# Bitcoin Developer Coalition Floats BIP-361 to Freeze Quantum-Vulnerable Wallets

*Author: Jack Inabinet*
*Published: Apr 15, 2026*
*Source: https://www.bankless.com/de/read/news/bitcoin-developer-coalition-floats-bip-361-to-freeze-quantum-vulnerable-wallets*

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Bitcoin core developers are preparing for a quantum future with BIP-361, a proposed quick fix that would rewrite BTC's property rights guarantees.

### What's the Scoop?
- **Updated Proposal:** [BIP-361](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0361.mediawiki), a newly authored proposal from a group of Bitcoin core developers, outlines a plan to invalidate transactions from quantum-vulnerable wallets, effectively freezing the coins of wallets that fail to upgrade. By invalidating legacy signatures, the proposal would pressure holders to migrate to quantum-resistant wallets, or risk losing permanent access to their funds.
- **Billions at Risk:** Roughly 5.6M BTC (worth ~$420B and accounting for 28% of total supply) could be frozen under the proposal to prevent future quantum exploits. The tokens in question have been largely unmoved for over a decade, and include Satoshi Nakamoto's 1.1M BTC horde.
- **Ugly Solution:** [Posting](https://x.com/lopp/status/2044406134178795748?s=20) on X, BIP-361 co-author Jameson Lopp said he doesn’t support the proposal and hopes it’s never needed, but argues that “in the face of an existential threat, individual economic incentives outweigh philosophical principles.”

### What's the Take?
Freezing coins for any reason invalidated Bitcoin’s core promise of immutable ownership, introducing a precedent of intervention that could be more dangerous than the quantum threat itself.

> Cypherpunk Jameson Lopp and other Bitcoin developers propose BIP-361 to freeze quantum vulnerable wallets.This could lock dormant BTC like Satoshi Nakamoto’s 1.1M coins, now worth $74B, before quantum computers can steal them. [pic.twitter.com/pYjT085f12](https://t.co/pYjT085f12)— Bitcoin Archive (@BitcoinArchive) [April 15, 2026](https://twitter.com/BitcoinArchive/status/2044319025711255985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)