NEAR Protocol has deployed its v2.13.0 mainnet upgrade, introducing a quantum-resistant digital signature system based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-approved ML-DSA-65 algorithm. The upgrade allows account holders to migrate to post-quantum cryptography through a single on-chain transaction without transferring assets or changing account addresses, marking a significant milestone in blockchain security.
The release also includes two additional features: automatic shard splitting to improve network scalability and a gas sponsorship mechanism designed to simplify onboarding by allowing applications to cover users’ transaction fees. Together, the enhancements aim to strengthen both the protocol’s security and usability.
The v2.13.0 upgrade enables NEAR users to adopt the NIST-approved ML-DSA-65 quantum-resistant signature scheme with a single on-chain transaction while retaining their existing account identities and assets.
Quantum Computing Raises Security Urgency
The upgrade comes as concerns over quantum computing continue to grow. Recent advances in quantum research have suggested that the computing resources required to break widely used elliptic-curve cryptography may be lower than previously estimated. Since elliptic-curve cryptography secures wallets on major blockchain networks, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, the industry has been reassessing its long-term cryptographic strategies.
The urgency has also increased following a U.S. executive order issued in June 2026 requiring federal agencies to transition high-value systems to post-quantum cryptography by the end of the decade, with digital signature migration scheduled for completion by 2031. The policy reflects concerns that attackers could collect encrypted information today with the intention of decrypting it once sufficiently powerful quantum computers become available.
NEAR selected the ML-DSA-65 parameter set from the NIST-standardized Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Algorithm, finalized in 2024. The algorithm is intended to provide quantum-resistant authentication while balancing security and computational efficiency.
Account Architecture Simplifies Migration
Unlike traditional elliptic-curve signatures, ML-DSA requires significantly larger public keys and digital signatures, increasing storage and processing requirements. As a result, NEAR adopted an optional migration strategy that allows existing Ed25519 and secp256k1 signing methods to remain available alongside the new quantum-resistant alternative.
The account model NEAR designed years ago was built with the quantum threat in mind.
Post-quantum signing is on testnet now, and NEAR is rolling out upgrades to secure the protocol, the Intents ecosystem and the agent economy.
Dive into NEAR’s quantum readiness. https://t.co/zJLwTLvQZR
— NEAR Protocol (@NEARProtocol) July 14, 2026
The protocol’s account model plays a central role in this migration. NEAR separates account identities from cryptographic access keys, allowing users to replace signing keys without changing account names or moving funds. This design contrasts with networks where wallet addresses are permanently tied to public keys, making large-scale cryptographic migration more complex.
Developers behind the protocol indicated that integrating the new cryptographic standard into the blockchain is only the first phase of adoption. Wallet software, application programming interfaces, hardware security modules, and user interfaces must also support the larger key sizes before quantum-resistant signing becomes widely accessible.
Current hardware wallets do not yet support ML-DSA signing, and developers are continuing to work with wallet providers to expand compatibility across the ecosystem.
Automatic Scaling and Gas Sponsorship
Beyond quantum-resistant security, the upgrade introduces automatic shard splitting, allowing the network to increase capacity dynamically by creating additional shards whenever network demand exceeds predefined thresholds without requiring governance intervention or downtime.
The feature removes a manual scaling process that previously required validator coordination and community approval before expanding network capacity. The automated mechanism is intended to help the blockchain accommodate fluctuating workloads, particularly as decentralized applications and autonomous artificial intelligence agents generate increasingly unpredictable transaction volumes.
The upgrade also introduces Gas Keys, enabling applications to sponsor transaction fees through pre-funded accounts. This mechanism removes the requirement for new users to own NEAR tokens before interacting with decentralized applications, reducing a common barrier to adoption.
Broader Industry Implications
While other blockchain projects have experimented with post-quantum cryptography, NEAR’s implementation stands out because it has been deployed on an established public Layer 1 blockchain while using the same NIST-approved ML-DSA standard adopted by U.S. federal agencies for future cryptographic migration.
Ethereum has outlined plans to pursue account abstraction as part of its own long-term post-quantum strategy, while Bitcoin developers have proposed migration approaches that remain under discussion. Both ecosystems continue to face architectural challenges because wallet addresses are directly linked to cryptographic keys.
Although widespread adoption will depend on wallet support, NEAR‘s latest release demonstrates that quantum-resistant digital signatures can now operate on a live public blockchain while allowing users to migrate without transferring assets or creating new accounts.
