The CEO of BTQ Technologies, Olivier Roussy Newton, joined Trading 360 this week to discuss “quantum safe Bitcoin,” blockchain security, and more.

First of all, what is quantum-safe Bitcoin?

Bitcoin, as a cryptocurrency, is created by using computers (a lot of computers) to generate an answer to a problem the underlying network’s algorithm has created. Basically, solving some very difficult cryptographic puzzles. The first person to the answer gets the Bitcoin, and the process restarts.

The solutions themselves also become a block on the blockchain. Investopedia explains that bitcoin mining is, in essence, auditing and confirming the information contained in a block. Essentially, a record of the transaction becomes set in digital stone and becomes a supporting piece of the crypto network.

Quantum computing, which I have discussed in previous columns, changes the game. Deloitte writes that “one of the most well-known applications of quantum computers is breaking the mathematical difficulty underlying most of the currently used cryptography.”

In essence, each crypto user has a private and public key that are mathematically related. The public key is used as an identifier on the blockchain – sort of like a username. The private key is how you access your wallet and make transactions: an extra layer of security.

The relationship between the private and public key is algorithmically derived, and the idea is that you can’t work backwards from the public to the private, like an Enigma machine to the thousandth power. It takes too much time to try all the possibilities; a regular computer can’t process it.

Quantum computers, though, can do so many calculations at once that it can crack these backward codes. This would allow someone to falsify the digital signature needed to make crypto transactions, and they could empty the wallet.

Not every account is automatically vulnerable, because the public key is only exposed during transactions. In late 2024, Deloitte estimated that, “Presently, about 25% of the Bitcoins in circulation are vulnerable to a quantum attack.”

This is a huge underlying vulnerability that needs to be resolved sooner rather than later. One of the immediate issues is that blocks on the blockchain can’t be edited, so there’s no way to hide or change that public key. Someone with an exposed public key would have to make a whole new wallet.

Unfortunately, BTQ writes, this means that crypto investors will all have to migrate their assets to post-quantum accounts. On Thursday, they released a statement saying they successfully demonstrated post-quantum cryptography (PQC) on the Solana blockchain in partnership with Bonsol Labs.

Their solution? Make the puzzle harder. BTQ adds that “PQC algorithms in high performance blockchains…requires computational resources 10-100x greater than the current signatures used today.” Keep in mind that both quantum computing and crypto are energy-intensive, and there’s a lot of competition for these resources with the AI boom.

In its investor presentation dated October 2025, BTQ says its revenue model is split between hardware, software, and being an IP provider. It monetizes through licensing fees, hardware sales, network fees, and “token economics.” It claims that there are trillions of dollars vulnerable to “quantum adversaries” daily.

BTQ also says that its QCIM (quantum computer-in-memory) technology will be compatible with “any complex integrated circuit or electronic device.” It is researching quantum computing that can work at room temperature, without the cryogenics the field currently requires.

Its latest quarterly report, covering the three months ending March 31, 2025, lists revenue of $250,000 Canadian, but notes that this license revenue came from a company controlled by its COO. It is still operating at a loss.

BTQ has identified an important vulnerability in crypto networks and is working to update the system. This work becomes even more important as crypto continues mainstream adoption. Investors must decide if BTQ is positioned correctly and how it is faring vs its competitors, some of which have deeper pockets.

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