Cryptocurrency Industry Prepares for a Quantum Future

The cryptocurrency industry is facing increasing pressure to adopt post-quantum cryptographic standards before quantum computers become powerful enough to compromise existing security measures. A review of the SEC's protective frameworks highlights the urgency from regulators to address these emerging threats, according to Mitrade.

The quantum threat has already influenced cryptocurrency security strategies. In August 2025, El Salvador split its treasury of 6,284 bitcoins, valued at $681 million, across 14 addresses, with officials citing the reduction of quantum risks as one reason for limiting funds in a single wallet. Traditional financial institutions are also preparing: in 2024, HSBC conducted a pilot of tokenized gold using post-quantum cryptography.

While current IBM quantum systems are far from posing a real threat to cryptographic security, it has been demonstrated that quantum hardware can execute theoretical attacks on simplified versions of the mathematical foundations of cryptocurrency security. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin previously estimated a 20% likelihood that quantum computers could break modern cryptography by 2030.