BTQ Technologies has released the first working implementation of Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 360, moving the idea of quantum-resistant Bitcoin transactions from theory into a live testing environment. The implementation is now running on Bitcoin Quantum testnet v0.3.0, a separate blockchain built to simulate how Bitcoin might operate in a post-quantum world. At the center of the upgrade is a new transaction format called Pay-to-Merkle-Root, or P2MR, which changes how transaction data is committed on-chain and is designed to avoid exposing public keys on certain spending paths. That matters because sufficiently powerful quantum computers could eventually threaten the elliptic-curve cryptography that secures Bitcoin today. BTQ says the design preserves compatibility with scripting features linked to Bitcoin’s broader scaling roadmap, including systems such as Lightning as well as emerging frameworks like BitVM and Ark. At the same time, it removes the Taproot key-path spend mechanism that could expose public keys to future quantum attacks. The company has also shipped complete wallet tooling, allowing users to create, fund, sign, and broadcast P2MR transactions, making the proposal directly testable rather than purely academic. Still, the launch also highlights a major challenge beyond engineering: adoption. Bitcoin Quantum is an independent chain with its own genesis block, asset, and rules, not a continuation of Bitcoin’s ledger. Users must opt in, and BTQ’s approach effectively bypasses Bitcoin’s slow consensus-driven governance process. BTQ innovation head Christopher Tam described the issue as a social problem, underscoring that whether BIP 360 ever influences Bitcoin itself may depend less on code and more on community agreement.

BTQ Technologies has released the first working implementation of Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 360, bringing a long-discussed quantum-resistance concept into a live testing environment. The upgrade is now running on Bitcoin Quantum testnet v0.3.0, a separate blockchain built to explore how Bitcoin-like infrastructure could operate in a post-quantum setting. At the center of the proposal is P2MR, or Pay-to-Merkle-Root, a new transaction format designed to change how data is committed on-chain while avoiding public key exposure on certain spending paths. That feature could become highly relevant if future quantum computers are able to break the elliptic-curve cryptography used by Bitcoin today. BTQ also says the implementation preserves compatibility with scripting capabilities behind Lightning, BitVM, and Ark, while removing Taproot’s key-path spend mechanism, which the company sees as a quantum-risk surface. The testnet includes complete wallet tooling for creating, funding, signing, and broadcasting P2MR transactions, making the proposal immediately testable. Still, the bigger challenge is adoption. Bitcoin Quantum is a separate chain with its own genesis block, asset, and ruleset, meaning users must opt in rather than inherit the upgrade automatically. BTQ’s work may prove technical feasibility, but whether BIP 360 could influence Bitcoin itself will likely depend less on code and more on social consensus across the broader ecosystem.

BTQ Technologies has released the first working implementation of Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 360 (BIP 360) on the Bitcoin Quantum testnet v0.3.0. The upgrade introduces Pay-to-Merkle-Root (P2MR), a transaction format that eliminates public key exposure in certain spending paths to defend against future quantum attacks. The testnet has attracted over 50 miners and processed over 100,000 blocks, offering full wallet tooling for testing. However, adoption requires active opt-in and does not protect old addresses with exposed public keys. The path to mainnet integration faces both technical and social challenges, as the upgrade bypasses Bitcoin's traditional governance process.

BTQ Technologies has released the first working implementation of Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 360 (BIP 360) on the Bitcoin Quantum testnet v0.3.0. The upgrade introduces Pay-to-Merkle-Root (P2MR) transaction format designed to protect against future quantum computer attacks. The testnet currently hosts over 50 miners and has processed more than 100,000 blocks, with full wallet tooling available for end-to-end testing. BTQ's CEO states the code turns a proposal into a runnable reality. However, the implementation bypasses Bitcoin's mainnet consensus process and cannot retroactively protect older addresses with exposed public keys, highlighting significant adoption and coordination challenges. This article explores BIP 360's technical details, testnet status, and the broader quantum resistance landscape.