English

How does post-quantum cryptography affect Central Bank Digital Currency?

Cryptography and Security 2024-03-19 v2

Abstract

Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is an emerging trend in digital payments, with the vast majority of central banks around the world researching, piloting, or even operating a digital version of cash. While design choices differ broadly, such as accounts vs. tokens, the wallets are generally protected through cryptographic algorithms that safeguard against double spending and ensure non-repudiation. With the advent of quantum computing, these algorithms are threatened by new attack vectors. To better understand those threats, we conducted a study of typical assets in a CBDC system, describe which ones are most amenable to post-quantum cryptography, and propose an upgrade strategy.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2308.15787,
  title  = {How does post-quantum cryptography affect Central Bank Digital Currency?},
  author = {Lars Hupel and Makan Rafiee},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2308.15787},
  year   = {2024}
}

Comments

Extended version with an additional section on the new attack model posed by quantum computing

R2 v1 2026-06-28T12:08:04.263Z