According to Gartner, conventional asymmetric cryptography could become unsafe as early as 2030 because of advances in quantum computing. The BIP-360 proposal introduces a new Pay-to-Merkle-Root address type and reduces certain risks by preventing public keys from being exposed on the blockchain, but it does not protect transactions while they are being broadcast or automatically migrate existing Bitcoin. Adopting post-quantum schemes such as those recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, whose signatures are 38 to 123 times larger, could reduce Bitcoin’s throughput to fewer than one transaction per second. SHRINCS, proposed in December 2025, offers more compact signatures ranging from 548 to 4,619 bytes, but it remains cryptographically immature and creates state-management challenges for wallets. A single update will not be enough: quantum resistance will require ongoing research, engineering work, and gradual network adoption.
Source: Read the original article
