Quantum risk reemerges at an inopportune moment for bitcoin, yet one token is thriving.

Your day-ahead look for March 31, 2026

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By Omkar Godbole (All times ET unless specified otherwise)

In addition to ongoing macro concerns related to the Iran situation, recent studies have highlighted a potential existential danger to bitcoin BTC$66,698.50, quantum computing.

A research paper from Google indicates that breaking the cryptography of the Bitcoin blockchain with quantum computers might need fewer than 500,000 qubits, significantly lower than earlier projections. Another study from Caltech and quantum startup Oratomic proposes that a setup with approximately 26,000 qubits could compromise the encryption standard that safeguards both the Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains within around 10 days. (“Qubits” are regarded as the processing units of quantum computers.)

A quantum breach would undermine the fundamental principles of cryptocurrency, specifically the notions of “trust the code” and the “hard money” value proposition, according to Charles Edwards, founder of Capriole Investments. It is estimated that roughly 25%-30% of the total bitcoin supply is currently exposed to potential quantum computing assaults.

Although such attacks remain theoretical, Dragonfly Managing Partner Haseeb notes that they impose a timeline: The network might need to transition to quantum-resistant technology by around 2029.

The leading cryptocurrency by market capitalization has already retreated to $66,250 from a peak of over $68,000 reached during Asian trading hours. This decline coincides with seemingly weak demand-side conditions and an increase in real or inflation-adjusted returns on bonds, which discourages investment in speculative and emerging technologies like bitcoin.

While the wider market followed bitcoin downwards, one token distinguished itself. QRL, the native cryptocurrency of the Quantum Resistant Ledger, surged 40% within 24 hours, achieving a peak of $1.62. The token’s market capitalization was slightly above $127 million at the time of this report.

QRL positions itself as “an externally audited enterprise-grade blockchain platform secure today against the quantum computing advancements of tomorrow.”

In contrast to Bitcoin, which depends on elliptic curve cryptography that renders it susceptible to quantum threats, QRL employs a quantum-safe signature scheme known as XMSS (eXtended Merkle Signature Scheme).

XMSS is a post-quantum cryptographic algorithm recognized by standards organizations such as NIST for its robustness against quantum threats. By design, XMSS creates one-time signatures that are exceptionally difficult for quantum computers to crack, making QRL theoretically “future-proof” against such risks.

The conclusion: Initiatives like QRL could attract greater interest and possibly increase in market value as worries about quantum-related risks intensify. Stay vigilant!

Read more: For insights into today’s trends in altcoins and derivatives, see Crypto Markets Today

What to Watch

For a more exhaustive list of events this week, refer to CoinDesk’s “Crypto Week Ahead”.

• Crypto
  • March 31: FTX Recovery Trust to allocate approximately $2.2 billion to creditors.
• Macro

• March 31, 9:45 a.m.: U.S. Chicago PMI for March (Prev. 57.7)
• March 31, 10:00 a.m.: U.S. Conference Board Consumer Confidence for March (Prev. 91.2)
• March 31, 10:00 a.m.: U.S. JOLTS job openings for February (Prev. 6.946M)

• Earnings (Estimates based on FactSet data)
  • No major earnings scheduled.

Token Events

For a more exhaustive list of events this week, refer to CoinDesk’s “Crypto Week Ahead”.

• • Stake DAO CRV and BAL are conducting their bi-weekly vote to allocate CRV and BAL inflation across different liquidity pools. Voting concludes on March 31.
  • SuperRare DAO is voting to consolidate its treasury management under the RareDAO Foundation by transferring remaining balances and officially ending its legacy Network Engagement and Grants programs. Voting concludes on March 31.
  • Aventus DAO is voting to streamline AVT emissions to a fixed daily rate, enhance the node staking requirement, and replace ongoing fees with an upfront appchain token allocation. Voting concludes on March 31.
• Unlocks
  • No significant unlocks.
• Token Launches
  • March 31: edgeX (EDGE) token generation event will take place.
  • March 31: WorldLand (WL) to be listed on KuCoin, Gate, and other exchanges.

Conferences

For a more comprehensive list of events this week, refer to CoinDesk’s “Crypto Week Ahead”.

• Day 3 of 3: Tokenize! LATAM 2026 (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
• Day 2 of 4: EthCC (Cannes, France)
• Day 1 of 2: Chainalysis Links (New York City)

Market Movements

• BTC is down 0.82% from 4 p.m. ET Monday at $66,053.74 (24hrs: -2%)
• ETH is down 0.31% at $2,015.51 (24hrs: -1.84%)
• CoinDesk 20 is down 1.1% at 1,893.79 (24hrs: -2.15%)
• Ether CESR Composite Staking Rate has increased by 5 bps to 2.76%
• BTC funding rate is at 0.0018% (2.0093% annualized) on Binance

• DXY is steady at 100.44
• Gold futures have risen 0.9% to $4,598.60
• Silver futures are up 3.59% at $73.11
• Nikkei 225 closed down 1.58% at 51,063.72
• Hang Seng closed up 0.15% at 24,788.14
• FTSE is up 0.69% at 10,197.55
• Euro Stoxx 50 has increased by 0.48% to 5,568.53
• DJIA closed on Monday up 0.11% at 45,216.14
• Nasdaq Composite closed down 0.73% at 20,794.64
• U.S. 10-Year Treasury rate decreased by 1.8 bps to 4.324%
• E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures have risen 0.8% to 23,323.75
• E-mini Dow Jones Industrial Average Index futures are up 0.91% at 45,880.00

Bitcoin Stats

• BTC Dominance: 58.58% (-0.06%)
• Ether-bitcoin ratio: 0.03054 (0.66%)
• Hashrate (seven-day moving average): 996 EH/s
• Hashprice (spot): $31.78
• Total fees: 2.5 BTC / $167,768
• CME Futures Open Interest: 102,450 BTC
• BTC priced in gold: 14