NEAR Protocol joins the index with ML-DSA-65 live on mainnet

What moved, and why it scores where it does

NEAR joins coverage in fourth place. Only the three chains that were post-quantum from genesis sit above it.

The reason is narrow and checkable. The nearcore 2.13.0 release notes say the release "stabilized the FIPS 204 ML-DSA-65 post-quantum signature scheme as a third transaction-signature and access-key scheme alongside ed25519 and secp256k1". ML-DSA-65 is a NIST-standardised signature designed to stay secure against a large quantum computer. Protocol version 86 carrying it was voted in on mainnet from 20 July 2026. No other retrofitting chain in this index has a standardised post-quantum signature working as a first-class account credential on a live mainnet.

NEAR's account model does the heavy lifting. Accounts are human-readable names controlled by access keys you can add and remove, not addresses derived from one keypair. So rotating to ML-DSA-65 is a single on-chain transaction. Your account name and balance don't change. That is why the migration dimension scores near the top of the index outside the native post-quantum chains.

One detail has had less attention than it deserves. NEAR stores an ML-DSA-65 key as a 32-byte SHA3-256 hash rather than the full 1952-byte key. A rotated account publishes a hash, not a public key. On a chain where every access key is readable on-chain from the moment an account is created, that makes rotation a fix for exposure as well as for signature strength.

What this does not do

All of it is opt-in. That is the whole reason NEAR sits where it does and not higher.

• Ed25519 and secp256k1 remain fully valid. Nothing has been deprecated.
• No sunset date for the classical schemes has been proposed, let alone set.
• No target has been published for how much of the account set should hold a post-quantum key, or by when.
• Effectively every account still has a quantum-vulnerable public key visible on-chain until its owner rotates. That is why the exposure dimension scores low despite the path being open.

Read this wayShipping a scheme is not the same as using it. A chain moves up when the default protects people who never take action.

How it got here

Dated events, each with a primary source.

1. August 2024
   NIST publishes FIPS 204, the final standard for the ML-DSA signature scheme. source
2. 20 July 2026
   Protocol version 86, carrying stabilised ML-DSA-65 as a third signature and access-key scheme, is voted in on NEAR mainnet. source

If you hold NEAR

Nothing about your account changed on its own. Your existing Ed25519 or secp256k1 key still works, still signs, and is still readable on-chain by anyone.

What changed is that a rotation target now exists. If your wallet supports adding an ML-DSA-65 access key, doing so replaces a published public key with a published hash, and costs you neither your account name nor your balance. Check what your wallet actually supports before assuming it is available: stabilisation at the protocol layer runs ahead of tooling.

If you want the background on why an exposed public key matters before any quantum computer exists, start with harvest now, decrypt later. For how NEAR compares with chains built this way from the start, see the most quantum resistant blockchain and the NEAR chain page.

Where to go next

• NEAR Protocol: the full rating Every dimension score, with the source behind each one, and what the rating means if you hold it.
• Harvest now, decrypt later: what it means for your crypto This is the reason experts say the quantum threat is already here, even though the machine that would carry it out is not. It is simpler than it sounds.
• Moving to a quantum-ready chain If you have decided you want assets on a chain built for the quantum era, this is how that works in practice, and the honest case for not doing it.
• Which is the most quantum-resistant blockchain? One question, one answer, with the working shown. This page is a summary of the Hardy Index, which is the live ranking behind it.

Sources

Every dated event above carries its own primary source. These are those sources, each checked on the date shown.

1. nearcore release 2.13.0 release notes NEAR / GitHub · primary · checked 26 August 2026
2. FIPS 204: Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Standard NIST · primary · checked 26 August 2026
3. Access keys documentation NEAR Protocol docs · primary · checked 26 August 2026
4. NEAR Protocol brings quantum-safe signing to mainnet PR Newswire · primary · checked 26 August 2026
5. NEAR plans post-quantum safe signing for Q2 2026 testnet (write-up) Crypto Times · secondary · checked 26 August 2026