Ethereum Foundation makes post quantum security a top priority as new team forms

Tech Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Ethereum Foundation makes post quantum security a top priority as new team forms EF researcher Justin Drake says a new post quantum team will drive wallet safety upgrades, research prizes and test networks as quantum timelines shorten. By Shaurya Malwa Jan 24, 2026, 5:45 a.m. Make us preferred on Google What to know : The Ethereum Foundation has elevated post-quantum security to a top strategic priority, forming a dedicated Post Quantum team led by Thomas Coratger with support from leanVM cryptographer Emile. Researcher Justin Drake said Ethereum is shifting from background research to active engineering, including biweekly developer sessions on post-quantum transactions and multi-client post-quantum consensus test networks. The foundation is backing new cryptography with funding and outreach, launching two $1 million prizes, planning post-quantum community events and education, and stressing that blockchains must prepare early for quantum threats despite their long-term nature. The Ethereum Foundation (EF), a nonprofit organization that supports Ethereum’s development, is turning its long running post quantum research into a public engineering push, forming a dedicated Post Quantum team and calling the effort a top strategic priority for the network. EF researcher Justin Drake said the new group will be led by Thomas Coratger, with support from Emile, who Drake described as a key talent behind "leanVM." STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the The Protocol Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . Drake framed leanVM as a core part of Ethereum’s broader approach to post quantum security, arguing that timelines are accelerating and that Ethereum should move into a build phase rather than keep work in the background. Today marks an inflection in the Ethereum Foundation's long-term quantum strategy. We've formed a new Post Quantum (PQ) team, led by the brilliant Thomas Coratger ( @tcoratger ). Joining him is Emile, one of the world-class talents behind leanVM. leanVM is the cryptographic… — Justin Drake (@drakefjustin) January 23, 2026 The announcement comes as crypto markets have become more sensitive to quantum risk headlines, even if the practical threat remains a longer dated problem. Quantum computing uses new types of processors that could one day break today’s encryption much faster than normal computers. Blockchain developers worry it could eventually expose wallet keys, forcing networks to upgrade cryptography well before that risk becomes real. The bigger issue for large networks is not a single breakthrough moment but the time it takes to ship a safe transition, update wallets and move users onto new formats without breaking daily usage. Drake outlined several near term steps. A bi weekly developer session focused on post quantum transactions is expected to start next month, led by Antonio Sanso. The agenda is aimed at user facing defenses, including dedicated cryptographic tools inside the protocol, account abstraction paths and longer term work on aggregating transaction signatures using leanVM. EF is also putting money behind cryptography research. Drake said it is announcing a $1 million Poseidon Prize to harden the Poseidon hash function and pointed to another $1 million post quantum initiative called the Proximity Prize. On the engineering side, Drake said multi client post quantum consensus dev networks are already running, with multiple teams participating and weekly interoperability calls to coordinate. Ethereum plans more community work as well. Drake said the EF will host a post quantum event in October and a post quantum day in late March ahead of EthCC, alongside education efforts that include a video series and enterprise focused materials. Others in the ecosystem echoed the urgency. Pantera Capital XX Franklin Bi argued that traditional finance could take years to upgrade systems, while blockchains may be able to coordinate a full stack software transition faster. More For You KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market By CoinDesk Research Dec 22, 2025 Commissioned by KuCoin KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market. What to know : KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025 , equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month , marking its strongest year on record. This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume , as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes , which slowed during periods of lower market volatility. Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split , each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line. Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity , reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover. Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity , indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes. View Full Report More For You Ethereum blockchain beats its own speed-ups, but there's a catch By Shaurya Malwa | Edited by Omkar Godbole 17 hours ago Ethereum’s daily active addresses climbed above major layer-2 networks in January as lower fees revived on-chain activity. What to know : Ethereum mainnet daily active addresses briefly topped 1.3 million, as December’s Fusaka upgrade lowered transaction fees and drew activity back from layer-2 networks. Security researchers say much of the apparent growth in new addresses stems from address poisoning attacks, in which attackers send tiny stablecoin transfers to millions of wallets to trick users into copying look-alike addresses. The cheap post-upgrade fees have both revived legitimate stablecoin usage on Ethereum and enabled large-scale spam campaigns, inflating headline activity metrics while contributing to at least $740,000 in confirmed losses. 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