NEAR targets post-quantum consensus by 2027 year-end

$NEAR has started rebuilding its security model for a future where quantum computers could defeat signature systems used across crypto today. The work began in Q2 2026, according to Anton Astafiev, CTO at Near One, and Mally Anderson, a writer at $NEAR.

The initial modification included ML-DSA or “Dilithium” to the protocol. Users will be able to store and grant permission to their assets using quantum-safe keys. This protection also extends to assets issued on other blockchains using Chain Signatures and $NEAR intents.

The Meteor Wallet already supports this solution. Ledger and other wallet developers continue integrating it. Anton and Mally explained that the next step is to reduce expenses since post-quantum signatures require significantly more space than classical solutions.

At the same time, Near One explores FN-DSA or Falcon, a smaller lattice signature algorithm, however, it will wait with implementing this one.

The upgrade can protect assets from more than 30 other chains through Chain Signatures, even before those networks make their own quantum changes. Near One is also building Universal Account IDs, planned for the next protocol release in autumn 2026.

The design would avoid tying an account to one signing method and could initialize any code during a transfer. NEP-641 would extend the same structure to off-chain activity. New signature systems could then be added later.

$NEAR moves validator consensus toward quantum security as current schemes hit hard limits

Validator accounts can already use post-quantum keys for transaction approval and staking confirmation, but consensus still relies on the Edison curve for block production. Validator and chunk-producer keys used for consensus must also change. Near One sees this as one of the biggest protocol updates since mainnet.

ML-DSA is too large and expensive for consensus today. Newer options also carry more risk because they have less testing. Falcon is smaller and faster, but Near One still considers it too immature for production consensus. The team expects hardware to change as post-quantum workloads become heavier.

Anton and Mally said quantum-safe consensus could have been ready by the end of 2026 only if the cryptography had matured faster. The current target is a workable design within about 12 months, with deployment around the end of 2027, as research on quantum-resistant cryptography continues across the industry.

Other ecosystems are choosing different paths. Ethereum is considering zero-knowledge proofs on top of post-quantum cryptography, while some chains are looking at Falcon directly. Near One is not taking either route now.

Illia Polosukhin, $NEAR co-founder, has also presented the network’s post-quantum roadmap. Illia’s team wants protocol developers to discuss standards.

$NEAR rewires cross-chain signing while MPC and threshold cryptography still lack a solution

Cross-chain compatibility introduces yet another challenge, as majority of blockchains today rely primarily on ECDSA and EdDSA, making integration relatively easy.

A switch to quantum-resistant algorithms might fragment the network into numerous mutually incompatible systems. The plan at $NEAR is to make sure Chain Signatures, $NEAR Intent and OmniBridge continue to work until 2026 and 2027.

By August 2026, the Responsible Finance Institute and custody provider Safeheron were using the $NEAR testnet to test quantum-resistant wallet creation and transfers. Incoming transactions from another chain to $NEAR should be easier to update. During 2027, $NEAR expects to add host functions that can verify the post-quantum consensus signatures other chains adopt.

Inbound transactions are relatively easier. For outbound transactions, $NEAR uses the MPC network to sign transactions for other blockchains using threshold signatures. This protocol currently supports ECDSA and EdDSA. In the event where another network chooses some other quantum safe format, it is the responsibility of the MPC network to generate that kind of signature.

Anton and Mally wrote:

“There aren’t any candidate solutions yet. Post-quantum threshold signing will eventually emerge, but it is at least a year-plus away. It also requires different chains to adopt compatible schemes. For example, if Bitcoin and Ethereum choose to continue pursuing hash-based signatures in the post-quantum era, it will be more difficult to achieve secure and smooth flows between chains.”

Near One says protocol teams need shared technical work to preserve security and cross-chain activity during the transition. Publishing the roadmap is part of that coordination.

Confidential Key Derivation, CKD, is the final point of contention. It, too, uses threshold signing. Recovery keys for CKD are supposed to be permanent, but they are not currently quantum-resistant.

This technology is hardly used, although it provides confidential agent TEE execution capabilities. Near One is investigating Hermine, a private secure communication protocol. Anton and Mally have stated that CKD is a critical update; however, a quantum-safe one has not been slated for delivery yet.