NEAR activates quantum-safe signing and dynamic resharding, becoming one of the first blockchains ready for the quantum era. The race to prepare blockchains for the quantum era has entered a new phase. NEAR Protocol has rolled out a mainnet upgrade that introduces quantum-safe signing and automatic network scaling.  The update places NEAR among the first blockchain networks to deploy a NIST-approved post-quantum signature scheme in production.  The release also expands the network’s ability to handle growing demand through dynamic resharding. NEAR Mainnet Upgrade Introduces Quantum-Safe Signing NEAR Protocol announced on X that quantum-safe signing is now live on its mainnet. The team said the upgrade uses the NIST-approved FIPS-204 standard with the ML-DSA-65 signature algorithm. MAINNET UPGRADE Quantum-safe signing is now live on NEAR mainnet. This makes NEAR one of the first blockchains with a NIST-approved post-quantum signature scheme in production. The upgrade also launches dynamic resharding, so NEAR Protocol can scale itself automatically 🧵 pic.twitter.com/YvpvGwkYZU — NEAR Protocol (@NEARProtocol) July 20, 2026 The rollout allows developers and users to begin adopting post-quantum cryptography without changing account addresses.  Instead, users can rotate their account keys through a single on-chain transaction. According to NEAR, the network can support this approach because account names remain separate from the underlying cryptographic keys.  That design removes the need for a full asset migration during the transition. The protocol also stated that builders can already rotate account keys to ML-DSA by using the latest version of the NEAR CLI. Documentation for the feature became available alongside the upgrade. Dynamic Resharding Expands NEAR Network Scalability The same network upgrade also activated dynamic resharding on the NEAR blockchain. The feature enables the protocol to adjust its shard structure automatically as network demand changes. Instead of relying on manual upgrades or validator votes, the network can now scale resources based on activity. This aims to improve performance as applications and transaction volumes increase. BSCN also reported the upgrade, describing NEAR as one of the first blockchain networks to combine production-ready quantum-safe signing with automatic scaling on mainnet. NEAR Brings Quantum Security To Mainnet NEAR Protocol (@NEARProtocol) has activated quantum safe signing on mainnet, becoming one of the first blockchains to deploy a NIST approved post quantum signature scheme in production. The upgrade introduces dynamic resharding, allowing… pic.twitter.com/gOZ0KLwIIG — BSCN (@BSCNews) July 21, 2026 The release follows earlier plans shared by the project during 2026. NEAR had outlined its roadmap to test the technology before moving it into production after security reviews. Read Also: Trump Sets 2031 Deadline as Quantum Threat Looms Over Crypto Quantum Security Gains Attention Across Crypto The NEAR team said quantum computing presents a long-term challenge for blockchain security.  In a thread posted on X, the protocol referenced estimates that about $470 billion worth of Bitcoin remains exposed to future quantum attacks because of current cryptographic methods. Many major crypto networks, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, have discussed post-quantum security as part of future upgrade plans.  NEAR said its account model allowed the protocol to introduce the feature earlier than many other chains. The protocol also confirmed that it is working with wallet developers to support the new signing standard.  Ledger has already added quantum-safe signing support to its software development kit, helping developers prepare compatible wallet applications. While the upgrade is now active on mainnet, its long-term performance will become clearer as developers and users adopt the new cryptographic standard across the NEAR ecosystem. The post NEAR Becomes One of the First Quantum-Safe Blockchains appeared first on Live Bitcoin News.

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