Project Eleven and Quantus target Q1 2027 for post-quantum institutional custody
In brief
- Project Eleven and Quantus plan to integrate Quantus with Project Eleven's institutional custody platform.
- Q1 2027 is the companies' target for institutional Quantus key management support.
- Bitcoin, Ethereum and other networks are unlikely to share one post-quantum signature scheme, CoinDesk reported.
- Quantus CEO Christopher Smith called surprise quantum attack risk a matter of fiduciary responsibility.
Bunker mode vs. the back office
The call for crypto holders to move into "bunker mode" (before advances in AI or quantum computing expose wallet keys) drew attention to individual wallets. For banks and custodians, CoinDesk reported, the harder issue may be whether key management, approval and audit systems can cope as blockchains adopt varying quantum-resistant standards.
Bitcoin, Ethereum and other networks probably won't settle on the same post-quantum signature scheme. That means a bank holding several assets may have to accommodate several new forms of cryptography without weakening its transaction approval, signing and audit controls.
Bitcoin developers are still debating how and when the network will prepare for quantum computing.
Alex Pruden, Project Eleven's co-founder and CEO, said such a transition could impede institutional adoption of crypto. He added that institutions are already preparing the post-quantum transition outside of blockchains to avoid a future emergency migration.
How Strongpoint splits the layers
Project Eleven's custody platform, Strongpoint, is designed to separate the institutional control layer from the signature scheme an underlying blockchain uses. Under that design, a custodian could keep its approval process, hardware-based key storage and audit trail intact even if a chain adopts different cryptography. Pruden was clear that Strongpoint isn't a replacement for protocol-level adoption of post-quantum cryptography.
Quantus uses ML-DSA (a post-quantum signature standard selected by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology) for key generation and transaction signatures. The Q1 2027 date for the integration is a target. It's not a fixed launch date.
A fiduciary question
Christopher Smith, Quantus' co-founder and CEO, said AI is accelerating both quantum hardware and quantum software. He framed the risk in portfolio terms:
"The tail risk of a surprise quantum attack needs to be factored into all portfolio decisions. It is a matter of fiduciary responsibility,"
The timing of quantum computers capable of attacking bitcoin or ether remains uncertain, and a network migration would require broad agreement among developers and users. Even so, researchers and companies are increasingly treating the next few years as a window to prepare migration paths, according to CoinDesk.
Frequently asked questions
Why is a post-quantum migration harder for crypto custodians than for individual holders?
CoinDesk reported that Bitcoin, Ethereum and other networks are unlikely to settle on the same post-quantum signature scheme. A bank holding several assets may have to accommodate several new forms of cryptography without weakening its transaction approval, signing and audit controls.
What is Project Eleven's Strongpoint custody platform?
Strongpoint is Project Eleven's custody platform, designed to separate the institutional control layer from the signature scheme an underlying blockchain uses. A custodian could keep its approval process, hardware-based key storage and audit trail intact even if a chain adopts different cryptography. Pruden said it isn't a replacement for protocol-level post-quantum adoption.
What signature standard does Quantus use?
Quantus uses ML-DSA for key generation and transaction signatures. ML-DSA is a post-quantum signature standard selected by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.
