Bitcoin mainnet confirms quantum-resistant transaction via StarkWare
Bitcoin (BTC)
Editor:
Eugene Serbin
Bitcoin has confirmed a quantum-resistant transaction on mainnet using existing consensus rules, allowing holders to migrate funds away from future quantum risk without waiting for a protocol upgrade. The transaction, executed on August 26, utilized a construction by StarkWare researcher Avihu Levy that shifts spending conditions from elliptic-curve signatures to hash-based security. It was included in block 964,199 after being submitted directly to miner MARA through its Slipstream service.
StarkWare described this as the first quantum-safe spend on Bitcoin mainnet, demonstrating that the network can accept hash-based spending paths without changing consensus rules. The method works by varying candidate transaction data until it produces a valid hash, shifting security assumptions to the difficulty of reversing hash functions. This approach protects coins whose public keys remain hidden behind a hash until the holder spends from that address.
However, StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson warned that broader soft-fork solutions are still needed to protect the network at scale. He stated, “A quantum-safe Bitcoin tx on mainnet” proves that workable approaches exist, while noting the main task remains building a migration path before quantum hardware becomes capable of threatening exposed keys.
How the market reacted
Whalio's own Binance spot order flow for BTC, measured when this story was written up on 28 August 2026. Not the outlet's figures.
BTC is trading at $80,249.58 with a 1-hour buy ratio of 48.0% and a 4-hour buy ratio of 50.8%, contrasting with a 24-hour buy ratio of 45.2%. The 1-hour volume delta is -$1,011,738, indicating immediate selling pressure, while the 4-hour delta shows +$4,782,159 in net buying. Over the last 24 hours, the volume delta is -$123,102,218, suggesting that sellers have dominated the daily flow despite the spot volume reaching $1,297,370,375. The buy ratio measures the proportion of buy volume to total volume, while the volume delta represents the net difference between buy and sell volume. These figures show that while short-term 4-hour buying is positive, the broader 24-hour trend is heavily skewed toward selling. Net buying occurred for only 7 of the last 24 hours, highlighting a day where sellers held the upper hand.
The latest daily buy ratio of 46.7% sits at the 18th percentile of the last 322 days, against a median of 49.2% - weaker buying than most days.
Twenty-four hours later
What BTC did over the 24 hours after the story broke. The market moves for its own reasons; this is what happened, not what the story caused.
Was that an ordinary day?
The same Binance spot measurements for BTC, averaged over the days leading up to the story.
The current 24-hour buy ratio of 45.2% is lower than the 7-day average of 51.1%, a difference of 5.8 percentage points. Trading volume today is at 0.65x the weekly average, indicating significantly reduced activity compared to the preceding week. Over the past 8 days, the price has increased by 9.9%, with a total volume delta of +$171,556,665. This suggests that while the weekly trend has been bullish, today’s session represents a notable deviation from the average buying behavior. The coin experienced net buying on 5 of the last 7 days, but today’s metrics show a distinct shift toward lower volume and reduced buy pressure.