qLabs Fires First Shot in Quantum Crypto Race — Can Coinbase Catch Up?

The rapid progress of quantum computing is forcing the cryptocurrency industry to confront the problem that has long been treated as theoretical.

Blockchains that secure trillions of dollars in value rely on cryptographic systems such as elliptic curve signatures, which are considered safe today but widely expected to fail once sufficiently powerful quantum machines arrive.

While timelines remain debated, the direction is no longer in doubt, and preparation is increasingly shifting from academic discussion to early deployment.

Against that backdrop, qLABS, a crypto-focused foundation working on post-quantum cryptography infrastructure, prepares to launch its first quantum-resistant token, qONE, with a limited presale scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. UTC.

Quantum Computers Aren’t Here Yet — So Why Is qLABS Racing to Secure Crypto Now?

qLABS describes itself as “quantum-native,” meaning its systems are designed from the outset to withstand attacks from future quantum computers rather than retrofitted later.

The qLABS team told Cryptonews in an interview that the industry can no longer afford to wait until slow, chain-level upgrades are available.

They claimed that the majority of the existing initiatives are either divided into short-term categories such as research projects, initial upgrades of the protocol, or enhancing the wallets but none of them offer direct protection to assets already placed on open blockchains.

The foundation’s core objective is to address the so-called “harvest now, decrypt later” risk, in which attackers collect encrypted data or public keys today with the expectation that quantum computers will be able to break them in the future.

In blockchain systems, that threat is particularly acute because digital signatures underpin wallet security and asset ownership.

Instead of building a new blockchain, qLABS aims to focus on adding a quantum-resistant layer to existing networks such as Ethereum, Solana, and Hyperliquid.

The team claimed it aims at protecting assets at the wallet and transaction layer initially, and users can choose to protect quantumly without transferring money to new networks.

Its approach relies on a combination of post-quantum cryptography and zero-knowledge proofs, built on IronCAP, a code-based cryptographic system aligned with standards released by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Notably, the system introduces what qLABS calls a dual-signature model.

The transactions need the standard signature known by the underlying blockchain, and a second quantum-resistant signature is needed.

Quantum-Ready or Left Behind? qLabs Raises the Stakes for Coinbase and Big Crypto

The pressure exerted by qLABS is indicative of an industry-wide change.

On January 16, 2020, Coinbase said it had established an independent advisory board focused on quantum computing and blockchain security comprising cryptography researchers, academia, and protocol development.

The exchange indicated that the group would release the assessments and recommendations that would assist developers and institutions in planning the long-term quantum risks.

Coinbase Ventures has also invested in Project Eleven, which is developing technology to assist blockchains with staged applications to post-quantum security.

Other networks are also in motion, for example, the Ethereum Foundation recently made post-quantum security a strategic priority, allocating budgets towards its research efforts and prize competitions centered on hash-based crypto.

Aptos has suggested implementing a post-quantum signature scheme based on the NIST standard, which is less cost-efficient, but opts in favor of early conservatism over after-the-fact remedies.

Such initiatives are being implemented as the estimates of cryptographically relevant quantum machines keep getting shorter.

Researchers have observed that in recent years the number of qubits needed to threaten a broad range of elliptic curve signatures of 256 bits has fallen considerably, and some estimates are currently showing that it may be reached in the first or mid-2030s.

Even conservative predictions admit that migration planning must begin well in advance.

Within that context, qLABS aims to position qONE and its associated Quantum-Sig wallet technology as early infrastructure rather than a speculative experiment.

The token is intended to function as an access key to quantum-secure transaction services, with fees tied to usage rather than subscriptions.