Ripple Labs Warned of New Challenge for Blockchains

Published: August 30, 2026 – 07:28 UTC

Ripple Labs believes that financial infrastructure needs to prepare for the quantum threat long before it arrives.
The company stresses that the shift to new cryptography will require not only replacing algorithms, but also rebuilding infrastructure.
At the same time, advances in AI are creating a new class of faster attacks on cryptographic systems.

Ripple Labs continues preparing the XRP Ledger for a potential quantum threat, but the focus has now shifted to a broader issue — the ability of financial infrastructure to adapt to the simultaneous development of quantum computing and artificial intelligence.

Ripple Labs’ senior director of engineering, Ayo Akinyele, said in an interview with CoinDesk that the key task is not waiting for the so-called Q-Day, but building infrastructure capable of moving to new security mechanisms in advance without disrupting network operations.

Security to Become an Infrastructure Issue

According to Akinyele, a potential transition of the XRP Ledger to post-quantum cryptography cannot be reduced to simply swapping one signature algorithm for another.

“That upgrade will go well beyond swapping out one cryptographic algorithm for another,” he noted, emphasizing the need for more flexible infrastructure, better key management, and clear upgrade mechanisms.

He also pointed out that financial systems were historically not designed with quantum computers in mind, adding that as quantum capabilities grow, financial institutions will have to rethink how they protect transactions, identities, assets, and sensitive data.

Notably, the development of quantum technologies has already become a target of government investment. In particular, in May 2026, IBM and the US Department of Commerce announced the creation of the country’s first specialized quantum factory, and the total amount of funding for the project from the government and IBM is about $2 billion.

In June 2026, US President Donald Trump also signed two executive orders aimed at protecting the country from potential quantum attacks and advancing relevant technologies. One of the documents provides for federal agencies to begin transitioning to post-quantum cryptography by the end of 2030.

AI Agents Create New Payment Requirements

Artificial intelligence is emerging as a separate risk factor. Ripple Labs notes that AI and quantum computing are different technologies, but both are forcing financial infrastructure to adapt faster to new attack models and automated operations.

“AI is driving more automation and increasingly autonomous economic activity, while quantum computing is forcing the industry to think further ahead about how those systems are secured,” Akinyele explained.

According to the Ripple Labs representative, the changes are already moving beyond theoretical scenarios. AI agents are gradually gaining the ability to execute transactions and pay for services on their own, without the user manually confirming each operation.

He said this is creating demand for an always-on, internet-native payment infrastructure.

At the same time, Ripple Labs believes that early preparation will give blockchains more room for a secure transition.

“The objective is to make the eventual transition deliberate and orderly, rather than something the ecosystem has to undertake in response to a crisis,” Akinyele noted.

Earlier, Ripple Labs presented a four-stage strategy to prepare the XRP Ledger for post-quantum cryptography, with a target of completing the full transition by 2028. Unlike the initial plan, the company’s current focus is shifting toward the broader challenge of financial infrastructure adaptability — taking into account not only quantum computers, but also the rise of AI-driven attacks and autonomous payments.

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Source: Incrypted