Quantum computers could compromise Bitcoin transaction authorization and custody, the Treasury warned. Moody's analyst says the new task force is relevant to the credibility of U.S. digital-asset market expansion.
The U.S. Treasury launched a task force dedicated to post-quantum cryptography (PQC), warning that advances in computing could eventually weaken the cryptographic protections underpinning digital assets. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the announcement that America's economy must remain "strong, secure, and competitive" as technology reshapes finance.
The Quantum-Readiness Task Force will cover both traditional finance and "Digital Assets and Emerging Technology Risk," the department said. The group will work with officials, TradFi institutions, public and private sector leaders, and technology providers. The Treasury cited President Trump's Executive Order 14412, which aims to "strengthen cryptographic protections for America's sensitive data, critical infrastructure, and digital economy."
Cristiano Ventricelli, Vice President of the Digital Economy Group at Moody's Ratings, said in a note that the task force adds a security dimension to the U.S. digital-asset policy agenda, which already includes initiatives by the White House, SEC and CFTC. "Digital assets are increasingly viewed as strategically relevant to US financial innovation and competitiveness, but advances in quantum computing could eventually weaken the cryptographic protections on which they rely," Ventricelli wrote.
"A sufficiently capable quantum computer could compromise transaction authorization, asset ownership and custody arrangements, potentially undermining market confidence," he said. Ventricelli added that addressing the issue through the task force is "relevant to the credibility of US efforts to expand digital-asset markets."
Deborah Guild, chair of the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council and head of Technology at PNC Financial Services Group, said PQC readiness is no longer a future exercise. "It is a present-day risk control," she said.
Moody's Corporation (MCO) carries an Alpha Score of 67 out of 100, labeled Moderate, in the Financials sector. The rating agency's involvement signals that institutional credit analysis is beginning to factor quantum risk into digital-asset market assessments.
The Treasury did not set a deadline for the task force's recommendations or specify which quantum-threshold scenarios it would model first.
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