In July 2026, a Bitcoin Improvement Proposal called BIP 360 was officially merged into the BIP GitHub repository. Co-authored by developer Hunter Beast (Chief Protocol Engineer at MARA), cryptographic researcher Ethan Heilman, and technical communications specialist Isabel Foxen Duke, the proposal aims to prepare the Bitcoin network for future quantum computing threats.
BIP 360 introduces a new Bitcoin output type: Pay-to-Merkle-Root (P2MR). While maintaining compatibility with existing Tapscript infrastructure, P2MR is designed to support quantum-resistant script tree functionality, marking an early exploration of quantum-hardening at the protocol level. It is important to note that merging into the BIP repository does not imply endorsement or future activation; it only signifies entry into the discussion and documentation process.
Theoretical Quantum Risk to Bitcoin
Advances in quantum computing have raised concerns across cryptography and cybersecurity fields. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could potentially break widely used public-key cryptography systems. For Bitcoin, the most direct threat is that attackers could derive private keys from public keys exposed on the blockchain, enabling theft of funds.
Not all Bitcoin addresses face the same level of risk. When a transaction spends an output from an address, that address's public key is revealed on-chain. The following output types are considered most at risk:
- Taproot addresses (P2TR): support key-path spending, exposing the public key directly.
- Pay-to-Public-Key (P2PK): an early output type where the public key is always visible.
- Reused addresses: each reuse exposes the public key again.
P2MR is conceptually similar to Taproot but addresses a key weakness. Taproot includes a key-path spending method that can reveal public keys. P2MR disables the key-path spend and commits only to the script path, significantly reducing the potential attack surface. Since transactions never need to publish a public key, even future quantum computers cannot derive private keys from on-chain data.
The BIP's authors emphasize that P2MR lays the groundwork for future soft forks to introduce post-quantum signature schemes. The proposal mentions ML-DSA (Dilithium) and SLH-DSA (SPHINCS+) as candidate algorithms. Hunter Beast stated: 'The introduction of BIP 360 and P2MR is a first step in a larger set of quantum-resistance proposals that will be necessary to quantum-harden Bitcoin.' The team is also exploring proposals to address 'sleepy' coins—long-dormant holdings that are unlikely to move but remain vulnerable.
Global Push Toward Post-Quantum Cryptography
BIP 360 arrives amid a global shift toward quantum-safe standards. The U.S. National Security Agency's CNSA 2.0 framework calls for quantum-safe systems by 2030, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology plans to phase out elliptic curve cryptography in federal systems by the mid-2030s. Supporters argue that BIP 360 aligns Bitcoin with this broader industry trend, positioning the network to adapt as computing capabilities advance.
Isabel Foxen Duke, the new co-author focused on technical communications, said: 'Given the sensitivity of the subject matter, we aimed to ensure the BIP was written in a manner that was clear and understandable to the general public.' This effort will help the wider community engage in discussion and consensus building.