The prospect of quantum computers breaking today’s crypto security is creating a problem that extends beyond individual wallet holders: banks and custodians may need to upgrade their systems while preserving the approval, key-storage and audit controls required for institutional money.
According to CoinDesk, Project Eleven and privacy-focused proof-of-work blockchain Quantus plan to add institutional custody support for Quantus in the first quarter of 2027. The integration is intended to allow organizations to manage Quantus keys and authorize transactions through hardware security modules, internal policies and audit systems.
The planned support comes as developers and crypto companies consider how networks such as Bitcoin and Ethereum could eventually move to cryptography designed to resist quantum attacks. The date when a quantum computer might be capable of breaking current public-key cryptography remains unknown. That uncertainty, however, has not stopped industry participants from arguing that migration plans should be prepared well before an emergency arises.
Why institutions face a different problem
Individual crypto holders have been urged in recent debates to consider moving funds before advances in artificial intelligence or quantum computing expose vulnerable wallet keys. Institutions face a broader operational challenge because custody is not limited to holding a private key.
Banks and custodians typically need systems that define who can approve a transaction, how keys are protected, which internal policies apply and how activity is recorded for later review. A transition could become more complicated if different blockchains adopt different quantum-resistant signature standards or migration processes.
An institution holding several digital assets might therefore have to support multiple forms of new cryptography while retaining the same governance and audit framework. Alex Pruden, Project Eleven’s co-founder and chief executive, said such a transition could become an obstacle to wider institutional adoption of cryptocurrency. He also said institutions are already preparing for the post-quantum transition outside the blockchain sector.
Christopher Smith, Quantus’ co-founder and chief executive, said artificial intelligence was accelerating developments in both quantum hardware and quantum software. He argued that the possibility of a surprise quantum advance should be treated as a portfolio risk and as part of an institution’s fiduciary responsibility.
Project Eleven and Quantus plan custody integration
Project Eleven is developing tools intended to protect crypto systems from future quantum-computing attacks. Its Strongpoint custody platform is designed to separate an institution’s control layer from the signature method used by the underlying blockchain.
In practical terms, that architecture is intended to allow a custodian to retain its approval procedures, hardware-based key storage and audit trail even if a blockchain changes its cryptographic system. Project Eleven says Strongpoint is not a substitute for a blockchain adopting post-quantum cryptography at the protocol level. Instead, the separation is designed to make it easier to support different networks as their security standards evolve.
Quantus already uses ML-DSA for key generation and transaction signatures. ML-DSA is a post-quantum signature standard selected by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The planned first-quarter 2027 integration would give institutions a way to manage Quantus keys and approve transactions using hardware security modules, internal rules and audit systems. The companies have presented the work as relevant beyond Quantus because large custodians may need to manage different cryptographic requirements across multiple blockchains.
Preparing before an emergency migration
A quantum computer capable of attacking Bitcoin or Ether is not known to be available, and the timing of such a threat remains uncertain. Protecting major networks would also require broad agreement among developers and users, adding a coordination challenge to the technical one.
The concern among custody providers is that waiting until an attack is possible could leave institutions with too little time to test new systems, update controls and move assets safely. Preparing in advance is intended to reduce the risk of an emergency migration while allowing organizations to continue meeting their responsibilities to clients and regulators.
The issue also highlights a distinction between protocol security and institutional infrastructure. A blockchain may select a new signature standard, but banks and custodians still need to integrate that change into authorization policies, hardware security and record-keeping systems. The proposed Quantus integration is aimed at keeping those institutional controls intact while the underlying cryptography changes.
Current market picture
Moneyiar market data recorded at 21:34 on October 8, 2026, showed the following prices and moves:
- Ethereum: $2,472.7129728023, down 3.68% over 24 hours and 8.17% over seven days.
- Quant: $238.3478820953, down 5.19% over 24 hours and 5.76% over seven days.
- Basic Attention Token: $0.0994719038, down 1.36% over 24 hours but up 11.77% over seven days.
- Walrus: $0.0332390631, down 9.86% over 24 hours and 1.8% over seven days.
These market figures are separate from the planned custody integration and do not indicate when any blockchain will adopt a new quantum-resistant standard.
