BTQ Technologies has announced the launch of the Bitcoin Quantum testnet, the first quantum-resistant fork of Bitcoin.

The deployment took place on January 12, marking the 17th anniversary of the first BTC transaction.

According to the press release, the main goal of the project is to test the resilience of digital gold against future threats posed by quantum computing.

Technical Features

Bitcoin Quantum is based on replacing Bitcoin's standard digital signature algorithm, ECDSA, with ML-DSA (which has been approved by NIST as secure for the post-quantum era).

Key changes in the protocol include:

  • Integration of ML-DSA (FIPS 204) providing 128-bit post-quantum security;
  • Block size limit increased to 64 MB;
  • Launch of a block explorer and mining pool.

Threat to Legacy Coins

BTQ reports that approximately 6.26 million BTC (around $650-750 billion) are at risk of being hacked. These coins are stored on addresses with exposed public keys, including wallets belonging to Satoshi Nakamoto, which hold between 600,000 and 1.1 million BTC.

In the current version of the Bitcoin protocol, such addresses are vulnerable to Shor's algorithm, which theoretically allows a powerful quantum computer to derive the private key.

Research firm Delphi Digital referred to Bitcoin Quantum as a "quantum canary" in its December 2025 report, serving as a testing ground for protective solutions before the threat becomes real for the main network.

Institutional and Government Context

The relevance of this issue is underscored by actions from regulators and major players:

  • U.S. government standards: The NSA and the U.S. Department of Defense have mandated agencies to transition to post-quantum algorithms by 2030-2035;
  • Financial sector: BlackRock and VanEck have included quantum risks in their SEC filings.

Previously, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin estimated a 20% chance that computers capable of breaking modern cryptography could emerge by 2030.

Company Strategy and Community Involvement

The Bitcoin Quantum network is fully open. Developers invite miners, researchers, and users to participate in testing: running nodes, identifying vulnerabilities, and verifying transactions.

BTQ Technologies plans to hold the fork tokens as a strategic asset, aiming to accumulate around 100,000 coins in the first year through its mining pool (with a 3% fee).

Currently, initiatives to implement post-quantum protection in the original Bitcoin Core (such as BIP 360) are in the early discussion stages. According to the press release, Bitcoin Quantum offers a ready-made solution for concept validation in real-world conditions.

In December, Blockstream CEO Adam Back criticized Castle Island Ventures partner Nick Carter for inflating concerns about the threat of quantum computers to Bitcoin.