The cryptographic research firm BTQ Technologies marked a milestone last January 12, 2026, by officially launching a testing environment designed to face the threat of quantum computing. This project, known as Bitcoin Quantum testnet, functions as an isolated laboratory where old BTC risk is evaluated against future massive computational attacks. According to the firm, the main objective is to test resistant digital signature schemes without compromising the current governance of the Bitcoin mainnet.
To achieve this protection, engineers have replaced the traditional ECDSA signature algorithm with the ML-DSA standard, recently formalized by NIST. This technical modification is fundamental, as most threat models focus on the exposure of public keys on the blockchain. Thus, old BTC risk becomes tangible when observing how a quantum computer could, in theory, deduce private keys from data already permanently visible to the public.
The experiment has revealed significant operational challenges, especially regarding data storage and processing speed requirements. By implementing post-quantum signatures, developers noticed that these are between 38 and 72 times larger than current ones. Therefore, the testnet has had to raise the block size limit up to 64 MiB, allowing much heavier transactions to flow through the nodes without causing an immediate and catastrophic systemic collapse.
Post-quantum signature engineering redefines the data storage needs within the blockchain
From a technical perspective, BTQ’s analysis highlights that vulnerability is concentrated in output types where public keys are directly exposed. This includes P2PK formats, common in Satoshi-era coins, which represent a massive portion of currently inactive capital. However, old BTC risk affects approximately 6.26 million BTC that already have their keys visible, which is equivalent to nearly one-third of the total circulating supply today.
On the other hand, the adoption of these new technologies requires a social and technical consensus that still seems distant for the global community. Although the testnet demonstrates that it is possible to migrate toward a quantum-resistant system, the cost in terms of bandwidth and disk capacity is considerably high. In this way, institutional investors are closely watching these advances, as the long-term security of the world’s most important digital asset depends on these highly complex engineering solutions and protocols.
How does the developer community plan to mitigate the exposure of permanent public keys within the protocol?
Likewise, the implications for the market are deep, as any perception of technical vulnerability could impact the confidence of large capital holders. If old BTC risk is not managed through a coordinated transition, Bitcoin’s status as “digital gold” could be questioned in the face of quantum hardware capable of running Shor’s algorithm. For this reason, the creation of these testing environments allows specialists to anticipate crisis scenarios and design preventive patches before the danger becomes imminent or irreversible.
Finally, the launch of this technological sandbox provides a realistic look at what the network’s evolution will be in the next decade. Although there is currently no quantum computer capable of breaking secp256k1 encryption, the concept of “harvest now, decrypt later” keeps urgency levels high. Undoubtedly, the next steps for the mainnet will include debates on proposals such as BIP 360, seeking to strengthen the protocol’s cryptographic architecture against the challenges of the upcoming digital future.
