Algorand, a Layer-1 blockchain network, plans to add native post-quantum accounts in its Q3 protocol release as the industry prepares for future quantum attacks.
The Algorand Foundation, the non-profit organization supporting the network, said in a June 18 roadmap that the upgrade will bring post-quantum account support directly into the protocol.
A future quantum computer could threaten older cryptographic signatures used to control blockchain accounts. Algorand wants users to have accounts built with newer signature technology designed to resist that risk.
Illustration showing Algorand's post-quantum update timeframe. Source: Algorand Foundation
The first version will use Falcon-1024, a post-quantum signature scheme selected by the U.S. government's National Institute of Standards and Technology as a highly secure stamp of authenticity.
- Algorand already tested Falcon through LogicSig accounts, a type of smart contract-controlled account on the blockchain, though those accounts weren't built directly into the ledger or standard wallet tools.
The next upgrade is meant to make that support native. Algorand said AlgoKit, a developer toolkit, and Pera Wallet, an Algorand wallet app, are expected to support Falcon account creation in the same Q3 release window.
- The roadmap also includes hybrid accounts — which combine older signature systems with post-quantum signatures — by the end of 2026.
- The 2027 work goes deeper into the network itself. Algorand plans research into post-quantum consensus and a post-quantum VRF, the random selection tool Algorand uses to choose which users help validate the chain.
- Shortly after the roadmap was revealed, ALGO price soared 1.7% on the day to $0.1, per CoinGecko price tracking page.
More context: Bitfinex shows 100% of its labeled BTC exposed to future quantum key risk