Bernstein: Bitcoin’s Price Already Reflects Risks of Quantum Hacking, 2026/04/13 18:34:19

The recent 50% decline in Bitcoin from its historical peak of $126,198 reached last fall has already factored in the risks of quantum computer attacks on the blockchain of the leading cryptocurrency, according to analysts from the investment firm Bernstein. Currently, Bitcoin’s price is maintained above $71,000.

Investor sentiment has been influenced by advancements in zero-knowledge technology and post-quantum cryptography, which counteract artificial intelligence and quantum technologies, as reported by investment experts. They believe that while the threat posed by quantum computers is genuine, it is manageable, and Bitcoin developers have sufficient time—approximately three to five years—to prepare for a post-quantum security upgrade.

According to Bernstein specialists, major corporate Bitcoin holders, such as Strategy and issuers of cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs), should play a crucial role in reaching a consensus regarding the update of Bitcoin’s architecture to safeguard the network against quantum attacks. The analysts explained that billions of dollars are at stake for these companies.

Investment experts mentioned BIP-360—a Bitcoin improvement proposal featuring Pay-to-Merkle-Root outputs aimed at reducing long-term quantum risks by addressing vulnerabilities present in the latest Taproot update. However, this proposal does not yet incorporate post-quantum digital signatures for Bitcoin. Bernstein estimates that BIP-360 could be implemented as a soft fork for open addresses, but around 8% of the BTC supply on inactive addresses may still remain vulnerable to quantum attacks.

Recently, researchers from Google provided a more pessimistic outlook. They concluded that, theoretically, quantum computers could crack a Bitcoin private key in just nine minutes.