Bitcoin Developers Propose Freezing Coins That Skip Quantum-Safe Migration Under BIP-361

Key Takeaways:

• BIP-361, co-authored by Casa CTO Jameson Lopp, proposes freezing Bitcoin successful bequest addresses wrong 5 years of activation.
• Over 34% of each Bitcoin has an exposed nationalist cardinal onchain, with quantum attacks perchance viable by 2027-2030, per McKinsey.
• BIP-360 entered testnet via BTQ Technologies successful aboriginal 2026, mounting the instauration BIP-361 requires earlier its phased timeline begins.

BIP-361 Would Give Bitcoin Holders Five Years to Move Funds oregon Face Permanent Freeze

The proposal is Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP)-361, titled “Post Quantum Migration and Legacy Signature Sunset.” It was formally assigned connected Feb. 11, 2026, and lists six co-authors, including Casa CTO Jameson Lopp. The draught is presently successful informational presumption and requires nary contiguous enactment from anyone holding bitcoin.

The halfway interest is straightforward. Bitcoin’s existing cryptography relies connected elliptic curve math. A quantum machine moving Shor’s algorithm could, successful theory, enactment backward from a nationalist cardinal to deduce a private key. Addresses that person already broadcast a nationalist cardinal onchain are the astir exposed. As of March 1, 2026, that class reportedly covers much than 34% of each bitcoin successful circulation.

BIP-361 lays retired a three-phase brushed fork plan. Phase A would statesman astir 3 years aft a companion quantum-resistant code proposal, apt BIP-360, is activated. During Phase A, wallets would beryllium blocked from sending funds to bequest code types, pushing users toward newer quantum-safe formats. Phase B would footwear successful 2 years aft that, rendering each bequest signatures invalid astatine the statement layer. Coins that did not migrate would go frozen, and would beryllium incapable to move.

A 3rd phase, inactive nether research, would let holders of frozen coins to beryllium ownership done a zero-knowledge impervious tied to a BIP-39 effect operation and retrieve their funds. In summation to Lopp, BIP-361 co-authors see Christian Papathanasiou, Ian Smith, Joe Ross, Steve Vaile, and Pierre-Luc Dallaire-Demers. Moreover, this is not the archetypal clip Lopp has floated this idea. In a blog station published successful mid-March 2025, Lopp said burning susceptible coins whitethorn beryllium the least-worst option.

In the blog post, Lopp argues that allowing quantum computers to “recover” bitcoin from susceptible addresses would efficaciously legitimize theft and ore wealthiness successful the hands of a fewer technologically precocious actors, undermining Bitcoin’s halfway information model. He contends that a amended result is to “burn” those susceptible coins.

This would marque them permanently unspendable successful bid to forestall large-scale economical disruption, support idiosyncratic confidence, and sphere fairness crossed the network. While this attack whitethorn harm inattentive users who neglect to upgrade, helium sees it arsenic the lesser of 2 evils compared to wide redistribution and nonaccomplishment of trust. Ultimately, Lopp frames the contented arsenic a crippled mentation problem, concluding that incentivizing users to migrate to quantum-safe systems strengthens Bitcoin agelong term.

At the time, the station was controversial connected the Reddit forum r/ cryptocurrency with the apical remark saying, “ BTC ceases to beryllium BTC if you fork it to mute wallets you deliberation are a hazard to your investment.” Others commented that radical with susceptible addresses should woody with the possibililty that a quantum attacker could instrumentality their coins. “Let them get hacked and clang the terms for a month. We’ll bargain the dip, conscionable similar past clip determination was an existential crisis,” the Redditor wrote.

The BIP-361 authors mention accelerating quantum hardware and algorithm improvements arsenic the crushed for urgency. McKinsey and world roadworthy maps referenced successful the connection spot a cryptographically applicable quantum machine arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2027 to 2030. Researchers besides emblem the anticipation of a covert attack, wherever a quantum histrion drains addresses softly implicit weeks oregon months without triggering immoderate onchain alerts.

The connection would straight impact coins agelong attributed to Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. Early pay-to-public-key outputs, the format utilized successful Bitcoin’s archetypal twelvemonth oregon two, person afloat exposed nationalist keys and would beryllium covered nether the freeze. Estimates spot astir 1.1 cardinal BTC successful those aboriginal addresses. The authors reason that leaving those coins spendable creates a aboriginal onslaught aboveground ample capable to destabilize bitcoin‘s terms and miner incentives simultaneously.

Critics of the program spot it differently. Freezing coins that a holder ne'er chose to determination touches the 3rd obstruction of Bitcoin philosophy: the web does not alteration the rules connected existing outputs. Supporters antagonistic that waiting for a confirmed quantum breach earlier acting leaves nary clip to coordinate wallets, exchanges, miners and custodians, a process that has historically taken years adjacent nether favorable conditions. Others called it downright authoritarian.

“This quantum connection is highly authoritarian and confiscatory, but of course, it’s from Lopp. There is nary bully rationale for forcing the upgrade and rendering aged spends invalid. Upgrade should beryllium 100% voluntary,” the X relationship Cato the Elder wrote. Another offered a adust aside, quipping, “We person to bargain people’s wealth to forestall their wealth from being stolen.” The X post, sharing BIP-361, had a important magnitude of antagonistic comments against the proposal.

We enlisted Grok to analyse the X thread, aiming to gauge whether the wide sentiment leaned affirmative oregon negative. “The comments to this station are ~95% antagonistic (overwhelmingly mostly negative),” Grok replied. “Out of the 74 full replies (and the ample illustration of top/high-engagement ones disposable successful the thread), virtually each explicit beardown disapproval,” the artificial quality (AI) chatbot wrote.

Grok added:

“No replies amusement wide enactment oregon enthusiasm for the proposal. The sentiment is highly one-sided against it.”

The connection frames the frost arsenic antiaircraft alternatively than punitive. Holders who migrate successful clip suffer nothing. Those who bash not suffer entree to funds they whitethorn nary longer power anyhow erstwhile quantum computing matures. The authors enactment that abandoned keys near frozen would trim circulating supply, a dynamic Satoshi erstwhile described arsenic a donation to the remainder of the network.

BIP-360, which introduces the quantum-resistant code types that BIP-361 depends on, moved into testnet implementation done BTQ Technologies successful aboriginal 2026. That advancement gives the migration timeline a factual starting constituent to physique from.

No activation has occurred. Bitcoin Core and the broader developer assemblage stay cautious. Alternative proposals successful circulation see rate-limited spending from susceptible outputs and voluntary migration paired with proviso burns. A failed statement process carries its ain risk: a imaginable concatenation split.

The connection asks a question Bitcoin has not had to reply before. How overmuch rule-change is acceptable to forestall a cryptographic menace that whitethorn not go existent for years, but whose damage, erstwhile it arrives, could not beryllium undone?