BNB Chain post‑quantum test cuts throughput 40%

BNB Chain (BSC) has started post-quantum cryptography tests that significantly reduce network performance. The BNB Chain post-quantum test replaced core signature and validator cryptography with quantum-resistant alternatives, and reported throughput fell from 4,973 to 2,997 transfers per second (about -40%). The slowdown is linked to larger quantum-ready digital signatures and bigger on-chain data. Transaction signatures rose from ~110 bytes to ~2.5 KB (around 23x), and average block size increased from ~130 KB to nearly 2 MB (about 15x). This creates sustained bandwidth and propagation pressure, even if the validator confirmation layer is less affected due to compression. Importantly, this is framed as research, not a live protocol upgrade, so immediate on-chain impact is described as minimal. For traders, the key takeaway is short-term engineering uncertainty around BNB Chain scaling and potential fee dynamics as the ecosystem weighs stronger quantum security vs. performance. Other networks also pursue phased approaches: Bitcoin plans longer-term upgrades (e.g., BIP-360), Ethereum is advancing a post-quantum initiative via the Ethereum Foundation, and TRON has announced a quantum-resistant testnet in Q2 2024 with a mainnet rollout targeted for Q3.