Galaxy pledges $5M for developers quantum-proofing Bitcoin

Galaxy Pledge

Galaxy pledged up to $5 million in grants for developers working on Bitcoin’s quantum security and elected a council of quantum-advisory experts to research quantum-resistant migration solutions.

Quantum Threat Timeline

Source: Glassnode The timeline for a practical quantum computing breakthrough remains hotly debated. In November 2025, Blockstream CEO Adam Back that Bitcoin faces no meaningful quantum threat for at least the next 20 to 40 years. Back said this gives the network ample time to adopt the post-quantum cryptography standards approved by the US Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography Standards

In August 2024, NIST published three post-quantum cryptography standards for key establishment and digital signatures. The standards include key exchange, digital signature and hash-based signature algorithms that could underpin future post-quantum migrations across industries, including potential Bitcoin upgrades.

Related: Bernstein says Bitcoin market already priced in quantum risk

Blockstream Research Proposal

In December 2025, Blockstream Research released a paper proposing a hash-based signature scheme as a “promising path for securing Bitcoin in a post-quantum world.” The proposal would replace Bitcoin’s ECDSA and Schnorr signatures with a scheme whose security relies solely on cryptographic hash functions.

Bernstein Analysis

Wealth management company Bernstein said in an April report that Bitcoin has about three to five years to prepare for a post-quantum security upgrade.

Magazine: Bitcoin’s quantum upgrade path: What BIP-360 changes and what it does not