Moving to a quantum-ready chain

Why would you move to a quantum-ready chain?

The reason to move is that a post-quantum signature protecting your funds today is worth more than a roadmap promising one later. On a Tier 1 chain, the cryptography a quantum computer would have to beat is already in place.

That is the whole case, and it is narrower than it sounds. Moving assets changes your quantum exposure and nothing else about your risk. It does not make an asset a better investment, and the Hardy Index takes no view on that.

It is also worth knowing that most chains expect to migrate their existing holders rather than lose them. Ethereum is building signature agility through account abstraction so individual accounts can move without a fork, and Algorand has published a plan for Falcon accounts derivable from existing seed phrases. Staying put is a strategy with a roadmap behind it.

Which chains rate highest for quantum readiness?

As of 12 August 2026, Quantum Resistant Ledger rates highest in the Hardy Index at 92.0 out of 100, followed by Abelian at 84.5. Both are Tier 1: Native, meaning post-quantum signatures protect every account on mainnet rather than being available as an option.

• Quantum Resistant LedgerQRLHardy 92.0XMSS (stateful hash-based), mandatory for all accounts
• AbelianABELHardy 84.5Lattice-based post-quantum signatures, mandatory for all transactions

One rung down, Tier 2: Shipping chains have post-quantum signatures live on mainnet with migration underway, which is a different proposition. Funds are not protected by default, and a holder can opt in today.

• Nervos CKBCKBHardy 75.5secp256k1 by default; SPHINCS+ available via an on-chain lock script
• AlgorandALGOHardy 74.5Ed25519 for standard accounts; Falcon for State Proofs and post-quantum transactions
• SolanaSOLHardy 54.5Ed25519 for all standard accounts

Nervos CKB is the cleanest example of what opting in looks like. Its SPHINCS+ lock script is audited and deployed, so a holder can move funds to a quantum-resistant address without a fork and without waiting for the network to coordinate.

The full picture, including what each chain scores on all six dimensions, is on the Hardy Index. Do not take a ranking from this page alone: scores move when the underlying facts move, and the Index is the version that stays current.

How does moving to another chain actually work?

Moving between chains means selling or swapping the asset you hold and buying the one you want, because coins do not travel between independent blockchains. There is no button that migrates a Bitcoin to another network.

1. Pick the chain, and check its profile first. Every profile on the Hardy Index shows the signature scheme running on mainnet today, the roadmap, and the judgement calls behind the score.
2. Set up a wallet that supports it. For a Tier 1 chain this usually means the chain's own wallet, because the signature scheme is unusual by design. Quantum-safe wallets, compared covers what each one actually protects.
3. Send a small test amount first. One small transfer, confirmed and checked, before anything meaningful moves. This is the single most effective habit in crypto and it has nothing to do with quantum computing.
4. Move the rest, and keep the recovery phrase offline. Written down, stored sensibly, never photographed or typed into a website.
5. Record what you did, for tax. Swapping one asset for another is usually a disposal, and the paperwork is easier written down on the day than reconstructed later.

On stateful signaturesSome post-quantum chains use stateful hash-based schemes such as XMSS, where each signing key may be used only once. The wallet tracks that for you, and restoring an old backup on top of newer activity can put the state out of step. Read the chain's own wallet guidance before restoring a backup.

What should you be careful about?

The risks of moving are immediate, and the risk you are moving away from is not. That asymmetry deserves stating plainly before anyone acts on this page.

• Smaller networks carry other risks. The chains that rate highest on quantum readiness are mostly small by liquidity, developer activity and validator count. The Hardy Score measures quantum readiness only, and says so.
• Marketing outruns deployment. The Hardy Index currently holds back three chains whose post-quantum claims could not be verified against a primary source. A chain absent from the ranking is not automatically unready, and it is not verified either.
• Swaps are taxable events in many places. Moving between chains is a disposal in most tax systems.
• Transfer mistakes are permanent. A wrong address or a phishing site loses funds today, which is a far more likely way to lose coins than a quantum computer.

For most holders the better answer is to reduce exposure where they already are, and to take the migration when their chain ships one. How to protect your crypto from quantum computers sets out those steps, all of which cost nothing.

Questions people also ask

Where to go next

• The Hardy Index ranking The full table, sortable and filterable by tier.
• Every rated chain, grouped by tier Native, Shipping, Committed, Debating and Exposed, with a profile each.
• Quantum-safe wallets, compared What each wallet actually protects, and what it does not.
• How to protect your crypto, step by step The free steps that work wherever you hold.
• The most quantum-resistant blockchain The short version of the ranking, with the scores.
• How the Hardy Score is calculated What the score measures, and the things it deliberately ignores.

Sources

1. Native quantum resistance in Nervos CKB Nervos Network · primary · checked 12 August 2026
2. Algorand post-quantum technology Algorand Foundation · primary · checked 12 August 2026
3. Ethereum post-quantum research Ethereum Foundation · primary · checked 12 August 2026
4. The Quantum Resistant Ledger The Quantum Resistant Ledger · primary · checked 12 August 2026