- Stellar activated its Protocol 30 Bell upgrade on testnet ahead of a November 23 mainnet vote.
- CAP-84 enables customer-specific identifiers for scalable smart contract payments.
- CAP-87 introduces ML-DSA post-quantum signature verification for Soroban smart contracts.
- CAP-88 adds millisecond ledger timestamps to support potential future speed improvements.
Stellar has turned on Protocol 30, called Bell, on the testnet. This adds customer- smart contract addresses. It also brings quantum signature verification. It lays the foundation for faster ledger processing. Validators are set to vote on activation on November 23.
Stellar Protocol 30, Bell, is live on Testnet 🔔
Muxed contract addresses, post-quantum signature verification, and millisecond ledger time.
Start building. Mainnet vote is November 23. https://t.co/pR0q3pGQah
— Build on Stellar (@BuildOnStellar) November 3, 2026
The Stellar Development Foundation, known as SDF, shared the news about the testnet upgrade on November 4. This is a move to improve the network’s smart contract capabilities. It also focuses on long-term security.
The upgrade has three protocol changes. These are CAP-84, CAP-87 and CAP-88.. Mainnet activation still needs approval from validators.
Stellar Bell Upgrade Enables Scalable Smart Accounts
CAP-84 brings in muxed contract addresses, which let businesses find individual customers using one smart contract.
Before this, smart accounts usually needed contracts to tell customer balances apart. The new system puts a 64-bit identifier into contract addresses. This helps exchanges, custodians, and payment providers take care of deposits for millions of users without making separate contracts.
The addresses start with “W ” so they are different from muxed account addresses. Wallet providers and apps must support the format to handle these addresses properly.
Stellar Adds Quantum-resistant Signature Verification
CAP-87 introduces support for ML-DSA signature verification within Stellar’s Soroban smart contract environment.
ML-DSA is a post-quantum digital signature algorithm standardized by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology in 2024. It is designed to withstand attacks from sufficiently powerful quantum computers.
The feature allows developers to build smart accounts with quantum-resistant transaction authorization. Signature verification runs through Stellar Core because ML-DSA requires more computing resources than conventional signature schemes.
However, Stellar’s network-level transaction signatures will continue using Ed25519 for now. Bell introduces an initial component of the foundation’s broader quantum preparedness strategy rather than a complete network-wide transition.
Bell Prepares Stellar For Faster Ledger Processing
CAP-88 introduces millisecond-resolution ledger timestamps, removing a technical limitation that has restricted ledger closing times to whole-second intervals.
The change does not immediately make Stellar transactions faster. Instead, it establishes the foundation for future protocol upgrades that could enable shorter ledger intervals. Applications that decode raw ledger data will also need updated software and XDR definitions to remain compatible with Protocol 30.
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