The Stellar Development Foundation has outlined Bell, the proposed Protocol 30 network upgrade, and set a testnet vote for November 3, 2026, followed by a mainnet vote on November 23, according to a company statement dated October 20, 2026.
The dates are governance milestones rather than confirmation that all features have been activated. The upgrade package brings together three technical proposals focused on making smart accounts easier for large services to operate, laying groundwork for quantum-resistant signature verification, and enabling faster ledgers.
Muxed contract addresses
One proposal introduces muxed contract addresses. Traditional muxed accounts allow services to use a common account with customer identifiers; the new approach extends that convenience to contract-based infrastructure. For exchanges, ramps and custodians, the change could simplify handling many customer relationships without deploying the same logic repeatedly. The foundation said careful implementation will be needed to preserve separation between customer records and authorisations.
Post-quantum signature verification
Another change adds support for verifying post-quantum signatures inside smart contracts. It does not make Stellar’s entire network quantum-proof. Cryptographic migration is a layered process involving accounts, recovery systems, software libraries and operational procedures. The proposal provides a building block that developers may use, while further decisions are needed on when and how different security models should be adopted.
Faster ledger timing
The third element targets finer-grained ledger timing and removes a technical obstacle to faster closes. Such work can make payment and trading applications more responsive, but engineers must balance latency against validator coordination and network stability. Faster ledger intervals are not automatically equivalent to instant legal settlement of offchain obligations. For enterprise users, value will be measured by predictable performance under load as much as by headline benchmarks.
What to watch
Developers should watch the testnet vote, compatibility notes, upgrade documentation and the result of the planned November mainnet vote. Network governance can change a schedule, and applications may need testing before adopting new contract patterns.
Market watchers should distinguish an announced milestone from an immediate change in asset value. The source establishes what was disclosed; valuation requires a separate assessment of customers, costs, execution and market conditions.
