A Quantum Clock Is Ticking for Bitcoin and Crypto—Here's How Stellar Is Preparing
Stellar Development Foundation announced a three-stage plan to prepare Stellar for quantum computing threats. The main risk is quantum attacks that could derive private keys from public ones and take over accounts; forged validator signatures are another concern. Stellar says it has an advantage over some blockchains because account identities are separate from signing keys, letting users adopt quantum-safe cryptography without changing addresses or moving balances. The roadmap starts in 2026 with post-quantum signature verification in the smart contract layer for early enterprise migration. In 2027, a protocol upgrade will let every account add a quantum-safe signer while keeping the same address. A later phase would retire current cryptography based on quantum progress and community readiness. A major open issue is dormant accounts, since a hard cutoff could freeze them permanently. The broader crypto industry is also moving toward post-quantum defenses as estimates for practical quantum breakthroughs tighten around 2029–2030.
