BTQ Launches Quantum-Resistant Bitcoin Testnet

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

BTQ Technologies announced the launch of Bitcoin Quantum testnet, the first Bitcoin fork resistant to quantum computing threats.

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 from quantum computing.

Technical Features

Bitcoin Quantum replaces Bitcoin’s standard digital signature algorithm ECDSA with the ML-DSA (approved by the NIST as post-quantum secure).

Key protocol changes include:

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

Threat to “Old” Coins

According to BTQ, approximately 6.26 million BTC (~$650-750 billion) are at risk of being hacked. These coins are stored at addresses with exposed public keys. This category includes wallets belonging to Satoshi Nakamoto, containing between 600,000 and 1.1 million BTC.

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

Research firm Delphi Digital, in a December 2025 report, described Bitcoin Quantum as a “quantum canary”—a testing ground for protective solutions before the threat becomes real for the main network.

Institutional and Government Context

The relevance of the issue is confirmed 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 reports to the SEC.

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

Company Strategy and Community Involvement

The Bitcoin Quantum network is entirely open. Developers invite miners, researchers, and users to join the testing: running nodes, finding vulnerabilities, and verifying transactions.

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

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

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