According to recent reports, VanEck executives have warned that the company may be forced to reduce or exit its Bitcoin holdings due to the rising risks of quantum computing.
The company’s CEO, Jan van Eck, said, “If we believe that the theory is fundamentally broken, we will withdraw from Bitcoin,” a policy that has sparked debate in the market and across the crypto community.
Matt Siegel, head of digital assets research at VanEck, added that if quantum machines reach a level that threatens current cryptography, a narrow “window of uncertainty” could open.
Van Eck issues a stern warning.
VanEck’s comments focus on the time between a reliable quantum breakthrough and a complete transition to post-quantum signatures across networks.
According to the report, this gap can be dangerous because attackers could use this period to steal funds or undermine trust.
Some researchers estimate that a prudent transition may require approximately 76 days of highly coordinated action. This is a logistical challenge for decentralized networks, where major changes are typically slow.
VanEck CEO Jan van Eck said on CNBC:
“There are other things happening within the Bitcoin community that people who are not interested in crypto should know about.
And that, as it turns out, VanEck was around before Bitcoin. If we believe this thesis is fundamentally about… pic.twitter.com/pCUtuqBVHD
— Arjun Khemani (@arjunkhemani) November 22, 2025
Technical and coordination hurdles
Bitcoin’s current encryption relies on elliptic curve signatures. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer can run known algorithms to derive private keys from public data.
That’s technological fear. According to the report, making Bitcoin “quantum secure” could mean adopting lattice-based or hash-based schemes and orchestrating hard forks.
BTCUSD trading at $86,216 on the 24-hour chart: TradingView
Coordination is difficult because miners, exchanges, wallet creators, and node operators all need to agree. It’s not just the math, but the difficulty of it that is the center of my worries.
Mr. VanEck’s public stance is also a move to hedge risk. The company has launched investment products related to quantum technology, signaling that it expects quantum computing to become financially significant.
VanEck CEO said: $BTC Quantum risk and the readiness to abandon it if the risk increases.
Bitcoin must be quantum proven in 2026.
— Ted (@TedPillows) November 22, 2025
At the same time, the CEO’s warning put pressure on institutional investors to reevaluate their risk models and contingency plans. Some long-time Bitcoin holders are said to be eyeing privacy coins that emphasize different cryptographic approaches.
Market and policy implications
Market confidence could change quickly if an institutional investor with Mr. VanEck’s profile signals a possible exit. Institutional flow is important. A scramble to move large holdings could increase price volatility and trigger further sell orders.
Regulators and national security officials are also taking notice. Guidance from some national cyber centers suggests that critical systems be post-quantum protected well before a threat is imminent, with planning horizons spanning the next decade.
Featured image is from Yuichiro Kayano/Getty Images, chart is from TradingView
