Bitcoin’s Post-Quantum Plans: Oh, Look! They’re Actually Doing Something

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Well, well, well. Looks like the Bitcoin world is fed up with the claim that “no one is doing anything” about post-quantum cryptography. Matt Corallo, Bitcoin’s own core developer, just had enough. He took to the internet like a man on a mission after Blockstream dropped a new announcement. Why? Because the usual suspects keep bleating about how Bitcoin’s future-proofing is just some far-off fantasy. Spoiler alert: it’s not. It’s happening now. And no, it’s not just a pipe dream-it’s built on real, actual research. Shocking, I know.

Bitcoin’s Post-Quantum Critics Are Getting It All Wrong (Again)

Corallo didn’t hold back in his latest post: “And the Bitcoin fudsters keep trying to claim no one is working on PQC in Bitcoin…” Ah yes, the fudsters-always there, pretending things are simpler than they really are. Meanwhile, Blockstream is rolling out something called OP_SHRINCSVERIFY, and no, it’s not a fancy name for your next crypto fortune. It’s actually an important technical development that could mean big things for Bitcoin’s post-quantum future. And Blockstream’s pitch? “Jonas Nick is going to talk about it at OPNEXT 2026.” Yeah, that’s not vague at all.

Oh, and in case you think this is a solo effort, think again. The event isn’t just a one-off shout-out to Jonas Nick’s cool new tech. No, no. The whole program is brimming with post-quantum goodness. Alex Pruden of Project 11 will be talking about “Quantum Bitcoin” (is this a joke or are we serious here?), and there’s even a “Quantum/Investor Fireside” featuring Robert Mitchnick from BlackRock and David Duong from Coinbase. So yeah, maybe post-quantum stuff isn’t such a fringe idea after all.

The subtext is obvious: this whole “nobody’s working on it” narrative? It’s starting to look like a bad joke. The idea that Bitcoin is ignoring quantum threats? Not so much.

So, What’s This SHRINCS Thing, Anyway?

Ah, SHRINCS. No, it’s not the latest social media influencer, but the acronym for a seriously cool hybrid hash-based signature design. It combines the stateless SPHINCS+ with the stateful XMSS. Confused? Yeah, don’t worry, I was too. But here’s the kicker: it’s designed to be both efficient and resilient, because we all know Bitcoin likes to have a backup plan, especially when quantum computers start trying to break it.

In Nick’s own words, the goal is efficiency-fewer signatures for lower cost. And when things get dicey, you can fall back on a static seed (your crypto safety blanket). The whole thing aims to balance cheap, normal-path signing with a heavy-duty fallback when your wallet integrity is in doubt. Who knew Bitcoin had such a good contingency plan, right?

And here’s where it gets juicy. SHRINCS’ signature size is seriously impressive. The normal-path signature weighs in at a tidy 324 bytes, which, by the way, is over 11 times smaller than the smallest alternative proposed by NIST. That’s right, Bitcoin’s got the size game under control, even with quantum lurking in the shadows.

Now, before you start thinking Bitcoin is just waltzing toward a shiny new post-quantum utopia, let’s be clear: there’s still a lot to figure out. Nick’s post is an open invitation for feedback, and there are still plenty of questions about hardware performance, signature limits, wallet design, and whether stateful schemes should even be a thing. But hey, at least we’re talking about it, right?

Corallo’s little jab really cuts to the heart of the matter: Bitcoin may not have a crystal-clear post-quantum roadmap just yet, but the research? The proposals? The concrete steps? They’re all happening. In public. And they’re not going away anytime soon.

So, while the debate on post-quantum Bitcoin swings between complacency and full-blown panic, OP_SHRINCSVERIFY stands as proof that the discussion is finally moving beyond hand-waving. It’s grounded in reality. Well, mostly. But hey, baby steps.

As of now, BTC is trading at a cool $66,630. But who’s counting?

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2026-02-27 22:12