Banks Test Quantum-Safe Digital Asset Transfers on NEAR

A cross-regional pilot testing quantum-safe infrastructure for digital asset wallets and transfers has launched on the NEAR testnet. The initiative, led by the Responsible Fintech Institute (RFI) in partnership with Safeheron, aims to assess post-quantum cryptography and operational resilience before quantum computing creates practical risks for existing financial systems.

The pilot uses a multi-party computation protocol supporting ML-DSA-65, a signature standard established under NIST’s FIPS 204 framework. This allows multiple parties to sign transactions without reconstructing a complete private key in one location.

Bison Bank and DK Bank are participating in the pilot, testing wallet generation and on-chain transfers through a shared application environment. Regulators from Abu Dhabi, Bhutan, and Malta are observing the technical work.