What is Presidio Bitcoin?
The real scale of the threat according to Presidio Bitcoin
Importantly, Presidio points out that the address reuse phenomenon, i.e. repeated use of the same address for transactions, is responsible for two thirds of this exposure (approximately 4.5 million BTC). This problem largely concerns large institutional custodians and stock exchanges that use this solution to simplify operations. This means that a huge part of the risk can be eliminated without any changes to the protocol itself, just through better key management practices and migration to new addresses. For other funds that hide their public key behind a hash, the risk only appears in a short, approximately ten-minute window when the transaction is approved.
A new era of signatures and system upgrade in the vision of Presidio Bitcoin
A key element of the proposal is the introduction of post-quantum signatures (PQC). The report examines two main approaches: lattice-based and hash-based solutions. While the former offer smaller transaction sizes, Presidio Bitcoin leans towards more conservative hash-based solutions, such as the SPHINCS+ variants called SHRINCS and SHRIMPS. They are more secure because they rely on hash functions, which are already the foundation of Bitcoin and are considered highly resistant to quantum attacks.
In the report, the organization proposes the use of new types of outputs, such as P2MR (Pay-To-Merkle-Root). They would allow for two parallel spending paths: the current one, based on elliptic curves, and the new one, quantum-resistant. This solution gives users time for a peaceful migration and allows them to secure funds in a format that in the future can only be unlocked using new cryptography. Interestingly, developers working with Presidio Bitcoin are already testing these solutions on sidechains such as Liquid, which allows them to collect performance and security data in real-world conditions before deploying them to the main network.
Survival logistics and rapid response scenario
One of the most optimistic conclusions of the report is the analysis of network capacity during a possible mass migration. Contrary to popular belief, the bottleneck is not the technology itself, but human coordination. On-chain data analyzed by the team suggests that if only 25 percent of block space was allocated to migration processes, as much as 90 percent of the entire network’s value could be transferred to secure addresses in just 4 days. If the blocks were fully used, this operation would take just over one day.
Presidio Bitcoin has also developed a detailed plan for emergencies, the so-called rapid response playbook. In a scenario where quantum computers appear faster than expected, the network could use a soft-freeze mechanism. It would temporarily freeze funds on old, vulnerable addresses while offering rightful owners a safe path to recover coins through seed proofs. The report notes that since 2024, the frequency of quantum discussions among developers has increased from 5 to 50 percent, showing that the ecosystem regards Presidio Bitcoin and their findings as a key guidepost for the network’s survival in the coming decades.
The future of Bitcoin in a post-quantum world
To sum up, the described publication is a signal to investors and users that Bitcoin is not defenseless. While the quantum threat is real, the defense toolkit is broad and technically feasible today. The biggest challenge remains not the technology itself, but achieving consensus in the distributed community about when and how to activate change.
Thanks to the Presidio Bitcoin initiative, the network has a clear action plan. An appropriate policy towards old, inactive addresses and the implementation of modern signature standards will allow Bitcoin to maintain the status of digital gold. In the face of the technological revolution brought by quantum computers, it is the transparency and strategic preparation offered by the report that will determine the strength and durability of the ecosystem. Bitcoin proves once again that as software it can evolve to meet even the most complex digital threats.
