Bitcoin Quantum Security Testing Advances as Layer 2 Data Platform Changes Hands

Quantum-Resistant Bitcoin Network Goes Live for Testing

BTQ Technologies announced the launch of a Bitcoin Quantum testnet on January 12, 2026, creating a Bitcoin-like network designed to trial post-quantum signatures without affecting Bitcoin's mainnet governance ^[1]. The testnet replaces Bitcoin's current signature scheme with ML-DSA, the module-lattice signature standard formalized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology as Federal Information Processing Standard 204 ^[1].

The experimental network represents a Bitcoin Core-based fork that swaps out one of Bitcoin's most critical primitives: digital signatures ^[1]. This substitution forces significant engineering trade-offs, as ML-DSA signatures are approximately 38-72 times larger than the current ECDSA standard ^[1]. To accommodate the additional transaction data, BTQ raised the block size limit to 64 mebibytes ^[1].

Understanding the Quantum Threat Model

The primary quantum risk to Bitcoin centers on digital signatures rather than the coin supply or random wallet discovery ^[1]. The specific concern involves a cryptographically relevant quantum computer potentially running Shor's algorithm to solve the discrete logarithm problem efficiently enough to derive a private key from a known public key, which would undermine both the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm and Schnorr-based signing ^[1].

Chaincode Labs frames this as the dominant quantum threat model for Bitcoin because it could enable unauthorized spending by producing valid signatures ^[1]. However, no quantum computer today poses an immediate risk to Bitcoin ^[1].

Exposed Bitcoin at Risk

When analysts discuss "old BTC risk" in a post-quantum context, they refer to public keys already exposed on-chain ^[1]. Three output types are immediately vulnerable to long-range attacks: Pay-to-Public-Key, Pay-to-Multi-Signature, and Pay-to-Taproot ^[1].

The distribution of this risk is uneven. Pay-to-Public-Key represents only about 0.025% of today's unspent transaction outputs but locks approximately 8.68% of BTC value, about 1,720,747 Bitcoin, mostly dormant Satoshi-era coins ^[1]. Pay-to-Multi-Signature accounts for roughly 1.037% of UTXOs but secures only around 57 BTC ^[1]. Pay-to-Taproot is common by count at around 32.5% of UTXOs, yet small by value at about 0.74% or 146,715 BTC ^[1].

BTQ Technologies cites 6.26 million BTC as exposed, which partly explains why the company believes testing post-quantum signatures in a Bitcoin-like environment is worthwhile now ^[1].

Blockspace Expands Into Layer 2 Intelligence

In a separate development, Blockspace Media acquired Bitcoin Layers, an independent data platform tracking metrics across Bitcoin's layer-2 and scaling ecosystem ^[2]. The acquisition brings Bitcoin Layers' research and on-chain analytics directly into Blockspace's content and product suite, including a forthcoming data dashboard designed to track adoption, total value locked, and activity across Bitcoin layer-2s and other scaling platforms ^[2].

"Blockspace is more than a Bitcoin publication," said William Foxley, co-founder of Blockspace. "We're building a platform to cover the investable landscape of Bitcoin-related assets. With Bitcoin Layers joining Blockspace, we'll be working directly with investors, token foundations, and Bitcoin startups to better understand real on-chain user metrics" ^[2].

According to Bitcoin Layers data as of January 14, more than 361,830 BTC, worth over $34.5 billion, is currently locked across Bitcoin bridging protocols, layer-2 networks, and other scaling solutions ^[2]. Bitcoin Layers maintainer Janusz will remain involved as an advisor following the acquisition ^[2].

The company plans to use Bitcoin Layers data to differentiate the growing layer-2 ecosystem for both retail and institutional investors, highlighting distinctions between rollups, sidechains, federated models, and other scaling approaches ^[2]. Additional metrics covering bitcoin-adjacent public companies and financial products are expected to roll out in 2026 ^[2].