Quantum Threat to Finance More Urgent Than Bitcoin Private Keys, Warns Crypto Expert on May 30

According to Andrew Gault, CEO of ZeroTier and founding partner at 7percent Ventures, the quantum computing threat to financial systems extends far beyond Bitcoin private keys. On May 30, Gault warned of a "collect now, decrypt later" strategy where attackers are already storing encrypted communications, payment authentication records, and digital signatures transmitted between financial institutions, waiting for sufficiently powerful quantum computers to decrypt them in the future.

Gault emphasized that the real risk lies in authentication and signature data flowing daily through exchanges, custody providers, cross-chain bridges, and financial institutions—not static stored data. Google's security team has prioritized digital signatures and identity authentication systems in its post-quantum migration plan, expected to complete by 2029. Meanwhile, Citigroup's February research estimated that if quantum attacks compromise the encryption securing major U.S. banks' access to the Fedwire payment system, the economic impact could reach $2–3.3 trillion, equivalent to a 10–17% decline in U.S. GDP.