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Coinbase urged the Bitcoin community to start technical work on quantum-resistant protections before a quantum computer can threaten existing cryptography. Its post outlines design and migration questions but does not set a deadline or announce an agreed network upgrade.
Coinbase is urging Bitcoin developers and users to begin preparing for a possible quantum computing threat to the network’s digital signatures, arguing that upgrades and fund migrations could take years. The company’s recommendations are an input to an ongoing discussion; they do not establish a deadline or an agreed Bitcoin upgrade.
In a blog post describing its technical priorities, Coinbase said the work involves more than choosing a new signature system. Any change would need to protect funds whose public keys are already exposed, support newly created funds, and fit the needs of ordinary wallets, exchanges and institutional custody. The company said Bitcoin’s shared rules and the movement of funds across the ecosystem make preparation a multiyear undertaking.
Coinbase recommended evaluating designs that could support different quantum-resistant signature systems over time. It pointed to P2MR, associated with Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 360, and P2TRv2 as approaches that appear to offer flexibility. The company said a suitable design should conceal public keys until needed, avoid a quantum-vulnerable spending route and allow new signature algorithms to be added or supplemented.
The company called for reproducible tests tailored to Bitcoin, measuring transaction size, fees, verification work and the time needed to migrate vulnerable funds. Its proposed candidates include ML-DSA, SLH-DSA and FN-DSA when standardized, alongside other credible options and the hash-based candidate SHRINCS. Coinbase said these systems involve different tradeoffs, including whether signers must track the use of signing states. The post also described the operational challenge of using such systems across independently operated servers in institutional custody.
The Cost of a Bitcoin Migration
Bitcoin’s security depends on digital signatures that let the network verify that a transaction was authorized by the holder of the relevant private key. Coinbase’s concern is that a sufficiently capable quantum computer could defeat cryptography used by existing signatures, potentially putting some funds at risk where public keys are exposed. The company does not say that such a machine exists or that the threat is imminent.
Starting early could give developers time to compare protections under Bitcoin’s real operating limits. Signatures remain part of the blockchain and are verified by network nodes, Coinbase said, so systems designed for general internet security may have different costs when used in Bitcoin. A change that is secure on paper would also need to work reliably in wallets, payment tools and custody systems. That makes the discussion relevant to holders and institutions whose funds and software could require migration.
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From Quantum Risk to Upgrade Design
Digital signatures use a private key to authorize spending and a public key to verify that authorization. Coinbase’s post focuses on the possibility that future quantum computing could undermine cryptography behind current signatures. It recommends considering protections for funds already exposed as well as for funds created after any change.
Coinbase said it holds about 5% of all bitcoin in existence and is preparing its own systems, speaking with Bitcoin developers and researchers, and supporting open-source work through engineering resources and participation in the Bitcoin Security Consortium. The company presented its post as a contribution to open discussion, rather than a final position on how Bitcoin should change.
“Some questions, including how to handle abandoned or inaccessible coins, are difficult and deserve thoughtful debate. In our view, that discussion can continue alongside the technical work to add post-quantum signature support to Bitcoin.”
— Coinbase, in its blog post
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Open Questions on Funds and Signatures
Bitcoin has no agreed quantum-resistant upgrade or migration deadline, and Coinbase’s post does not settle which signature system or design the network should adopt. It is also unclear how developers and users would handle abandoned or inaccessible coins, or how quickly vulnerable funds could be moved.
The timing and capabilities of any quantum computer able to break the relevant cryptography remain uncertain. Coinbase’s proposed candidates are a set for evaluation, not a declaration that one system has been selected or that every named option is standardized. The post also flags unresolved operational questions around stateful signatures, including how wallets and independently operated custody servers would safely track signing history.
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Testing Before Network Decisions
Coinbase said technical evaluation and community discussion should continue in parallel. The next steps described in the post are to compare candidate signature systems under Bitcoin-specific conditions, assess wallet and custody requirements, and examine how funds could migrate. The company said it is preparing its own systems and engaging with developers and researchers.
No upgrade timetable or formal Bitcoin decision was announced. Any eventual change would depend on further technical work and discussion among the network’s participants; the post does not specify when a proposal or decision might be made.
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Key Questions
What did Coinbase ask the Bitcoin community to do?
Coinbase urged developers and other participants to begin evaluating quantum-resistant signatures and migration needs ahead of a possible future threat. It said the work could take years.
Did Coinbase announce a Bitcoin upgrade or deadline?
No. The company described its post as an input to open discussion. It announced neither an agreed upgrade nor a migration deadline.
Which signature systems did Coinbase identify for evaluation?
The post named ML-DSA, SLH-DSA and FN-DSA when standardized, along with other candidates, including SHRINCS. Coinbase presented them as options to assess, not as selected systems.
What remains unsettled about inaccessible bitcoin?
Coinbase said the treatment of abandoned or inaccessible coins deserves debate. Its post did not specify a policy for those funds, and it said the discussion can continue alongside technical work.
Source: rss
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