Stellar unveils the Quantum Preparedness Plan to migrate the network to quantum-safe cryptography, with enterprise wallets enabled for quantum-safe signing in 2026 and full account upgradeability by the end of 2027.

The plan unfolds in three stages: Phase 1 in 2026 adds post-quantum signature verification to Soroban and enables enterprise migration to quantum-safe contract accounts; Phase 2 in 2027 introduces quantum-safe signer types for classic accounts via set_options; Phase 3 deprecates Ed25519, with timing tied to threat progress and ecosystem readiness, including handling dormant accounts.

Stellar’s architecture supports upgrading to quantum-safe cryptography without changing user addresses or balances, giving it an edge over other blockchains and enabling seamless signing-key rotation.

The rollout prioritizes enterprise wallets first and then expands to the core network, with a protocol upgrade to support quantum-safe signers across all accounts in Phase 2 and a deprecation of current cryptography in Phase 3.

Officials stress maintaining performance and user experience during upgrades, underscoring broader implications for blockchain security standards.

Experts warn that quantum computers could break elliptic-curve cryptography, making post-quantum readiness urgent for public and permanent ledgers.

The initiative currently excludes pairing-based ZK protocols, signaling a need for industry collaboration to establish a shared ZK research agenda.

Quantum safety is framed as critical for financial infrastructure, trust, and cross-border payments within Stellar and similar networks.

Early adoption of post-quantum standards is seen as a potential competitive advantage for networks courting institutional users.

A two-pronged threat is acknowledged: protect network integrity with a protocol upgrade to SCP, and mitigate risk of private key derivation from Ed25519 public keys.

XLM’s price has recently dipped in the broader crypto downturn but has shown modest gains over the past month.

A key unresolved issue is how to manage dormant accounts whose owners cannot be reached, with decisions to be made via community discussion rather than top-down mandates.