In 2026, two technological waves have moved from "distant future" to competing for priority in budgets and system architecture: blockchain as infrastructure (tokenization, settlement, and automation) and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) as the next security standard for the internet and digital signatures.
The convergence is inevitable: blockchains depend on cryptography to authenticate transactions — and the migration to quantum-resistant algorithms will affect wallets, networks, compliance, and operational costs.
If you want to understand how technology is transforming our world, this article is essential.
Where We Are Today: Blockchain Has Matured and Security Is Changing Engines
1. Tokenization Moves from Talk to Financial "Plumbing"
The most important leap in recent blockchain isn't "another coin," but transforming assets and money into programmable objects: tokenized deposits, reserves/settlement, and rules embedded in the asset itself.
A prime example is Project Agorá, led by the BIS Innovation Hub with central banks and the banking sector to explore tokenization applied to international payments and settlement on a programmable platform. Agorá started in April 2024 and plans to report results in the first half of 2026, which should influence infrastructure priorities (including standards and governance).
2. Scalability and Privacy Evolve with Layer 2 and ZK Proofs
The promise of blockchain as infrastructure depends on scale and efficiency. That's why the dominant architecture has become "secure base + efficient off-base execution," with rollups.
Among them, ZK-rollups use validity proofs to confirm batches of transactions, reducing congestion and cost while opening doors for selective privacy (prove without revealing). This connects directly with how the internet works at its deepest layer.
3. Post-Quantum Is Now Official Standard — Not Just Research
The urgency of post-quantum shifted when NIST published its first final FIPS standards on August 13, 2024, including:
- ML-KEM (key exchange/encapsulation)
- ML-DSA (renamed Dilithium) for digital signatures
In 2025, NIST also selected HQC as an additional algorithm for standardization (as a "backup"/alternative defense for general-use cryptography).
4. The Internet Is Rehearsing Migration with Hybrid Models
In practice, the transition tends to start with hybrid mechanisms (classical + post-quantum), to reduce risk while standards and implementations mature. This already appears in IETF with drafts for TLS 1.3 defining hybrid agreements like X25519MLKEM768.
Why Post-Quantum Affects Blockchain So Much
Blockchains don't just "depend" on cryptography for secrecy; they depend primarily on cryptography for authenticity: proving that a transaction was signed by the right key.
And that's exactly where the quantum threat changes the game — because widely used public key schemes (like those based on elliptic curves) enter the risk zone with sufficiently capable quantum computers.
The "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" Factor
There's a pressure factor already in the present: capturing encrypted data today to break in the future. NIST has been reinforcing this risk in transition/migration documents, because many data have long "shelf life" (PII, industrial secrets, critical records).
If you're interested in how to protect your personal data, understanding this threat is fundamental.
The Three Impact Fronts in Blockchain
- Transaction signatures and wallets (the security core)
- Off-chain infra (TLS, APIs, HSMs, pipelines) connecting wallets, exchanges, custodians, and corporate systems
- Ecosystem migration: standards, governance, compatibility, and costs
What to Expect from the Future: Where This Convergence Is Heading
1. "Invisible Blockchain": More Infrastructure, Less Product
The trend is for blockchain to become an embedded registration and automation layer in platforms. The BIS, when discussing tokenization and initiatives like Agorá, points precisely to a more programmable and integrated system between money and assets — with clear governance and rules.
Institutions are also creating "lego pieces" for tokenization and institutional use. DTCC, for example, has been publishing initiatives and solutions related to DLT/digital assets and integration with traditional infrastructure.
2. Crypto-Agility Becomes an Architecture Requirement
The likely future isn't "swap one algorithm for another and done." It's designing crypto-agile systems: capable of swapping algorithms with governance, inventory, and processes.
NIST has material dedicated to PQC migration and mapping to risk frameworks, reinforcing that the transition is a journey:
- Inventory → 2. Prioritize → 3. Migrate → 4. Validate
3. Blockchains Will Have to "Accept" New Signatures
The most discussed route in Ethereum to facilitate adoption of new signature schemes is Account Abstraction (AA): shifting authentication logic to programmable accounts (smart contract wallets).
This allows gradual evolution of the signature scheme without changing everything at once. There are explicit technical discussions about "road to post-quantum transactions" supported by AA.
The Biggest Concerns (The Ones That Most Derail Real-World Projects)
1. The Quantum Clock Is Uncertain — But the Cost of "Wait and See" Is High
Even if "crypto-relevant" quantum computers aren't yet available, the risk of capturing data today to break tomorrow already changes security prioritization — especially for long-lived data.
2. Migration in Blockchain Is an Ecosystem Migration, Not a Server Migration
In traditional IT, you swap certificates and libraries. In public blockchain, you touch:
- Wallets
- Format/validation
- Contracts
- Integrations
- Hardware
- Community standards
Research and discussions point to compatibility impacts (e.g., flows that depend on certain primitives and contracts that assume a specific signature type).
3. Size and Cost: Post-Quantum Signatures Can Weigh on Throughput
Post-quantum algorithms (especially signatures) can have larger keys/signatures than ECDSA/EdDSA, pressuring storage, bandwidth, and per-transaction costs.
This tends to strengthen the role of L2/rollups as cost and scale buffers.
4. Governance, Compliance, and "Private Money" (Stablecoins) Enter Tension
As the ecosystem matures, regulators and central banks emphasize stablecoin risks and the need for more robust and governed structures for tokenized money/assets.
In 2025, the BIS was cited in alerts about risks and monetary sovereignty, while defending more integrated and programmable alternatives for payments.
Box 1 — PQC in 30 Seconds: What It Is and What It Isn't
Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is a set of algorithms designed to resist quantum computer attacks, but running on classical computers.
It's different from "quantum cryptography" (like QKD), which depends on quantum channels/physics. NIST maintains official explanations and standards, including ML-KEM and ML-DSA.
Box 2 — "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later": Why This Is a Problem Today
The attack is simple: an adversary doesn't need to break encryption now — just capture encrypted traffic/data and store it.
When there's capacity (quantum or advances), the content can be revealed. NIST uses this scenario as one of the central justifications for accelerating PQC migration.
To better understand current digital threats, check our article on the 10 most common online scams in 2025.
Box 3 — Post-Quantum Wallets: The Idea Behind Account Abstraction
The practical proposal: instead of the network always depending on a single fixed signature type "in the protocol," authentication can be programmable per account (smart contract wallet).
Thus, users and institutions could gradually migrate to:
- Post-quantum signatures
- Hybrids
- Signature policies (multisig, limits, recovery)
Without "reinventing" the entire network. There are technical discussions and even academic research on post-quantum verification efficiency in the Ethereum/AA context.
The Trust Stack: Where Post-Quantum Meets Blockchain
Layer 1: User & Wallet
Transaction signing; AA/programmable accounts
Layer 2: Blockchain Network
Validation; per-signature costs; compatibility
Layer 3: L2 / Rollups
ZK as efficiency and selective privacy
Layer 4: Off-chain Infra
Hybrid TLS; APIs; custody; HSM
Layer 5: Governance & Regulation
Institutional tokenization; stablecoin risks; regulated models
Transition Timeline
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Initial NIST PQC standards (FIPS) |
| 2024–2026 | Project Agorá (start and report) |
| 2025 | HQC selection |
| 2025–2026 | Progressive hybrid TLS adoption |
What Companies Should Do in 2026 (Without Waiting for "Quantum Day")
1. Real Cryptographic Inventory (Not Just "Has TLS")
Map where RSA/ECC exists:
- TLS, VPN, internal certificates
- Code signing, HSM, APIs
- IoT, backups
- Blockchain-related flows (custody, signers, KMS)
NIST treats inventory and planning as the migration foundation.
2. Classify Data by "Sensitivity Deadline"
What needs to stay secret for 10+ years goes to the top of the queue because of "harvest now, decrypt later."
3. Start Where There's Less Friction: Connections and Transport (TLS)
Pilot hybrid TLS on controlled edges (internal APIs, gateways) and demand PQC roadmap from critical vendors.
4. For Blockchain Projects: Plan Key Migration
If you operate custody, signers, or on-chain products, evaluate routes like smart contract wallets / account abstraction to allow gradual signature transition.
5. Exercise Crypto-Agility as Process, Not "Project"
Have governance:
- Library update policies
- Compatibility testing
- NIST/IETF standards monitoring
- Migration "playbook"
6. Prepare the Risk and Compliance Discourse
The conversation with board and audit needs to move from "when will quantum computers exist?" to "how long do our data need to stay secret and how long does it take us to migrate?"
Recent NIST materials help tie this to risk frameworks.
Conclusion
Blockchain is moving from being an "application" to becoming programmable infrastructure for money and assets — especially in institutional environments.
At the same time, post-quantum has officially begun with standards and drafts for mass adoption on the internet.
Those who get this convergence right will gain something rare: more automatic and auditable systems, without giving up long-term security — and without redoing everything in a panic.
Quantum computing explained in our other article can help you better understand the fundamentals of this revolution.
Recent Readings to Go Deeper
- Reuters - "Central bank body BIS delivers stark stablecoin warning" (Jun 24, 2025)
- Financial Times - "Stablecoins 'perform poorly' as money, central banks warn" (Jun 24, 2025)
- TechRadar - "Cyber resilience in the post-quantum era: the time of crypto-agility" (Aug 25, 2025)
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Article written by Loester Vieira, technology and digital security specialist. Share this content with anyone who needs to understand the future of blockchain security!