Crypto Wallets Lag on Post-Quantum Upgrades as Quantum Computing Advances Accelerate and Standards Land

Researchers reported rapid progress in quantum computing on February 11, 2026, including new methods for reading quantum information from topological qubits based on Majorana zero modes, miniature optical cavities that can read hundreds of atoms at once, and real-time error-corrected lattice surgery on superconducting qubits, raising concerns for blockchain cryptography and crypto wallets, The Market Periodical reports. The U.S. Federal Reserve highlighted a "harvest now, decrypt later" threat in a September 2025 paper, noting that around 6.36 million BTC, or roughly 33% of supply, already sit at addresses with exposed public keys, while NIST's August 2024 standards FIPS 203 (MLKEM), FIPS 204 (MLDSA) and FIPS 205 (SLHDSA) introduce significantly larger post-quantum signatures that strain block size limits, as seen in BTQ Technologies' 64 MB Bitcoin blocks. Projects such as Quantum Resistant Ledger (QRL), BTQ Technologies, Project 11's Yellowpages, Algorand and Hedera are trialing quantum-resistant schemes, yet major consumer wallets like MetaMask, Ledger and Trezor have not added post-quantum options, while Bitcoin and Ethereum communities continue to discuss future quantum-safe upgrades. A Frontiers in Computer Science paper in April 2025 recommended that Bitcoin begin migration to a post-quantum blockchain by block height 945,000, expected around April 2026, warning that immutability, lack of central authority over upgrades and incompatible signature schemes could complicate any transition for existing on-chain assets.