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BTQ Launches First Working BIP 360 on ‘Bitcoin Quantum’ Testnet to Trial Post‑Quantum Bitcoin

The separate‑chain prototype underscores that meaningful protection will depend on voluntary migration rather than code alone.

Overview

  • BTQ released a live implementation of BIP 360 on its Bitcoin Quantum testnet, enabling post‑quantum signatures and Pay‑to‑Merkle‑Root transactions to be tested in practice.
  • The testnet reports more than 50 participating miners and over 100,000 mined blocks, indicating sustained activity in the trial environment.
  • BIP 360’s P2MR format commits to a Merkle root to avoid exposing public keys on‑chain, a design intended to reduce data useful to a future quantum attacker.
  • BTQ’s network starts from a fresh genesis block with its own proof‑of‑work asset, so users would need to opt in rather than inherit balances or history from Bitcoin.
  • BTQ acknowledges the upgrade only future‑proofs new transactions and does not secure historical addresses, as experts continue to warn about quantum risks including an ARK Invest estimate that roughly 35% of supply could be exposed.