Everything you'd ask about Bitcoin Quantum.

Bitcoin, rebuilt on cryptography that quantum computers cannot break. Same proof-of-work consensus, same 21-million-coin supply, same peer-to-peer architecture — with the signature algorithm replaced by NIST-standardized post-quantum primitives. Open-source, no central authority, no one owns it.

Bitcoin's signatures use ECDSA, which Shor's algorithm can break on a sufficiently powerful quantum computer. Once that happens, every revealed public key on the chain becomes recoverable. Bitcoin Quantum closes that door before it opens by signing with NIST-standardized lattice cryptography.

CRYSTALS-Dilithium (ML-DSA, NIST FIPS 204) replaces ECDSA for transaction signing. The protocol is designed with cryptographic agility, so additional NIST-standardized algorithms can be adopted as the post-quantum ecosystem matures.

Two things change. Signatures switch from ECDSA to CRYSTALS-Dilithium, and the block size limit grows from 1 MB to 8 MB to absorb the larger post-quantum signatures. Everything else — the UTXO model, the scripting system, the halving schedule, SHA-256 proof-of-work — stays exactly as Bitcoin defined it.

Today: testnet only. Run a node, mine quantum-safe blocks, and earn testnet BTQ — the mining guide walks through every step. Mainnet launch will bring exchange listings; until then, the testnet is the way to participate.

Bitcoin Core's security model, hardened with NIST FIPS 204 signatures. Spends are cryptographically secure against both classical and quantum attacks. To report a security issue, email oscar@btq.com or barney@btq.com.

No — Bitcoin Quantum is a separate chain with its own native coin. Moving value across requires exchanges or atomic swaps once those are available. The UTXO model and scripting system carry over directly, so developer tooling translates one-to-one.

21 million coins. The same halving schedule (every 210,000 blocks), the same reward decay, the same monetary policy that makes Bitcoin sound money.

Same SHA-256 proof-of-work as Bitcoin — existing ASIC miners work without modification. The reward structure and halving schedule are preserved. Two things differ: the target block time is 1 minute (not Bitcoin's 10), and the block size limit is 8 MB instead of 1 MB, sized for larger post-quantum signatures.

Consensus estimates put cryptographically-relevant quantum computers ten to twenty years out — possibly sooner. The migration to post-quantum cryptography needs to happen before that threshold. Bitcoin Quantum is that migration, available today.

Same fee market as Bitcoin: paid per byte, set by congestion, mined by whoever bids highest. Post-quantum signatures are larger, so the 8 MB block size keeps per-byte fees competitive with what Bitcoin users already expect.

Yes — MIT-licensed. Source, documentation, and the full development history live at github.com/btq-ag/btq-core. Review, fork, contribute, or run your own audit.