Nine blockchain firms form Quantum Alliance to set post-quantum security standards
Nine blockchain firms including Quantus, Midnight Foundation and Hacken launched the Quantum Alliance to write open standards for testing quantum-resistance claims.
Why it matters
Decrypt puts roughly 6.04 million BTC, about 30% of supply, in addresses it calls quantum-exposed, so the test criteria Hacken plans to publish would decide who can credibly claim to be quantum-ready. Crypto News reported that the Alliance and the BlackRock-backed Bitcoin Security Consortium are the only two groups so far to go public on pushing a post-quantum blockchain industry, and neither has issued benchmarks yet.
Where the sources disagree
Scope of the founding membership
nine organizations listed in full
Bitcoin Insider
Quantus, Midnight and seven other firms
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Quantus, Postquant Labs, Midnight Foundation, Keystone, Abelian and Hacken named as examples
Decrypt
Bitcoin Insider names all nine founding organizations, Crypto News names only Quantus and Midnight plus seven others, and Decrypt names six without claiming to give the full list.
Key facts
Bitcoin Insider named the nine founding organizations as Quantus, Postquant Labs, Midnight Foundation, Keystone, American Fortress, Intmax, Abelian, The Vault and Hacken.
Reported by Bitcoin Insider
The Alliance is modelled on the Internet Engineering Task Force, advances proposals on public evidence and working implementations rather than corporate size or token holdings, and publishes its output openly.
Reported by Decrypt
Hacken said the alliance will publish open test criteria and benchmarks, with a first definition of readiness covering transaction signatures, key management, consensus, zero-knowledge proofs and peer-to-peer connections.
Reported by Bitcoin Insider
Quantus founder and CEO Christopher Smith said the alliance's intention is to front-load complex decision-making on post-quantum blockchain products and create standards others can adopt directly.
Reported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Decrypt cited forecasts pointing to the late 2020s and warned that elliptic-curve signatures leave roughly 6.04 million BTC, about 30% of supply, quantum-exposed.
6,040,000 BTCDisputed figureReported by Decrypt
What happened
Nine blockchain organizations announced the Quantum Alliance on October 16, a standards body that will set criteria for judging quantum-resistance claims and publish compatibility rules as networks migrate to new cryptography. Bitcoin Insider listed the founding members as Quantus, Postquant Labs, Midnight Foundation, Keystone, American Fortress, Intmax, Abelian, The Vault and Hacken, and Decrypt described the group as spanning base-layer protocols, privacy networks, rollups, hardware wallets and security auditing. Decrypt reported that the Alliance is modelled on the Internet Engineering Task Force, will advance proposals on public evidence and working implementations rather than corporate size or token holdings, and will publish everything it produces openly. Hacken said the alliance will publish open test criteria and benchmarks, with a first definition of readiness covering transaction signatures, key management, consensus, zero-knowledge proofs and peer-to-peer connections, split into four work groups on blockchain migration, post-quantum proof systems, wallet security and cross-chain compatibility. Bitcoin Insider stressed that the members span networks, wallets and infrastructure and do not represent a decision by Bitcoin's participants to adopt a protocol change. Crypto News, citing Quantus founder and CEO Christopher Smith, said the aim is to front-load the complex decision-making behind post-quantum products so others can pull standards off the shelf, and reported that Coinbase has separately called for an accelerated phased migration of Bitcoin.
How the story developed
- First report
First report by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Quantus CEO leads 9-firm alliance to standardize crypto’s quantum defenses
- Update
First report on the Quantum Alliance formation
Crypto News reports that Quantus, Midnight and seven other blockchain firms formed the Quantum Alliance to standardise post-quantum readiness, and quotes CEO Christopher Smith.
- Update
Coinbase presses for accelerated Bitcoin migration
Crypto News reports that Coinbase intensified calls for an accelerated phased migration of Bitcoin so the chain does not fall behind.
- Official statement
Announcement confirms October 16 launch and work plan
Bitcoin Insider reports the initiative was announced on October 16, lists the nine founding organizations and describes four work groups plus Hacken's promise of open test criteria.
- Independent corroboration
Independently corroborated by Decrypt
Crypto Firms Launch Quantum Alliance as 6 Million Bitcoin Sit Exposed
- Update
Decrypt publishes the bitcoin exposure estimate
Decrypt reports the Alliance launch and says elliptic-curve signatures leave roughly 6.04 million BTC, about 30% of supply, quantum-exposed, citing forecasts pointing to the late 2020s.
- Update
Bitcoin Insider restates the coverage with a rounded figure
The Bitcoin Insider piece attributes the announcement to Decrypt and CryptoBriefing and gives roughly 6 million bitcoin in exposed addresses, without a supply percentage.
How coverage built up
Independent sources over time, counted the way the consensus panel counts them: a republication of a wire story does not move the line.
- 16 Oct 2026, 05:18 UTC: Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 16 Oct 2026, 19:47 UTC: Bitcoin Insider — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
- 17 Oct 2026, 16:01 UTC: Decrypt — 3 independent sources, 3 reports
Affected entities
Also mentioned: Solana, Vitalik Buterin, Base, TRON
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) Aggregator | Quantus CEO leads 9-firm alliance to standardize crypto’s quantum defenses | Original | |
| Decrypt Crypto media | Crypto Firms Launch Quantum Alliance as 6 Million Bitcoin Sit Exposed | Independent | |
| Bitcoin Insider Aggregator | Blockchain Firms Form Alliance to Test Quantum-Resistance Claims | Syndicated | |
| Bitcoin Insider Aggregator | Quantum Alliance Launched by Nine Crypto Firms to Shield Bitcoin From Future Attacks | Syndicated |
Related events
Equity selloff pressures Bitcoin as US spot ETF flows swing between record inflows and sharp withdrawals
Bitcoin held above $80,000 amid a tech-led equity decline while US spot Bitcoin ETFs saw their largest monthly inflows followed by heavy withdrawals days later.
Coinbase designs post-quantum safeguards for about $250 billion in institutional assets
Cryptography head Yehuda Lindell says Coinbase is designing post-quantum safeguards for about $250 billion in institutional assets across several possible signature schemes.
BlackRock paper links AI agents to stablecoin payments and tokenized compute
BlackRock's research says autonomous AI agents could increase stablecoin payment demand and create markets for tokenized computing capacity.
Four Overnight Crypto Stories Reached Only Two Outlets Each, in One Roundup
Bitcoin Insider rounded up four overnight crypto stories that each drew just two outlets, among them a Coinbase post-quantum custody report and an Australian AI-agent breach.
Blackrock Report Sidelines Bitcoin in AI Payments as Block Adds Lightning to x402
Blackrock's new report largely leaves bitcoin out of AI agent payments while Block adds Bitcoin Lightning support to the x402 payment protocol.
Strategy holds 848,000 BTC and IBIT 805,222.42 BTC, 7.87% of Bitcoin's supply cap
Bitcoin.com News reports Strategy holds 848,000 BTC and BlackRock's IBIT 805,222.42 BTC, together 1.653 million BTC worth about $140.82 billion.