Bitcoins <\/p>\n
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<\/a> than Bitcoin<\/a> (BTC), where an estimated 32%\u201337% of supply may be at risk.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n In contrast, only two inactive XRP whale wallets with exposed keys hold about 21 million XRP, representing a minimal share of total supply.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Read more: Bitcoin Eyes $90K Target as $72K Breakout and $2.7B Binance Buy Wave Reset Bull Case<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n No current quantum computer can break modern cryptographic systems used in blockchains.\u00a0<\/p>\nBitcoin\u2019s Structural Exposure<\/h2>\n