BNB Chain’s Quantum Defense Works, But Costs 40% Slower Transactions

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BSC’s quantum defense works. The trade-off is 40% slower transaction throughput.Markets

What to know:

  • Binance’s BNB Chain successfully tested quantum-resistant cryptography but saw transaction throughput drop by about 40% as larger signatures increased data loads.
  • The experiment showed validator systems can be upgraded efficiently, but ordinary user transactions become the main bottleneck when quantum-safe signatures are added.
  • Other major blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum and TRON, are pursuing different paths to post-quantum security, highlighting a trade-off between stronger defenses and network speed.

Recent tests by Binance on its BNB Chain show that blockchains can start getting ready for the potential threat of quantum computing now. However, doing so could significantly slow down transaction speeds – potentially by around 40%.

Binance Smart Chain (BSC) is a major blockchain network that works with Ethereum, and it handles a lot of transactions. Because of this, it’s a good example to see if networks with high transaction speeds can successfully implement new security measures designed to protect against future quantum computers.

Recently, Binance Smart Chain (BSC) tested new, quantum-resistant security methods, swapping out its standard ECDSA and BLS12-381 signature systems. The test was successful, but it significantly slowed down cross-region transfers. Transfer speeds dropped by about 40%, from nearly 5,000 transactions per second to around 3,000, because the new signatures require more data to be sent across the network.

ECDSA is the digital signature system used to prove ownership of funds on most blockchains.

As a researcher in this space, I’ve been looking into how transactions are secured. Basically, whenever someone sends cryptocurrency, they digitally sign it with their private key. On the blockchain side, a technology called BLS12-381 is frequently used by validators – these are the computers that verify new blocks and keep everything running smoothly. These validators use digital signatures to confirm a block is legitimate and has been finalized.

Both systems use a type of encryption called elliptic-curve cryptography. However, experts worry that future quantum computers, if powerful enough, could crack this encryption using an algorithm known as Shor’s algorithm.

BSC’s quantum test explained

During testing on BSC, standard transactions increased in size from around 110 bytes to 2.5 kilobytes, and block sizes grew from approximately 130 KB to 2 MB. This led to about a 40% decrease in how many transactions the system could process, not because verifying the transactions became difficult, but because the increased amount of data slowed things down.

Not every part of the network was hit equally.

The systems that allow validators to verify and complete transactions on BSC functioned smoothly because a clever compression technique was used to streamline the security processes.

The main challenge arose from regular user payments, which now required much larger, quantum-resistant digital signatures. This added a considerable amount of data to the network.

Quantum-proof blockchains

While other blockchains are looking into ways to protect themselves from quantum computing threats, a universal solution hasn’t been developed yet.

Bitcoin developers are considering future improvements, like BIP-360, which would build defenses against quantum computing threats directly into the system. Meanwhile, other researchers are exploring temporary solutions that could work with the current rules, but these would likely make each transaction much more expensive.

As a researcher following Ethereum’s development, I’ve observed they’re taking a very deliberate path towards post-quantum security. Instead of a quick overhaul, the Ethereum Foundation is rolling out a multi-year initiative. This focuses on systematically upgrading everything from user wallets to the core infrastructure that keeps the network running, ensuring a smooth transition and wider adoption of quantum-resistant technology.

TRON is speeding up its development process and taking a bolder stance in the blockchain space. According to its founder, Justin Sun, the platform aims to launch a test version of a quantum-resistant network in the second quarter of the year, with a full launch planned for the third quarter. This move would make TRON one of the first large blockchains to offer protection against potential threats from quantum computing.

Recent testing by BSC indicates the cryptocurrency world is moving past simply *if* blockchains can be protected from future quantum computing threats, and is now focused on *how much* performance blockchains will give up to achieve that protection.

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2026-05-19 13:57