BlackRock Bitcoin warning
In a rare move, BlackRock has quietly added a new line to its iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) filing — and it is turning heads. The update, submitted in early May 2025, flags quantum computing as a potential risk to Bitcoin’s long-term security.
The filing specifically warns that if quantum tech advances far enough, it could break the cryptographic systems that secure Bitcoin.
In their words, it could “undermine the viability” of the cryptographic algorithms used not just in digital assets but across the global tech stack.
It’s the first time you’ve seen the world’s largest asset manager call out this threat so directly in a Bitcoin-related disclosure, and it says a lot about how seriously institutional players are starting to take future-proofing crypto.
Yes, exchange-traded fund (ETF) risk disclosures tend to be exhaustive by nature. But the fact that quantum computing made the cut (alongside more common concerns like volatility and regulatory shifts) suggests it’s no longer just a hypothetical issue in the eyes of big finance.
For investors, this signals two things: first, that Bitcoin isn’t immune to emerging tech threats, and second, that institutional players like BlackRock are actively weighing those risks as they build long-term strategies in crypto.
The message is clear: If the industry wants to stay ahead, preparing for a post-quantum world can’t wait.
Did you know? As of early 2025, BlackRock manages over $11.6 trillion in assets, making it the largest asset manager globally. To put that in perspective, BlackRock’s assets under management exceed the combined GDP of Germany and France.
Bitcoin quantum risk: Is it real?
Quantum computers work differently from the laptops and servers we use today. Instead of crunching numbers one at a time, they can process huge numbers of possibilities at once. That makes them incredibly powerful — especially when it comes to cracking codes.
Bitcoin’s security relies on two major cryptographic systems: SHA-256 and ECDSA. In plain terms, these are the tools that secure your Bitcoin address and make sure only you can authorize transactions. They’ve worked flawlessly for years, but quantum computers could change that.
Here’s the worry: A powerful enough quantum computer might be able to reverse-engineer your private key from your public address, especially during that short window after you’ve broadcast a transaction but before it’s confirmed on the blockchain. If that ever became possible, someone could hijack your transaction and steal your coins.
That sounds dramatic, but it’s not an immediate threat. Most researchers agree they’re still at least 10-20 years away from quantum machines that could actually pull this off. The tech just isn’t there yet — not at the scale or stability needed to break Bitcoin’s cryptography.
Still, the warning signs are flashing. Roughly a quarter of existing Bitcoin (BTC) sits in older wallet formats that could be more vulnerable if quantum leaps happen faster than expected. And even if the timeline is long, the crypto community knows it has to act early. Work is already underway on post-quantum cryptography, which is a security system that could stand up to the next generation of computing.
Did you know? Quantum computers can, in theory, solve certain problems exponentially faster than classical computers. For instance, Google’s Sycamore processor completed a specific task in 200 seconds, whereas it would take even the most advanced classical supercomputers approximately 10,000 years to finish.
Is Bitcoin safe from quantum computing?
While quantum computing still feels like a future problem, the crypto industry is already gearing up for it, and the efforts underway are more serious than most people realize.
What Bitcoin’s doing (and not doing yet)
Changing the protocol behind a blockchain is never simple; you need broad consensus, careful testing and a long lead time. But that hasn’t stopped developers from floating ideas regarding Bitcoin.
One of the most talked-about proposals is something called QRAMP, the Quantum-Resistant Address Migration Protocol. The idea is to push users to move their coins from older, potentially vulnerable wallet formats into addresses protected by newer, quantum-safe algorithms. It would require a hard fork, so it’s no small lift, but it’s a serious plan to future-proof the network before a so-called “Q-Day” sneaks up.
Who’s already ahead?
Some blockchains aren’t waiting around. Algorand, for example, has already integrated Falcon, a post-quantum digital signature algorithm that’s been officially vetted by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). That means transactions on Algorand…
cointelegraph.com