El Salvador Blindado: Protegiendo su Tesoro Bitcoin de $678M contra Amenazas Cuánticas

On Friday, El Salvador transferred its national reserve of Bitcoin to multiple wallets as a preventive measure against future crypto threats, according to official publications and blockchain records.

The country transferred 6,274 BTC —approximately $678 million at current prices— from a single address to 14 separate addresses, each containing up to 500 BTC.

Split Wallets to Limit Exposure

According to reports from the Bitcoin Office, this maneuver aims to reduce the impact of any future quantum advances.

Officials described the change as a simple defensive measure. When funds are spent from a Bitcoin address, the public key of that address becomes visible on the blockchain.

That public key, some warn, would be the target if quantum machines someday achieved the capacity to solve elliptic curve cryptography.

El Salvador is moving funds from a single Bitcoin address to multiple new, unused addresses as part of a strategic initiative to enhance the long-term security and custody of the National Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. This action aligns with best practices…

— The Bitcoin Office (@bitcoinofficesv) August 29, 2025

According to Project Eleven, 6 million Bitcoins —valued at approximately $650 billion— could remain exposed if such capacity were to exist.

Quantum Risk Is Mostly Theoretical

Experts point out that practical quantum attacks against Bitcoin are not imminent. Project Eleven and other researchers emphasize that the threat remains theoretical for now.

No public quantum computer has demonstrated the power necessary to threaten modern cryptography.

Michael Saylor commented in June that warnings about quantum attacks are exaggerated and that if a real threat were to arise, updates would be implemented to the Bitcoin software and hardware ecosystem.

The logic is simple: software and hardware can be modified; cryptography can be updated. This does not eliminate the risk, it simply places it in a distant future according to most observers.

The technical point driving this action is straightforward. When coins leave an address, the blockchain reveals the public key connected to the private key used to sign that transaction.

If a sufficiently powerful quantum computer were to appear later, that public key could, in theory, be used to derive the private key and empty the address.

By distributing funds among 14 addresses, El Salvador reduces the maximum amount exposed if any individual wallet is compromised after making spending.

Implications for Other Holders

Custodians and large holders could take note of these low-cost measures. The movement is small in operational cost but large in symbolism.

Other governments, exchanges, and large investors continue to monitor cryptocurrency developments; dividing large holdings is a simple technique they can use without changing the operation of Bitcoin.

Featured image from Unsplash, TradingView chart