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In a major step for long-term network security, Blockstream has advanced post quantum bitcoin protections with a live deployment on its Liquid sidechain. First live post-quantum signatures on Liquid mainnet On March 6, 2026, Blockstream revealed it had broadcast the first post-quantum-signed transactions on a production Bitcoin sidechain, using Liquid mainnet. These transactions secure real funds, not test coins, underscoring that this is a production-grade security upgrade rather than a laboratory proof of concept. The milestone is the first live deployment of quantum-resistant signatures on a Bitcoin-linked sidechain that actually holds user assets. Moreover, it directly addresses rising concerns that future quantum computers could break today’s classical cryptography and place digital wealth at risk. Currently, funds on Liquid rely on ECDSA and Schnorr signatures to prevent unauthorized spending. However, a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could mathematically attack those schemes, potentially exposing user balances to theft once such hardware becomes practical. Why Blockstream is moving before the quantum threat arrives Blockstream stressed that preparing Bitcoin-like infrastructure for a quantum era must happen well before any visible crisis. That said, the firm acknowledged that quantum machines capable of breaking Bitcoin’s current cryptography do not exist today and may be years or even decades away. Despite that timeline, the company argues that a smooth, well-tested transition requires long lead times. Moreover, upgrading live financial networks is inherently risky if rushed, which makes early research and incremental deployment crucial for responsible engineering. Traditional approaches to post quantum cryptography bitcoin upgrades often demand network-wide consensus changes. Those changes must involve miners, node operators, wallet providers, exchanges, and users, making them politically complex and technically delicate. Simplicity smart contracts as the upgrade path To avoid the need for a contentious consensus change, Blockstream built its solution using Simplicity smart contracts on the Liquid Network. Using Simplicity’s…

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Filed under: News - @ March 6, 2026 11:26 am