Nine Crypto Firms Form Quantum Alliance to Set Quantum-Safe Standards
By Coinvote
Nine crypto companies launched the Quantum Alliance on Thursday to define what quantum-resistant means and how networks should migrate. Decrypt and CoinDesk both report the group's estimate of exposed bitcoin, but members disagree on timing and on whether vulnerable coins should be frozen.
A standards body for a claim nobody has defined
Nine organizations launched the Quantum Alliance on Thursday. It is an open standards group meant to settle what it means for a blockchain to be safe from quantum computers, according to Decrypt. Today a network can describe itself as quantum-resistant without any shared test for the claim.
Founding contributors include Quantus, Postquant Labs, the Midnight Foundation, Keystone, Abelian and the security firm Hacken. Decrypt says the members work on core protocols, privacy-focused chains, scaling layers, hardware wallet products and security audits. CoinDesk adds that the group intends to release shared security tests, along with guidance for networks that want to switch to quantum-resistant cryptography.
How the Alliance intends to work
Decrypt reports that the group is modeled on the Internet Engineering Task Force. Proposals are meant to advance on public evidence and working implementations, not on a member's size or token holdings. Everything the group produces is to be published openly.
Its work is divided into four streams: moving blockchains to new cryptography, zero-knowledge proof systems that resist quantum attacks, the security of wallets, and compatibility between chains. Quantus founder and CEO Christopher Smith told Decrypt that post-quantum cryptography will eventually just be called cryptography.
Why exposed public keys are the core risk
Most major blockchains protect accounts with elliptic-curve signatures. Decrypt explains that once an account's public key appears on the ledger, a powerful enough quantum computer running Shor's algorithm could in theory derive the private key and move the funds. Decrypt adds that the same cryptography secures the keys used to mint stablecoins, as well as cross-chain bridges, price oracles and governance contracts, so a single compromised privileged key could affect several platforms.
CoinDesk stresses that the exposed coins are not at risk of this kind of theft now, since no quantum computer in existence has enough power. Forecasts for when such a machine could appear are still contested.
The numbers behind the warning
The Alliance's own estimates anchor both reports. Neither outlet independently verified them, and they differ slightly.
- Exposed bitcoin: Decrypt cites roughly 6.04 million BTC, about 30% of supply. CoinDesk cites 6.4 million bitcoin, or 30.2% of supply.
- Early window: Decrypt says a model co-built by two Alliance contributors flags March 2028 as an early window.
- Hardware estimate: Decrypt notes a Google Quantum AI study that lowered the estimated number of qubits required to defeat Bitcoin's cryptography to below 500,000.
- Satoshi Nakamoto's holdings: CoinDesk refers to an estimated 1.1 million bitcoin that remain a focus of the debate.
- Funding: Decrypt says a group supported by BlackRock, Strategy and Coinbase has pledged $15 million toward addressing the risk.
Where the two accounts diverge
Decrypt concentrates on the Alliance's structure and on forecasts clustering in the late 2020s. It also notes that Coinbase recently urged Bitcoin developers to begin the migration now, suggesting preparation could take years. CoinDesk gives more space to disagreement among the people involved.
On timing, Postquant Labs chief technology officer Richard Carback told CoinDesk that 2028 is a realistic date for a machine that can break today's cryptography. Bryn Bennett, chief revenue officer at The Vault, said nobody knows the date. In his view, custodians should ask whether they could migrate in time if the threat arrives early.
On freezing, CoinDesk reports that Carback prefers moving vulnerable coins rather than freezing them. He also proposed placing them in a trust so owners who can prove ownership could recover funds. Bennett said any freeze should be decided through Bitcoin's own governance rather than by the wider industry, and that it would set a precedent affecting property rights and neutrality.
Why migration is harder than the math
CoinDesk explains that making Bitcoin quantum-resistant would mean swapping out the digital signatures used to approve transactions. Doing so would need developers, miners, wallet providers, exchanges and users to reach a common position. Bennett told the outlet that no one has a credible single cost figure and that the real expense is coordination, not the cryptography.
According to CoinDesk, new signatures might be larger and occupy more room on the chain. That could push fees up or lower how many transactions Bitcoin handles, although the outlet says researchers are already looking for ways to reduce that effect. CoinDesk also notes that Binance founder Changpeng Zhao and developer Jameson Lopp have floated freezing or restricting vulnerable coins, while critics say that undermines the promise that no one can confiscate bitcoin.
What to watch next
The first test is whether the Alliance publishes concrete, testable criteria for quantum-resistance claims. Without them, the label stays a marketing term. Readers can also check whether the group's exposure estimate is reconciled, since the two outlets report different totals.
The harder question is governance. Neither report says Bitcoin's developers have agreed to any freeze or migration plan, and Bennett argues that nobody owns the issue. Holders and custodians can already review whether their own keys are exposed on the ledger and how they would move funds if a migration path emerges.
Market snapshot
| Asset | Price | 24h | 7d | Market cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin (BTC) | $81,624 | +0.2% | -1.6% | $1.64 trillion |
| Ethereum (ETH) | $2,407 | -0.9% | -3.7% | $294.04 billion |
CoinGecko data as of 2026-10-18 (UTC).
FAQ
What is the Quantum Alliance?
It is an open standards body launched on Thursday by nine crypto organizations, including Quantus, Postquant Labs, Midnight Foundation, Keystone, Abelian and Hacken. According to Decrypt and CoinDesk, it intends to define how quantum-resistance claims are evaluated and to issue guidance for networks that move to new cryptography.
How much bitcoin is exposed to a future quantum attack?
The Alliance's estimate is reported as roughly 6.04 million BTC by Decrypt and 6.4 million bitcoin by CoinDesk, about 30% of supply. CoinDesk adds that these coins are not vulnerable to this kind of theft at present, because no current quantum computer has sufficient power.
Should vulnerable bitcoin be frozen?
Members disagree, according to CoinDesk. Carback prefers moving the coins or placing them in a trust, while Bennett calls a freeze a Bitcoin network governance decision that would set a precedent on property rights.
Sources
- Decrypt: Crypto Firms Launch Quantum Alliance as 6 Million Bitcoin Sit Exposed (2026-10-17)
- CoinDesk: Quantum Alliance forms amid warnings 6.4 million bitcoin face future quantum threat (2026-10-16)
- CoinGecko (market data)
Written by the Coinvote news desk from reporting by Decrypt and CoinDesk. Not financial advice.
