Why El Salvador split $678M in Bitcoin to guard against a quantum threat that isn’t here yet

To guard against a distant quantum risk, El Salvador moved 6,000 BTC into 14 wallets, a move hailed as prudent custody by some and theatrics by others.

The government redistributed roughly 6,274 BTC (around $678 million at publication time) from one address into 14 fresh addresses, each capped at 500 BTC, as a precautionary security measure.

Until late August 2025, El Salvador’s national Bitcoin reserve sat in a single address. That’s a straightforward setup but a risky one: If a vulnerability is ever discovered, the entire stash could be exposed.

Read more