TLDR
- StarkWare researcher Avihu Levy has developed a quantum-resistant Bitcoin transaction system that requires no changes to the existing protocol
- The approach utilizes hash-based proofs rather than conventional digital signatures
- Transaction costs range from $75 to $200 in GPU computing resources
- This solution serves as an emergency backup option rather than a permanent resolution
- Protocol-level fixes like BIP-360 are available but may require years before implementation
A researcher at StarkWare has unveiled a novel approach that enables Bitcoin transactions to withstand potential quantum computer threats while operating within the network’s current framework and avoiding any protocol modifications.
JUST IN: Bitcoin developer Avihu Levy introduces "Quantum-Safe Bitcoin Transactions Without Softforks" 👀 pic.twitter.com/enghEoOq10
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) April 9, 2026
The concept, dubbed Quantum Safe Bitcoin (QSB), comes from Avihu Levy, who serves as chief product officer at StarkWare. Released this week, the proposal has quickly captured significant interest throughout the Bitcoin ecosystem.
The mechanism functions by substituting Bitcoin’s conventional digital signature framework with a hash-based proof architecture. Standard Bitcoin signatures depend on elliptic curve cryptography, which could potentially be compromised by sufficiently powerful quantum computers in the years ahead.
Hash-based proofs operate on different principles. They generate a distinctive mathematical representation of information that proves extraordinarily difficult to reverse-engineer or counterfeit, even when facing quantum computers equipped with sophisticated algorithms such as Shor’s algorithm.
The framework demands no soft fork, no consensus from miners, and no predetermined activation schedule. This distinguishes it from BIP-360, the current quantum-resistance initiative that entered Bitcoin’s improvement proposal repository in February but lacks a definitive implementation roadmap.
Why It’s Not for Everyone
The primary limitation is expense. Creating a single QSB transaction demands searching through countless potential inputs, a computational task that Levy calculates costs approximately $75 to $200 when using conventional cloud GPU infrastructure.
For perspective, a typical Bitcoin transaction presently costs roughly 33 cents.
These transactions also fall outside standard parameters. They cannot propagate through Bitcoin’s regular network infrastructure like conventional payments and must be submitted directly to miners who agree to include them.
QSB additionally lacks compatibility with the Lightning Network, Bitcoin’s accelerated and more economical payment infrastructure. This restriction confines its application to substantial, high-value transactions where the additional expense can be warranted.
StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson characterized the proposal as “huge,” suggesting it effectively renders Bitcoin quantum-safe immediately. However, Bitcoin ESG expert Daniel Batten contested this characterization, labeling it an exaggeration.
Batten highlighted that vulnerable public keys and inactive wallets remain unaddressed in the documentation. This encompasses approximately 1.7 million Bitcoin secured in legacy addresses that quantum computers might eventually compromise.
Where Long-Term Solutions Stand
The researchers behind QSB recognize it as an emergency fallback option. They emphasized that protocol-level modifications remain the preferred strategy for sustainable protection.
BIP-360, which would integrate quantum-resistant signatures via a soft fork, represents the primary contender for that role. However, its deployment schedule remains ambiguous. Prediction market participants are assigning minimal probability to activation within the current year.
Bitcoin’s historical governance patterns indicate this process could extend considerably. Taproot, a prior enhancement, required approximately seven and a half years from initial conception to final activation.
Google released research in March indicating quantum computers might break Bitcoin’s cryptographic protections with fewer resources than earlier estimates suggested, intensifying the conversation around quantum threats.
Lightning Labs CTO Olaoluwa Osuntokun independently released a quantum “escape hatch” prototype this week that enables users to demonstrate wallet ownership through a seed phrase without exposing it.
