The Stellar Development Foundation announced a three-stage roadmap to migrate the network to post-quantum cryptography by 2027+. Quantum computers will eventually break the elliptic curve cryptography securing blockchains. Stellar's separation of account identity from signing keys avoids disruptive address migration unlike Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The Stellar Development Foundation unveiled a three-stage quantum preparedness plan addressing threats from advancing quantum computing. Quantum computers will eventually break elliptic curve cryptography securing most blockchains, and public ledgers present a particular risk: encrypted data harvested today could be decrypted once quantum hardware is powerful enough. Stage 1 (2026) adds quantum-safe signature verification to Soroban's smart contract layer, enabling enterprise wallets to migrate immediately. Stage 2 (2027) enables every Stellar account to add a quantum-safe signer while keeping the same address. Stage 3 involves fully deprecating current cryptography based on quantum computing progress and community readiness. Stellar's architectural separation of account identity from signing keys eliminates the address migration friction that Bitcoin and Ethereum developers face, making the transition significantly less disruptive.
