exposed.

Estimates suggest roughly 6.7 million Bitcoin addresses fall into this category, including about 1 million BTC attributed to Satoshi Nakamoto that has never moved. These holdings remain in early-era addresses where public keys are visible by default.

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Bitcoin’s Structural Exposure

Bitcoin does not support native key rotation, limiting defensive options, and while users can move funds to new addresses, doing so briefly exposes keys during transaction confirmation, creating a short window of vulnerability if sufficiently advanced quantum systems emerge.

By contrast, the XRP Ledger allows signing key rotation without transferring funds, enabling users to update credentials while keeping the same account. Additional protection comes from escrow features with time-locks, which restrict access to funds until predefined conditions are met, regardless of key compromise.

Research into quantum-resistant cryptography is also underway. Post-quantum signature schemes such as ML-DSA/Dilithium have been tested on an XRPL AlphaNet as part of ongoing development supported by external research initiatives.

No current quantum computer can break modern cryptographic systems used in blockchains. 

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