Roughly 30% of all Bitcoin in circulation — about 6.04 million BTC — is exposed to quantum risk, according to a new Glassnode report. The on-chain analytics firm identified both structural and operational vulnerabilities that could leave that portion of supply open to potential attacks from future quantum computers. The findings, published this week, give the industry its first hard estimate of how much of the Bitcoin network might be at risk.
What the report says
Glassnode’s analysis breaks the risk into two categories. Structural vulnerabilities stem from the types of addresses and transaction patterns used when those coins were last moved. Operational vulnerabilities relate to how the funds are currently managed — including key storage and signing practices. The report does not name specific wallets or entities, but the scale suggests exposure cuts across exchanges, miners, and individual holders.
Quantum computers, once they reach sufficient power, could theoretically break the elliptic curve cryptography that secures Bitcoin addresses. Practical attacks are not yet feasible, but the rapid pace of quantum research means the window to prepare is narrowing. For holders of the 6.04 million BTC identified, the question is not if but when a migration to quantum-safe addresses becomes urgent.
What comes next
No major exchange or Bitcoin development team has publicly responded to the report as of Tuesday. Glassnode’s data does not prescribe solutions, but it gives the community a concrete number to track. The next concrete step is likely a deeper technical review from cryptographers and possibly a timeline from Bitcoin Core developers on adopting post-quantum signature schemes. For now, the report serves as a call for holders to assess their own exposure.
