--- title: NEAR Protocol joins the index with ML-DSA-65 live on mainnet description: NEAR now offers a NIST-standardised post-quantum signature as a first-class access key. Here is what that covers, and what it still leaves exposed. url: "https://hardyindex.com/news/near-protocol-joins-index-ml-dsa-65-access-keys" section: What changed type: index-change published: 2026-08-26 updated: 2026-08-26 chains: near methodology_version: 1.4 --- # NEAR Protocol joins the index with ML-DSA-65 live on mainnet **NEAR Protocol enters the index as the highest scoring chain that was not post-quantum from its first block. The nearcore 2.13.0 release stabilised ML-DSA-65 as a third transaction-signature and access-key scheme on mainnet. It is optional. Ed25519 and secp256k1 stay valid, so most accounts remain quantum-vulnerable until their owners rotate.** *Published 26 August 2026. The rating below is current as of 2 October 2026. This is a security-readiness assessment, not investment advice.* A rotatable-key account model turns a post-quantum upgrade into one transaction, but nobody has to make it. ## 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. **Where this stands today.** - [NEAR Protocol](https://hardyindex.com/chains/near): Tier 2: Shipping, Hardy Score 81.5 of 100. As rated by the Hardy Index, current as of 2 October 2026. Ratings change when the evidence does, and every change is recorded at https://hardyindex.com/changelog.md. ## 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 way.** Shipping 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. - **August 2024**: NIST publishes FIPS 204, the final standard for the ML-DSA signature scheme. Source: https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/fips/204/final - **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: https://github.com/near/nearcore/releases/tag/2.13.0 ## 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](https://hardyindex.com/guides/harvest-now-decrypt-later). For how NEAR compares with chains built this way from the start, see [the most quantum resistant blockchain](https://hardyindex.com/guides/most-quantum-resistant-blockchain) and the [NEAR chain page](https://hardyindex.com/chains/near). ## Where to go next - [NEAR Protocol: the full rating](https://hardyindex.com/chains/near.md): every dimension score, with the source behind each one. - [Harvest now, decrypt later: what it means for your crypto](https://hardyindex.com/guides/harvest-now-decrypt-later.md): 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](https://hardyindex.com/guides/moving-to-a-quantum-ready-chain.md): 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?](https://hardyindex.com/guides/most-quantum-resistant-blockchain.md): 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, checked on the dates shown. 1. [nearcore release 2.13.0 release notes](https://github.com/near/nearcore/releases/tag/2.13.0): NEAR / GitHub (primary, checked 26 August 2026) 2. [FIPS 204: Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Standard](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/fips/204/final): NIST (primary, checked 26 August 2026) 3. [Access keys documentation](https://docs.near.org/protocol/access-keys): NEAR Protocol docs (primary, checked 26 August 2026) 4. [NEAR Protocol brings quantum-safe signing to mainnet](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/near-protocol-brings-quantum-safe-signing-to-mainnet-302829646.html): PR Newswire (primary, checked 26 August 2026) 5. [NEAR plans post-quantum safe signing for Q2 2026 testnet (write-up)](https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/05/07/near-plans-post-quantum-safe-signing-for-q2-2026-testnet/): Crypto Times (secondary, checked 26 August 2026) --- Cite as: The Hardy Index, "NEAR Protocol joins the index with ML-DSA-65 live on mainnet", https://hardyindex.com/news/near-protocol-joins-index-ml-dsa-65-access-keys, published 26 August 2026.