According to recent reports, VanEck’s leadership has warned that rising quantum computing risks could force the firm to reduce or even exit its Bitcoin holdings.
Matt Sigel, VanEck’s head of digital-assets research, added that a narrow “window of uncertainty” could open if quantum machines reach a level that threatens current cryptography.
Reports have disclosed that this gap could be dangerous because attackers could exploit the period to steal funds or undermine trust.
Some researchers estimate that a careful migration might need about 76 days of highly coordinated action, a logistical challenge for a decentralized network that typically moves slowly on major changes.
VanEck CEO Jan van Eck on CNBC:
“There’s something else going on within the Bitcoin community that non-crypto people need to know about.
Bitcoin’s current cryptography relies on elliptic curve signatures. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could run known algorithms to derive private keys from public data.
That is the technical fear. Based on reports, making Bitcoin “quantum safe” would likely mean adopting lattice-based or hash-based schemes and coordinating a hard fork.
Coordination is hard because miners, exchanges, wallet makers, and node operators must all agree. That difficulty is the heart of the worry, not just the math.
VanEck’s public stance is also a hedging move. The company has launched investment products tied to quantum technology, signaling it expects quantum computing to matter financially.
We must quantum proof Bitcoin in 2026.
Regulatory and national security agencies have also been paying attention; guidance from some national cyber centers suggests critical systems should adopt post-quantum measures well before threats are immediate, with planning horizons that reach into the next decade.
Featured image from Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images, chart from TradingView
