[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee] RippleX is moving to overhaul the XRP Ledger (XRPL) to respond to quantum-computing attacks and AI-driven demand for ultra-small payments.

On June 17, blockchain outlet U.Today reported that Ayo Akinyele (아요 아키니엘레), a senior RippleX engineer, unveiled the XRPL modernisation strategy in a recent YouTube interview.

The overhaul centres on a simultaneous shift in the security framework and payment structure. RippleX is making stronger privacy, real-world asset (RWA) tokenisation and new decentralised finance (DeFi) standards core pillars as it seeks to turn XRPL into a network tailored to large financial institutions. It aims to move beyond the characteristics of a remittance network and expand into institutional digital asset infrastructure.

The first area to be addressed is 대응 to quantum-computing threats. Akinyele said the quantum security issue the industry has long discussed is no longer an abstract concern. He cited recent research by Google's AI team and said a new algorithm could reach a tipping point in 2029 that would allow existing digital signatures to be bypassed in 9 minutes.

RippleX has therefore started pre-emptive work from 2024 to 2025 with cryptographers Dennis Onggu and Artav Ali. Developers are now introducing a hybrid signature system to XRPL. It operates under the existing method in normal times but switches immediately to a protective cryptographic system when a quantum attack is detected.

The security review is not limited to the network itself. Ripple, together with Project11, is conducting an in-depth review of vulnerabilities in the XRPL ledger itself, asset custody systems and stablecoin issuance infrastructure. Akinyele stressed that hackers are already intercepting and storing encrypted files and then decrypting them years later, and that protective systems must be built now.

The second pillar is responding to an AI-agent economy. Ripple recently joined Mastercard's Agent Pay for Machines project to pursue autonomous AI transactions. RippleX has also released an XRPL AI Starter Kit.

RippleX expects AI agents to become independent market participants in the future. Akinyele said AI programs will hold their own wallets and automatically pay each other for server rentals, API access and data transfer costs. In such a trading environment, ultra-small automated payments made per unit of data are likely to be central, rather than traditional remittances.

Concerns were also raised that attackers could create and abuse large numbers of AI agents in the process, but RippleX presented KYA (Know Your Agent) as a countermeasure. KYA uses T54 project technology to create a separate digital layer on XRPL and issue a unique passport to each agent. The goal is to track an agent's reputation without slowing micropayment speeds.

It also said that once this structure is established, regulators and market participants will be able to immediately identify the owner of an AI agent. The XRPL overhaul is not limited to strengthening security, and is moving toward a network structure that can accommodate both institutional infrastructure and machine-to-machine payments, making implementation speed and actual adoption key points to watch.

The XRP Ledger is Ready for AI, Quantum, DeFi & Tokenization! WATCH ▶️ https://t.co/LvcOargZHE Ayo Akinyele, Head of Engineering at RippleX, joined us to discuss the development and adoption of the XRP Ledger by institutions and more. Topics: - Institutions building on the… pic.twitter.com/qXQrZlDAmQ