Alex Thorn, the head of Galaxy’s research division, has unveiled a plan to secure the first cryptocurrency in the quantum computer age. His key message: coins owned by the creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, should not be moved under any circumstances - even if they are threatened with hacking.

Any encroachment on these funds will erode the fundamental value of the entire system. In addition, they are spread over 22,000 addresses, so the attacker would have to open each wallet individually rather than break the network globally.

In Thorn’s view, it is expedient for the community to develop post-quantum cryptographic algorithms (fundamentally new, signature-resistant) and postpone a ready solution until demand. Once the threat becomes real, the upgrade can be deployed quickly. The probability that quantum technologies will seriously harm Bitcoin is estimated by the analyst at only 1%, but the discussions themselves consider extremely useful for preparing a network.