Coinbase has established an Independent Advisory Board on Quantum Computing and Blockchain in early 2026 to evaluate the security risks that advancing quantum machines pose to major public ledgers. The move aims to accelerate adoption of quantum-resistant cryptography and to guard against “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks that could expose encrypted key material in the future.
Coinbase the board’s mandate includes assessing the impact of quantum advances on cryptographic primitives underpinning consensus and transaction layers, publishing position papers, and issuing practical guidance for developers and custodians. It will also provide independent analysis intended to inform the broader crypto ecosystem and Coinbase’s internal post‑quantum roadmap.
The board brings academics and industry cryptographers together to produce independent analysis, guidance for developers and users, and a roadmap for resilience across networks such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. The advisory group assembles specialists in quantum computing, applied cryptography and distributed-systems security.
Coinbase’s CISO, Jeff Lunglhofer, noted the threat is not immediate: ‘unlikely to be an urgent issue for at least a decade,’ while still urging preemptive planning and engineering work on protections.
Assessment, timeline and mitigation steps
Experts on the board differ on exact timing, but they share a consensus that proactive steps are needed. Professor Scott Aaronson emphasised that the uncertainty around when quantum hardware will break current public‑key systems makes planning essential: ‘the immediate need to plan for a transition to post‑quantum cryptosystems is paramount.’
The advisory work is being framed against broader standards work: the National Institute of Standards and Technology expects quantum‑safe standards by 2035, which sets an external timeline for industry migration. The board is expected to publish an initial position paper in March–April 2026 that will outline baseline risk assessments and a roadmap for resilience; a fuller report is planned for 2027.
Short‑term mitigations under review include updating address handling, strengthening internal key management, and advancing research into post‑quantum signature schemes (Coinbase has cited schemes such as ML‑DSA in its research pipeline). The board will examine trade‑offs across architectures and practical steps custodians and wallet providers should take.
Developers, custodians and institutional allocators will watch the board’s March–April 2026 paper and the planned 2027 report for concrete timelines and recommended migrations. If the board’s guidance drives early adoption of quantum‑resistant primitives, it could shift product road maps for exchanges, wallets and layer‑1 projects—and influence how long‑dormant keys are treated across the ecosystem.
For market participants, the practical test will be whether recommended changes can be implemented with minimal disruption to finality and performance while meeting the 2035 standardization horizon.
