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According to the Korea Economic Daily, the South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb has announced that it will introduce post-quantum cryptography (PQC) technology to guard against the risk of future quantum computers potentially breaking existing encryption systems.Bithumb plans to comprehensively apply PQC technology from virtual asset wallet management to identity authentication systems, focusing on protecting customer private keys, and will collaborate with security technology company ATON to encrypt various stages of data processing, including input, authentication, transmission, and storage. Additionally, Bithumb will strengthen its real-time monitoring system to detect new types of hacker attacks and abnormal trading patterns that utilize quantum computers.

The Ethereum Foundation has announced the list of grants and ecosystem support projects for the first quarter of 2026, focusing on cryptography, zero-knowledge proofs (ZK), protocol security, and core infrastructure development, continuously strengthening the Ethereum underlying technology stack and long-term scalability.This quarter's funding covers several key areas. At the protocol and client level, projects include optimizations for the Geth and Erigon clients, upgrades to the Lighthouse client, and the development of network monitoring tools after the Pectra upgrade, with a focus on improving network performance and attack resistance. Additionally, projects such as HSM key management, the validator security tool Vero, and the DISC-NG node discovery mechanism have also received support to enhance node-level reliability and institutional compliance capabilities.In the areas of cryptography and ZK, the foundation continues to invest in projects such as the analysis of the Poseidon hash function, research on Gröbner basis attacks, exploration of quantum-resistant and homomorphic mixed encryption, and formal verification of RISC-V zkVM, further strengthening the security boundaries of zero-knowledge proofs and cryptographic infrastructure.In terms of the developer ecosystem, the BuidlGuidl education system upgrade, ERC standard community building, WalletConnect clear signature library, and Open Creator Rails toolchain are continuously advancing to lower development barriers and enhance user interaction security. Meanwhile, L2BEAT continues to provide transparency analysis for Layer 2, strengthening the data infrastructure for scaling ecosystems.Furthermore, the foundation supports privacy technologies (such as Tor integration and Privacy Pool SDK), decentralized identity (did:ethr standard upgrade), DAO governance research, and public goods experimental projects, covering a complete ecological structure from the protocol layer to the application layer. Overall, this round of funding continues Ethereum's long-term investment in the three core directions of "cryptography + ZK + protocol engineering," emphasizing the support for future multi-layer scaling and institutional-level application implementation through infrastructure and standardization development.

According to Decrypt, Admiral Samuel Paparo, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, stated during a hearing before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee that the U.S. government is currently running a Bitcoin node for cybersecurity-related testing, but is not engaged in mining.Paparo indicated that the U.S. military's interest in Bitcoin primarily focuses on its value as a computer science tool, including cryptography, blockchain, and reusable proof-of-work mechanisms, with the aim of using the Bitcoin protocol to strengthen cybersecurity and enhance military capabilities, which is still in the experimental stage. He also mentioned that maintaining the global dominance of the U.S. dollar aligns with U.S. military interests and gave a positive evaluation of the stablecoin legalization bill, the GENIUS Act, signed by Trump last summer, believing that the bill helps to solidify the global position of the dollar.

At the "Crypto 2026: From Cryptocurrency to Smart Economy" themed forum held in Hong Kong, Dr. Daxue Wang, CFO of Lotus Technology Inc., delivered a keynote speech titled "Crypto Links to the Physical Industry, Smart Mobility Running on the Chain."Dr. Daxue Wang stated that smart mobility is the pioneering carrier of the smart economy. Lotus, a luxury electric vehicle brand with a 78-year history, has been listed on NASDAQ and is actively exploring the deep integration of crypto technology with the physical industry. He proposed three major integration directions:First, safeguarding data value by utilizing the immutable nature of blockchain and privacy computing, allowing users to have absolute control over their personal data, achieving credible data circulation and value flow. Second, releasing asset value by exploring efficient circulation and fair trading of assets such as vehicle sales, brand value, autonomous driving technology patents, and global sales networks through RWA, while promoting credible traceability of carbon assets in green mobility. Third, co-creating ecological value by recording data on driving, charging, and maintenance through on-chain smart nodes, allowing users to upgrade from "car owners" to "participants in the brand ecosystem" through on-chain rights confirmation.Dr. Daxue Wang pointed out that the current challenges include compliance implementation, technology adaptation, and ecological co-construction, but the opportunities lie in open cooperation, promoting smart mobility as a practical landing scenario of the smart economy. Lotus hopes to work hand in hand with the crypto ecosystem to realize the vision of "from buying a Lotus car to sharing the growth value of Lotus technology."

The Web3 asset data platform RootData has outlined the business partners of Crypto.com. Its strategy goes beyond exchange expansion, advancing through multiple paths such as payments, custody, and brand collaborations, aiming to create a comprehensive digital asset platform covering both institutional and consumer ends. * **Payment Infrastructure**: Crypto.com has integrated with Stripe, Mastercard, Yuno, TripleA, Lynq, etc., covering the complete link from checkout crypto payments to institutional-level real-time clearing. * **Institutional Trading and Custody**: VerifiedX has entrusted Crypto.com with institutional custody for its $1.5 billion digital assets; CoinRoutes provides smart order routing, CryptoStruct connects high-frequency trading, and Doblox offers AI trading terminals. * **Corporate Crypto Treasury**: Crypto.com collaborates with several Nasdaq-listed companies executing treasury strategies, including SOL Strategies, Sharps Technology, and IP Strategy. On the brand side, Crypto.com has formed deep ties with top sports IPs—renewing its partnership with **F1** until 2030 and sponsoring the Miami Grand Prix, as well as **UEFA Champions League**, **UFC**, **NBA Philadelphia 76ers**, **AFL**, and South American CONMEBOL; the long-term partnership with the LeBron James Family Foundation marks an extension of its brand collaboration into the celebrity family philanthropy sector. Additionally, Crypto.com has signed collaborations in the Middle East with Dubai Islamic Bank, DMCC, e& money, Tawasal Al Khaleej super app, and Emarat gas station network, becoming an important participant in the local digital asset compliance ecosystem. Related compilation: 【[Crypto.com Web3 Partner Network Compilation (Continuously Updated)](https://cn.rootdata.com/Archives/detail/Crypto.com%20Crypto%20Business%20Partner?k=NDc0MTU3)】 Cryptocurrency projects actively showcasing their partner networks have become a key way to enhance transparency and market trust. It is reported that RootData welcomes Web3 project parties to [claim data](https://www.rootdata.com/Projects/submit?ft=claimApply) and continues to track and open more project business relationship disclosure channels. The platform has continuously released multiple issues of the cryptocurrency project ecosystem map, nominating Web3 ecosystem partners for upstream clients such as Visa, Stripe, and Coinbase. **If you wish to nominate your project in future ecosystem maps, please fill out the 【[RootData 2026 Industry Ecosystem Mapping](https://forms.gle/tWArmXcpSfZJkh1r8)】 form to supplement your important clients and partners.**

Binance founder CZ stated on social media, "The autobiography 'Freedom of Money' has been launched in some countries. It seems that the book will be available for global purchase at midnight on April 8 (local time). All proceeds from the book will be donated to charity."

According to the official blog, Circle's institutional-grade blockchain Arc has released a phased upgrade roadmap for post-quantum cryptography (PQ), planning to introduce post-quantum signature schemes at the launch of the mainnet, gradually covering full-stack layers such as private state protection, infrastructure hardening, and validator authentication.The Arc mainnet will support post-quantum signatures from the outset, using an opt-in mechanism that does not require mandatory migration or a full network reset, allowing users to independently create wallets with long-term security. The recent goal is to extend quantum resistance to the private virtual machine (VM) layer, protecting private balances, private transactions, and private payees, with public keys additionally encapsulated in a symmetric encryption layer under privacy mode.The mid-term plan is to advance the upgrade of the infrastructure layer, aligning with industry standards such as TLS 1.3, covering access control, cloud environments, and hardware security modules (HSM). The long-term goal is to complete the hardening of validator signatures. Given that Arc's block finalization time is less than 1 second, the current assessment considers the risk of quantum attacks in this phase to be relatively limited, and it will be steadily advanced after the post-quantum consensus toolchain matures.Circle also warns that attackers may adopt a "collect now, decrypt later" strategy, and institutions should plan their cryptographic migration paths as early as possible.

According to Cointelegraph, Google has set 2029 as the deadline for its post-quantum cryptography migration, warning that the threat of quantum computing may arrive sooner than expected.Google stated that the rapid advancements in quantum computing hardware and quantum error correction, along with updates to the timeline for quantum computers to break current encryption standards, have heightened the urgency for action. This is the first time Google has set a timeline for the deployment of post-quantum capabilities in its products, ahead of some industry predictions for "Q-Day." Google is developing its quantum chip Willow, which has 105 qubits and is one of the most powerful quantum processors currently available.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin stated that, in the context of the increasing prevalence of AI agents, cryptographic privacy technologies are crucial for protecting users' API call patterns and behavioral data. He pointed out that even with local AI agents, if external services can see all search or API call records, they can still infer the activities users are engaged in.Vitalik believes that a preliminary solution is to forward requests through a mixnet to hide the source of access, but service providers may demand the introduction of anti-abuse mechanisms and pay-per-call models due to facing DoS attacks. In reality, these payment methods often rely on credit cards or stablecoin systems that lack privacy protection. Therefore, he emphasized the need for cryptographic payment solutions with privacy attributes.He further noted that privacy protection needs to be considered from a full stack perspective, with the local AI agent layer being particularly critical. Vitalik likened it to the issue of healthy lifespan: if there are multiple damaging factors, addressing them one by one can yield cumulative benefits; similarly, measures to reduce the risk of data leakage can produce similar compound effects.

According to official news, Gate will launch a Crazy Wednesday reward doubling event from February 25 at 14:00 to March 1 at 16:00 (UTC+8). Users can complete multiple tasks such as flash exchanges, spot trading, contracts, and deposits to unlock a mysterious blind box, winning prizes like XPIN, lucky bags, NVIDIA graphics cards, and gold, with a 100% chance of winning.Users who successfully register for this event will also automatically unlock the eligibility for double rewards, which will be distributed uniformly after the event ends. The event will simultaneously launch a USDT 14-day fixed-term financial product with an annualized return of up to 10%. In addition, both new and existing users can participate in financial products like USDD, 0G, APT, and AZTEC, enjoying an annualized return of up to 205%.

According to market news, Swiss technology company Hashgraph Group has launched a EU Digital Product Passport tool based on Hedera, namely the supply chain tracking platform TrackTrace, aimed at helping businesses comply with the upcoming product compliance requirements in the EU.The platform builds verifiable product information audit trails by recording the flow of goods and emissions-related data, and integrates AI agents to automate the compliance reporting process. This move is a response to the Sustainable Products Ecodesign Regulation, which will take effect in July 2024. The regulation establishes a framework for developing product-specific rules that include digital product passports, standardizing the recording and sharing of key product information across the supply chain.The first significant milestone is the passport requirements for electric vehicles and industrial batteries in the EU Battery Regulation, which will come into effect in February 2027. Other priority categories such as textiles, clothing, and steel will be included in the DPP scope starting from July 2027.

According to Axios, the quantum-resistant solution Project Eleven has completed a $20 million funding round, with a valuation of $120 million.Quantum computing technology has the potential to break the underlying cryptographic mechanisms that secure cryptocurrencies, which has been a concern for the cryptocurrency industry. Project Eleven focuses on addressing this issue by developing solutions to withstand quantum computing attacks, ensuring the security of blockchain networks and digital assets.According to the Web3 asset data platform RootData, last June, [Project Eleven](https://www.rootdata.com/zh/Projects/detail/Project Eleven?k=MTg4MDA= "quantum-resistant solution") completed a $6 million funding round, led by Variant Fund and quantum technology venture capital firm Quantonation.