QuBit (BIP-360): a breakthrough against quantum attacks on Bitcoin

The Bitcoin community is abuzz about QuBit (BIP-360), a proposed soft fork introducing P2QRH addresses based on hybrid post-quantum cryptography. Developers assert that this system conceals public keys on-chain, mitigating the threat posed by quantum computers. Initial estimates indicate that if users migrate promptly to new addresses, as much as 94% of UTXOs could be safeguarded.

However, the complexity of this upgrade is substantial, and signature sizes using FALCON or SQIsign can be 5–20 times larger than traditional methods. This may affect network throughput and require adjusting the witness discount.

According to the BIP’s author, full QuBit integration necessitates broad consensus among miners, pool operators, and wallet providers. Analysts note the network likely has a few more years before truly dangerous quantum devices emerge, but they recommend starting preparations now.