Blockstream publishes BIP for quantum-secure Bitcoin signature scheme
Bitcoin (BTC)
Editor:
Eugene Serbin
Cointelegraph.com reports that Blockstream has published a Bitcoin Improvement Proposal for the SHRINCS signature scheme to upgrade Bitcoin against quantum threats. Blockstream co-founder Adam Back, known as a quantum skeptic, supports preparing for the threat well in advance. The proposal represents the first concrete post-quantum signature design specifically for Bitcoin, according to researcher Jonas Nick.
SHRINCS is a hash-based scheme that reduces signature size by approximately 13.23 times compared to standard NIST-approved options. It relies on SHA-256 assumptions and supports full BIP-39 seed recovery. While the scheme is only about nine times larger than current Schnorr signatures, SegWit allows these bytes to occupy less blockspace.
This efficiency could allow Bitcoin to process 3 TPS, similar to current speeds, rather than dropping to fractions of a transaction. Blockstream tested the scheme in production on its Liquid sidechain in March 2026. However, the BIP notes that a formal security proof is still a TODO item. SHRINCS is stateful, meaning it stores used keys on the device, which saves space but requires a large fallback transaction if the device is lost.
How the market reacted
Whalio's own Binance spot order flow for BTC, measured when this story was written up on 27 August 2026. Not the outlet's figures.
BTC is trading at $79,023.75 with a 24-hour buy ratio of 49.9%, indicating a near-even split between buyers and sellers. The 1-hour buy ratio of 44.7% and the 4-hour ratio of 43.0% show that short-term buying pressure is fading relative to the daily average. Volume Delta is negative across all timeframes, with -$9.6 million in the last hour and -$13.5 million over four hours. This negative delta means sellers are executing larger orders than buyers, exerting downward pressure on the price. The cumulative volume delta closed at -$64.5 million over 24 hours, confirming net selling activity.
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.
Over the preceding week, the average buy ratio was 51.6%, meaning today's 49.9% reading is 1.7 points below the weekly norm. Spot volume is currently 0.54 times the weekly average, indicating a significant drop in trading activity compared to the previous six days. While the coin saw a 14.0% price increase over the last eight days, today's volume is roughly half of what is typical for that period. This suggests the current price level is being reached with less conviction than in the preceding week. The market is transitioning from a period of net buying to a phase of lower volume and slight seller dominance.