Post-Quantum Cryptography for Stablecoin Smart Contracts: Future-proofing Against Quantum Attacks

Nishanth Prakash, Amruta Desai

Keywords: post-quantum cryptography, stablecoins, smart contracts, lattice-based cryptography, blockchain security, quan- tum computing, CRYSTALS-Dilithium

Abstract:

The emergence of quantum computing poses a significant threat to current cryptographic systems securing blockchain-based financial instruments, particularly stablecoins with over $150 billion in market capitalization. This paper investigates the application of post-quantum cryptographic schemes, specifically CRYSTALS-Dilithium lattice-based signatures, to secure stablecoin smart contracts and digital wallets against future quantum attacks. We analyze vulnerabilities of existing elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) and RSA-based systems used
in popular stablecoin implementations, propose a comprehensive post-quantum security framework, and evaluate performance
implications through extensive experimentation. Our experimental results from 50,000 test transactions demonstrate that lattice-based signature schemes can provide equivalent security guarantees with acceptable performance characteristics: 2.34x
signature generation overhead, 1.22x verification overhead, and 292 TPS sustained throughput. The proposed framework includes migration strategies, hybrid security models, and implementation guidelines validated through real-world testnet deployment, providing a practical roadmap for stablecoin issuers to prepare for the post-quantum era.

Index Terms—post-quantum cryptography, stablecoins, smart contracts, lattice-based cryptography, blockchain security, quantum computing, CRYSTALS-Dilithium

Primary Area: other topics in machine learning (i.e., none of the above)

Submission Number: 8471