BIP-360 : Bitcoin Divides Over Quantum Challenge

The topic of “bitcoin versus quantum” comes up in waves. This week, it is no longer just a debate among researchers. Part of the ecosystem is pushing to accelerate a concrete update. And another is resisting strongly, considering the alert premature.

BIP-360, the post-quantum option shaking up bitcoin

BIP-360 proposes adding a new type of address to bitcoin capable of using so-called “post-quantum” signatures. The idea is to offer an escape route before more powerful machines make some current signatures fragile.

Technically, the proposal is often summarized as a “pay-to-quantum-resistant-hash.” It mainly targets bitcoins that could become exposed if, one day, a quantum computer can derive a private key from a public key. BIP-360 therefore tries to anticipate a future where this scenario is no longer science fiction.

But the most important thing is not the formula. It is the political signal. For bitcoin, any serious evolution requires rare coordination: hardware wallets, nodes, miners, exchanges, integrators. A good idea without alignment remains a PDF on the Internet.

Urgency or Excess Caution: the Bitcoiner Split

Supporters of accelerated action speak of a market risk even before a technical risk. Charles Edwards (Capriole) insists on a tight schedule and mentions a 2026 window to finalize and deploy. He goes further. According to him, coins that do not migrate to BIP-360 should even be “burned” by 2028. This radicalism shocked, but it also awakened the conversation.

Opposite, very respected profiles remind us that panic can be a bad advisor. Adam Back emphasizes that bitcoin does not “do encryption” in the sense many understand it, and that short-term break scenarios mostly come from FUD. He considers the threat significantly distant, over decades.

Samson Mow, meanwhile, chooses sarcasm to deflate the bubble. His argument is almost pedagogical: if quantum is still at modest demonstrations, why imagine it will swallow bitcoin tomorrow morning? The mockery mainly targets the idea of a “panic sale” triggered by a misunderstood fear.

Taproot Retreats: technical signal or psychological symptom?

An element has added fuel to the fire: the use of Taproot is declining. According to Willy Woo, the share of transactions using Taproot has dropped from about 42% in 2024 to around 20% recently. He says he has “never seen” the newest format lose adoption in bitcoin.

It’s tempting to see this as a vote by users. Taproot is associated with Schnorr signatures, therefore with a cryptographic family that quantum could theoretically threaten via Shor’s algorithm. In this reading, less Taproot would mean “less attack surface.” And the idea is virally simple, so it spreads quickly.

Except that the reality is more nuanced. The vulnerability mainly depends on a precise point: when the public key is revealed on-chain, and how long it remains exploitable. Many formats reveal the public key at the time of spending. Taproot is not magically “the only” concerned, even if its public perception can become so. And, on a market, perception often ends up weighing as much as cryptography.

2026-2028: the real challenge is migration

Even if everyone agreed tomorrow, the hardest part would then begin. A post-quantum transition is a mass migration. It must be compatible, gradual, and understandable by non-specialists. Otherwise, it creates a new risk: user errors, losses, or stuck funds.

This is also why alternatives are circulating. On the Blockstream Research side and discussions on the bitcoindev mailing list, one explored path is “hash-based” signatures. The appeal is clear: security would mainly rely on hash function assumptions, a terrain already familiar to bitcoin.

At heart, the BIP-360 debate goes beyond technique. It touches bitcoin’s DNA: move slowly, but survive everything. The “impatient” fear a confidence shock before the real attack. The “patients” fear a rushed update, more dangerous than the threat. Between them, the network advances as it always does: through frictions, trials, and consensus… when it eventually emerges. And regarding the price, Tom Lee sees a strong signal.