The Bitcoin Security Consortium launched with nine founding members — Strategy, BlackRock, Coinbase, Fidelity Digital Assets, Galaxy, Anchorage Digital, ARK Invest, Block and Blockstream — committing a combined $15 million over three years to support Bitcoin’s long-term security through separate grants rather than a pooled fund. The group said post-quantum cryptography will be its first priority, reflecting concern that a future quantum computer could eventually threaten the elliptic curve cryptography used in Bitcoin signatures, even though no cryptographically relevant quantum computer exists today. Members will choose support targets independently instead of funding a centralized vehicle. Mike Schmidt, Brink Executive Director, is coordinating the consortium on a volunteer basis. The consortium said it will not develop or direct Bitcoin’s protocol, endorse specific changes or speak for Bitcoin developers, and that the open-source community will continue to debate, test and approve any changes through Bitcoin’s existing process. Strategy CEO Phong Le said long-term holders have a direct incentive to keep Bitcoin secure, while BlackRock global head of digital assets Robert Mitchnick said the firms would make more funding available for Bitcoin Core developers and long-term security work. The consortium also plans to publish material for investors, the public and the media that tracks technical developments rather than setting policy. The launch comes two days after Galaxy announced a separate Bitcoin Quantum Readiness Initiative with up to $5 million in grants. Debate over the scale and timing of the threat remains unsettled: Project Eleven estimated that 6,982,462 BTC sat in addresses with exposed public keys as of June 15, while Glassnode estimated in May that 1.92 million BTC faced structural exposure and another 4.12 million BTC faced operational exposure tied to address reuse and wallet practices. Project Eleven’s 2026 report put a baseline estimate for “Q-Day” in 2033, with scenarios ranging from 2030 to 2042. The U.S. government in June also ordered agencies to move high-value systems to post-quantum key establishment by the end of 2030 and post-quantum digital signatures by the end of 2031.