[PRESS RELEASE – Dubai, UAE, May 14th, 2026]
14 May, Dubai: BNB Chain, a leading Layer 1 blockchain ecosystem, has published a new research report examining how BNB Smart Chain (BSC) could transition its core cryptographic systems to post-quantum alternatives in the future.
The report assesses the implementation, performance, and operational impacts of replacing conventional blockchain cryptography with quantum-resistant techniques. It focuses on approaches such as ML-DSA-44 transaction signatures and pqSTARK aggregation for validator consensus, and measures their effects across the BSC stack.
Although current quantum computers are not yet capable of compromising production blockchain cryptography, the research takes a proactive approach to long-term network security and infrastructure resilience.
The evaluation covers several core areas of the BSC protocol and infrastructure, including:
- Post-quantum transaction signature schemes
- Validator signature aggregation
- Transaction verification flows
- Public key storage strategies
- Cross-region network performance under increased data loads
One central finding is that post-quantum readiness is technically feasible today, but it introduces notable scalability trade-offs that must be managed.
Test results included the following impacts:
- Average transaction size rose from 110 bytes to approximately 2.5 KB
- Average block size increased from about 110 KB to roughly 2 MB
- Native transfer transactions per second (TPS) declined from 4,973 to 2,997
The research identified the main bottleneck as the growth in transaction and block sizes, which led to greater network propagation overhead across regions. Signature verification itself was not the primary limiter; instead, larger payloads increased bandwidth and latency demands on the network.
At the same time, pqSTARK aggregation proved to be highly efficient. Validator signatures were compressed at about a 43:1 ratio, helping to limit consensus-layer overhead despite substantially larger signature data at the transaction layer.
The report also highlights several areas that were not evaluated in this study, such as post-quantum alternatives for peer-to-peer (P2P) handshakes and KZG commitments. Addressing those components would require broader ecosystem coordination and further research.
BNB Chain emphasizes that this work is research and evaluation-oriented, intended to inform long-term planning rather than to respond to any immediate security incident.
The full report is available here: BNB Chain post-quantum cryptography migration report.
About BNB Chain
BNB Chain is one of the world’s largest and most active blockchain ecosystems, supported by a global community of developers and users. With high throughput, low transaction costs, and full EVM compatibility, BNB Chain enables scalable applications across finance, gaming, and the broader Web3 economy. For more information, visit www.bnbchain.org.