#700: Preparing Bitcoin for the Quantum Era with Jonas Nick & Mikhail Kudinov

December 31, 2025

AI Summary

5 min read

🎙️ The Voices & The Context

The Format: This interview dives deep into cutting-edge Bitcoin cryptography research, unpacking a recent paper on quantum-resistant upgrades with technical precision and forward-thinking caution, delivering a methodical, expert-driven exploration that balances urgency and skepticism.
The Format: Interview.
The Key Players:
- Jonas McHale: Lead researcher and cryptographer, co-author of the paper "Hash-based Signature Schemes for Bitcoin," known for his work on conservative, hash-only security assumptions to future-proof Bitcoin.
- Mike (co-author): Bitcoin cryptography expert collaborating on the paper, providing detailed insights into trade-offs like signature sizes and performance optimizations.
- Host Marty Bent (TFTC): Seasoned Bitcoin podcaster steering the conversation from basics to advanced implications, injecting relatable analogies for non-technical listeners.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **🎙️ Introduction: Jonas and Mike (Blockstream Researchers, Authors of "Hash-based Signature Schemes for Bitcoin")**
2 (01:25) **Explaining Hash-Based Signatures**
3 (05:38) **Post-Quantum Cryptography Basics**
4 (10:05) **Sphinx+ as NIST-Standardized Baseline**
5 (13:00) **Signature Size Optimizations and Trade-Offs**
6 (17:14) **Limiting Signatures per Public Key**
7 (22:03) **Advanced Optimizations (WOTS+, FORS+, SPHINCS+ Variants)**

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Marty sits down with Jonas Nick and Mikhail Komarov to discuss their research on hash-based signature schemes for Bitcoin, exploring how these quantum-resistant cryptographic solutions could protect the network from future quantum computer threats while navigating trade-offs in signature size, verification time, and compatibility with existing wallet infrastructure.

Jonas on Twitter: https://x.com/n1ckler

Mikhail on Twitter: https://x.com/kudinov_mikhail

The paper: https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/2203.pdf

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