Stellar Sets Nov. 23 Vote on Bell's Post-Quantum Contract Upgrade

Bell, Stellar's proposed Protocol 30 upgrade, faces a Nov. 23 mainnet validator vote at noon ET (17:00 UTC) and, if approved, would let smart contracts verify post-quantum signatures for spending approvals.

The proposed Protocol 30 change would support ML-DSA signature checks inside smart contracts. A contract-based account could require such a signature before funds are spent. Network transaction signatures would continue to use Ed25519, so Bell would not make the entire network post-quantum.

Bell would also add W-format contract addresses with a 64-bit identifier. That would allow a service to use one contract to receive payments for multiple customers while distinguishing who each payment is for. Another change would record ledger close times in milliseconds. It would prepare the network for possible speed changes later, but Bell itself would not reduce the current five-second target.

Developers and operators using Stellar software development kits need to update them before the votes. Older versions may fail to read Protocol 30 ledgers. Lumens (XLM), Stellar's native token, pay network transaction fees.

The next scheduled step is a testnet vote on Nov. 3 at noon ET (17:00 UTC). The Nov. 23 mainnet vote and the upgrade remain subject to the network's approval process.