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Blockstream Quarterly Update – Q1 2026

Blockstream Quarterly Update - Q1 2026
Blockstream Quarterly Update - Q1 2026

In the most recent update, Blockstream delivered a landmark quarter. We executed the primary publish-quantum signed transactions on the Bitcoin-based Liquid Network, enabled the primary {hardware} pockets–secured Lightning funds, launched actual-time blockchain knowledge infrastructure for builders, and expanded its institutional presence throughout seven nations. Together, these milestones additional outline Blockstream’s position in supporting Bitcoin’s evolution throughout shopper, enterprise, and developer ecosystems. 

Major Q1 Highlights

Q1 was 1 / 4 of firsts. Blockstream Research broadcast the primary publish-quantum-signed transactions on a manufacturing sidechain. Jade turned the primary {hardware} pockets to ship and obtain Lightning funds by means of chilly storage. A sustained institutional calendar spanning seven nations, a brand new actual-time developer API, and strategic {hardware} partnerships rounded out three months outlined by the form of product breakthroughs that solely a full-stack Bitcoin infrastructure firm can ship.

  • Post-quantum milestone: Blockstream Research deployed SHRINCS publish-quantum signature verification utilizing Simplicity, broadcasting the primary publish-quantum-signed transactions on Liquid.
  • Jade Lightning payments: The Blockstream app 5.2.0 pairs with Jade to ship the primary chilly-storage-secured Lightning funds expertise in any Bitcoin pockets.
  • Desktop app: Blockstream desktop app 3.0.0 and three.1.0: A floor-up redesign with constructed-in bitcoin buying, adopted by Lightning ↔ Liquid swaps arriving on desktop.
  • Jade Plus Colors: Along with new partnerships, we revealed three new colours for Jade Plus in its glossy steel end.
  • Global institutional presence: Blockstream introduced throughout El Salvador, Dubai, Zurich, the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Italy, and Miami to advance institutional and developer adoption.
  • Explorer API Electrum RPC: Real-time tackle monitoring by way of persistent connections, batch requests, and compatibility with the Waterfalls protocol.
  • Lightning: Core Lightning 25.12.1 and cln-utility v26.01: Critical fixes for brand new nodes and a refreshed utility layer with sooner load occasions, improved UX, and stronger system resilience.

Blockstream Research — Post-Quantum Security and Beyond

The quantum dialog has been loud for the reason that flip of the brand new yr. While debates roar surrounding Bitcoin’s efficacy in a publish-quantum world, our analysis workforce has been making main advances in publish-quantum cryptography, cross-enter signature aggregation, and Simplicity tooling throughout analysis and growth.

Post-Quantum Signature Deployment on Liquid

Blockstream Research achieved a serious milestone in Q1 2026: deploying post-quantum signature verification on the Liquid Network utilizing Simplicity good contracts and broadcasting the primary transactions on a manufacturing Bitcoin sidechain signed with a publish-quantum signature scheme, securing actual worth on Liquid mainnet.

The deployment makes use of SHRINCS, a compact hash-based mostly publish-quantum signature scheme developed by Blockstream Research particularly for blockchain environments. SHRINCS provides two modes: a stateful mode producing compact signatures for regular operation, and a stateless fallback making certain fund restoration if state is misplaced. The scheme depends solely on hash perform assumptions already underpinning Bitcoin’s design.

Rather than requiring a consensus change, the workforce constructed an entire publish-quantum signature verifier utilizing Simplicity’s customized spending circumstances. You can voluntarily lock belongings, together with Liquid bitcoin (LBTC), stablecoins, and tokenized securities, to contracts requiring publish-quantum signatures. Two manufacturing transactions demonstrated the system: one using a stateful signature and one using the stateless fallback. In a nod to the cypherpunk roots of the work, additional transaction house was crammed with the Bitcoin whitepaper.

This builds on earlier Q1 momentum, the place Blockstream cryptography engineer Mikhail Kudinov and Director of Research Jonas Nick posted to the Bitcoin-Dev mailing record about evaluating hash-based mostly signatures as a publish-quantum different to ECDSA and Schnorr.

The verifier is open-supply and accessible on GitHub. The signing code can also be accessible, and technical dialogue continues on Delving Bitcoin.

The deployment acquired protection throughout BTC Times, MEXC News, and different retailers.

DahLIAS Accepted to Eurocrypt 2026

In March, Blockstream Research introduced that the DahLIAS paper has been accepted to Eurocrypt 2026 in Rome. DahLIAS allows cross-enter signature aggregation (CISA) on Bitcoin’s secp256k1 curve, a way that would meaningfully scale back transaction sizes and charges on the Bitcoin community. The paper was co-authored by Yannick Seurin (Ledger), Tim Ruffing, and Jonas Nick of Blockstream Research.

Simplicity Development

Simplicity is the high-assurance good contracting protocol bringing larger monetary expressivity to Bitcoin. Our tooling continued to mature by means of Q1:

  • Language server protocol (LSP): The analysis workforce shipped an LSP implementation for SimplicityHL, offering autocomplete and IDE integration. Developers can now write Simplicity packages with rapid suggestions on accessible performance.
  • Simplicity SDK (Simplex) is launched.
  • LWK is now the first strategy to work together with Simplicity contracts.
  • Jade signing help for Simplicity works.
  • A prototype lending contract, linked to the Blockstream app and Jade signing help are actually working.
  • Simplicity Unchained as a strategy to convey Simplicity Execution to chains apart from Liquid.
  • Lending Smart contracts are written and dealing.
  • A distributed exchange (DEX) for matching good contract makers and takers is constructed. 
  • SHRINCS verifier: The publish-quantum signature verifier deployed on Liquid mainnet represents essentially the most advanced actual-world Simplicity program so far, demonstrating the language’s functionality for manufacturing-grade cryptographic functions.
  • Active GitHub growth: Multiple Blockstream Research repositories acquired updates by means of Q1, together with rust-simplicity, SimplicityHL, simplicity-contracts, and secp256k1-zkp.

Documentation work continues because the workforce prepares to welcome new builders to the Simplicity ecosystem. Join the Simplicity community on Telegram, observe @blksresearch on X, or attend weekly Office Hours each Tuesday at 8 AM PST.

Additional Research Highlights

Beyond the headline deployments, analysis exercise remained constant by means of Q1:

  • PQ provers for P2PKH outputs: Oleg Kurbatov revealed benchmarks and analysis on publish-quantum migration methods for unmigrated Bitcoin UTXOs, exploring whether or not proof-of-information schemes can shield cash with out freezing them.
  • BLISK: New analysis on sensible boolean authorization insurance policies compiled into MuSig2-fashion keys for advanced Bitcoin custody situations, discussed on Bitcoin Optech.
  • Shielded CSV: Andrew Poelstra shared work on a mannequin the place blockchain validation is flipped: customers confirm coin historical past themselves, and the chain turns into an ordering layer, not an execution engine.
  • OP_SHRINCSVERIFY: Jonas Nick will current on the principle stage at OP_NEXT 2026 in April a couple of proposed new opcode enabling SHRINCS publish-quantum signatures instantly on Bitcoin.
  • SHRIMPS: Building on SHRINCS, Jonas Nick launched SHRIMPS on the finish of Q1, extending compact hash-based mostly signatures to multi-system situations. SHRIMPS produces 2.5 KB signatures from any system loaded from the identical seed backup, eradicating the one-system constraint whereas sustaining signatures thrice smaller than SLH-DSA.
  • libsecp256k1-zkp: In late March, Blockstream Research accomplished a serious sync of libsecp256k1-zkp, the prolonged fork of Bitcoin’s core cryptographic library, incorporating 2.5 years of upstream libsecp256k1 enhancements. The replace brings sooner check frameworks, improved MuSig2 documentation, efficiency optimizations, and safety hardening to the library that powers Elements, Liquid Wallet Kit, Blockstream Explorer API, Jade, the Blockstream app, Core Lightning, and the whole Liquid ecosystem.

Blockstream App — Cold Storage Meets Instant Settlement

The firsts continued on Blockstream’s shopper entrance. In March, the Blockstream app 5.2.0 delivered what no different Bitcoin pockets has achieved: Lightning funds secured by a {hardware} pockets’s chilly storage. By combining the app’s native Liquid ↔ Lightning swap performance with Jade‘s air-gapped signing, now you can obtain Lightning funds that settle to {hardware}-secured chilly storage, or ship Lightning funds funded instantly from it.

The sensible implications attain past the technical structure. For retailers, it means accepting Lightning funds at level-of-sale on to the protection of chilly storage with out involving a custodian or third social gathering. For common stackers, it means Lightning withdrawals to Jade-secured LBTC that helps to maximise charge financial savings and reduce time caught in transaction processing. There’s no higher strategy to entry Lightning’s pace whereas sustaining chilly-storage safety.

In one circulate, you’re maximizing transaction pace, optimizing your unspent transaction outputs (UTXOs), and enhancing your bitcoin’s safety.

Desktop App — Strengthening the Foundation

The Blockstream desktop app 3.0.0, launched in January, laid the inspiration with a floor-up redesign. Built-in bitcoin buying by way of Apple Pay, Google Pay, debit and credit score, and wire transfers means you now not want an exterior change to stack sats into self-custody. A redesigned house dashboard consolidates Bitcoin and Liquid balances alongside actual-time pricing. Interactive worth charts, improved ship and obtain flows, and a devoted safety tab spherical out a self-contained Bitcoin setting the place you should purchase, maintain, transact, and safe your digital belongings with out leaving the app.

In March, desktop app 3.1.0 introduced Lightning ↔ Liquid swaps to desktop for the primary time. You can now obtain and ship Lightning funds from the desktop with the identical chilly-storage safety as cell, with out reaching in your cellphone. The launch additionally contains enhanced 2FA presentation for current multisig classes, improved Jade {hardware} pockets verification, and a refreshed onboarding expertise that makes first-time setup sooner and clearer.

Together, these updates are laying groundwork for a unified, strong command middle for critical Bitcoin administration, the place deeper UTXO visibility and a full-display workspace provide the management you want.

Download the Blockstream app for desktop.

Jade Plus — New Colors, New Partners

In February, Blockstream expanded the Jade Plus lineup with three new steel colour variants: Rose Gold, Stealth Black, and Sovereign Green. These be a part of the prevailing Genesis Grey and Lunar Silver steel choices, alongside the $149 Black plastic variant. All fashions share similar firmware, safety structure, and the identical open-supply Blind Oracle design, so whichever colour you choose, you get the identical safety.

The following month, Blockstream introduced that Jade is now officially supported by Unchained. You can now use your totally open-supply, Bitcoin-only Jade as a key inside Unchained‘s collaborative 2-of-3 multisig custody vaults, providing a pure improve path from single-signature to collaborative custody with out switching {hardware}.

Earlier within the quarter, Swan started together with a Jade Plus in each Swan Vault welcome package deal, placing Jade instantly within the fingers of Swan’s rising consumer base.

Blockstream Enterprise — Taking the Institutional Stage

Blockstream Enterprise maintained an aggressive Q1 calendar, presenting throughout seven nations to allocators, treasury groups, and monetary establishments.

In late January, a concentrated stretch of institutional exercise kicked off in El Salvador. CEO Adam Back and Director of Enterprise Products Sagun Garg spoke on the Bitcoin Capital Summit on the Liquid Network and tokenization with institutional audiences. The similar week, the workforce attended Bitfinex Securities Day in San Salvador, the place tokenization’s increasing position in Latin American capital markets took middle stage. With over $250 million in tokenized digital belongings on the Bitfinex Securities platform, the occasion introduced regulators, monetary establishments, and issuers collectively to debate market inclusion by means of Bitcoin-native infrastructure constructed on Liquid.

Adam then joined the Plan B Forum for a panel titled “The Rise of Bitcoin-Based Capital Markets: STO and actual-world-asset (RWA) Issuances on Liquid Network,” exploring Security Token Offerings and Real World Asset tokenization constructed on Liquid. The broader Blockstream presence at Plan B included Pablo Greco main a Liquid workshop and a sales space that includes Jade Plus demos and gross sales.

Institutional engagement prolonged throughout a number of continents by means of Q1. Executives attended the invitation-solely Satoshi Roundtable XII in Dubai for enterprise growth discussions. In early February, Adam spoke on the principle stage at Cayman Crypto Week, the place executives additionally attended a Board of Directors assembly and extra BD engagements. Blockstream hosted a VIP aspect occasion throughout Consensus Hong Kong week, participating with institutional audiences at Asia’s largest blockchain convention.

In February, Blockstream hosted the Liquid Strategy Summit in Viareggio, Italy, a non-public gathering for Liquid Federation members and the Blockstream Liquid workforce. The summit featured discussions on Simplicity-powered prediction markets, DEXs, 0-conf settlement, quantum readiness, new Liquid and RWA tokenization tooling, and 2026 roadmap planning. Adam additionally spoke at Global Alts Miami, one of many largest different asset administration conferences on the planet, discussing Bitcoin’s lengthy-time period outlook with institutional allocators. 

The quarter’s institutional push culminated in Zurich in early March on the Web3 Banking Symposium by Crypto Valley, the place Blockstream was a presenting accomplice alongside FTI Consulting. Adam delivered a keynote titled “Tokenization Without Trust: Why Markets Will Settle on Bitcoin,” whereas Sagun and Head of Delivery Stefan Keller led a workshop on danger-resilient on-chain digital belongings banking for institutional audiences. The workshop addressed a query Blockstream hears repeatedly from banks and asset managers: methods to combine Bitcoin-native infrastructure with out compromising on safety, compliance, or operational continuity. The workforce walked by means of on-premise custody deployment and 24/7 settlement operations for digital belongings and tokenized RWAs.

These conversations replicate the route Blockstream Enterprise is constructing towards: custody infrastructure that establishments can deploy on their very own premises, compliance frameworks aligned with rising regulatory requirements like CARF, and settlement structure that operates across the clock on Bitcoin and Liquid rails.

Later in March, Blockstream sponsored the Japan Bitcoin Future Forum in Yokohama alongside Metaplanet and Bitcoin Japan Inc., marking the corporate’s first main presence at a Japanese Bitcoin convention. The workforce demonstrated Jade Plus and engaged with institutional and retail audiences throughout Asia’s rising Bitcoin market.

The quarter’s institutional calendar closed with a workshop on the USI Long Night of Careers in Lugano. Product Manager Enterprise Gianmarco Guazzo, Business Developer Aron Clementi, and Head of Delivery Stefan Keller introduced on Bitcoin infrastructure, Swiss banking integration, and career opportunities throughout Blockstream’s 30+ open roles in Switzerland.

Explorer API — Real-Time Data at Scale

In February, Blockstream launched Electrum RPC support for the Blockstream Explorer API, including actual-time blockchain monitoring to its current REST API capabilities for Bitcoin and the Liquid Network.

The Electrum RPC protocol gives persistent, stateful connections that ship three key capabilities: tackle subscription for push notifications on steadiness modifications, block header subscription for brand new block notifications, and batch request processing. If you are constructing wallets, exchanges, or analytics platforms, this eliminates the necessity for fixed polling and reduces latency for efficiency-essential functions. The protocol is suitable with decade-previous, battle-examined tooling accessible throughout each main programming language.

The new protocol pairs with QuickSync, which makes use of the open-supply Waterfalls protocol developed by Blockstream engineer Riccardo Casatta. Together, they permit quick preliminary pockets synchronization adopted by actual-time monitoring, decreasing sync occasions from hours to minutes. QuickSync presently operates by means of Liquid Wallet Kit, with integrations in progress for Green Development Kit (GDK) and Bitcoin Development Kit (BDK).

Electrum RPC is accessible throughout all tiers:

  • Free: Rate-limited entry for particular person builders
  • Basic and Advanced: Scaled entry with manufacturing-grade limits
  • Enterprise: Unlimited connections with devoted infrastructure and precedence help

Get started with Blockstream Explorer API right this moment. Reach out for enterprise inquiries.

Lightning — Keeping the Network Honest

The @Core_LN account spotlighted Validating Lightning Signer’s (VLS) newest weblog publish, the Lightning Security Spectrum, highlighting Greenlight as safe non-custodial Lightning infrastructure. Greenlight combines cloud-based mostly node operations with consumer-managed signing (because of the VLS Project!) to ship safe, non-custodial Lightning infrastructure.

Blockstream Quarterly Update - Q1 2026

In January, cln-application delivered a collection of updates centered on effectivity, usability, and robustness. The v26.01 launch included sooner preliminary web page load occasions, and an enhanced consumer expertise introducing options like refreshable record views, improved chart readability, and fiat worth tooltips. We additionally strengthened system resilience by addressing dependency vulnerabilities and bettering error dealing with round fiat charge fetching.

Blockstream Quarterly Update - Q1 2026

Core Lightning 25.12.1 shipped: a really helpful level launch, addressing essential fixes particularly for nodes created with 25.12. Key fixes included right signing for non-taproot addresses on new nodes, mnemonic hsm_secret file dealing with, pay and askrene plugin stability enhancements, and improved gossipd and lightningd crash prevention.

On the group entrance, Lightning Product Manager Michael Blankenship led an interactive Lightning workshop at Plan B El Salvador in late January, exploring what it should take to optimize Lightning for mass adoption.

Media & Event Highlights

Blockstream Quarterly Update - Q1 2026

Blockstream stayed lively within the media all through Q1:

  • Jonas Nick joined the Stephan Livera Podcast to debate publish-quantum signature analysis for Bitcoin.
  • Jonas Nick joined the TFTC podcast to debate creating and deploying publish-quantum safety for Bitcoin.
  • CMO Peter Bain sat down with BeInCrypto on the occasion to debate accelerating Bitcoin adoption and actual-world utilization.
  • Peter Bain mentioned quantum computing and its implications for cryptography on FINTECH TV Global.
  • Adam Back appeared on the Plan B El Salvador Podcast from the Mempool Stage, overlaying Bitcoin’s lengthy-time period outlook and cypherpunk values.
  • Adam Back joined CNBC’s Closing Bell Overtime to debate Bitcoin’s downturn, noting that pullbacks are in line with historic 4-yr cycles.
  • Adam Back sat down with BlockchaiNorth to debate Bitcoin cycles, institutional adoption, and why this part might play out otherwise.
  • Adam Back sat down with Tati Topp through the Web3 Banking Symposium to debate enterprise custody use circumstances and quantum readiness.
  • Adam Back served on the judging panel for the Cyphertank show placed on at Plan B El Salvador. 

On the group entrance, the Blockstream Local program continued to increase grassroots Bitcoin schooling throughout Q1. Meetup organizers in Gabon, France, and Italy acquired open-supply {hardware} and self-custody assets to equip their communities with sensible Bitcoin information. Blockstream additionally ran a pay-with-Bitcoin marketing campaign, encouraging customers to movie themselves paying with the Blockstream app wherever Bitcoin is accepted, with individuals reimbursed for his or her purchases. Get involved and get paid!

Looking Ahead

Blockstream is in relentless pursuit of latest options, merchandise, and capabilities that push us nearer to a way forward for finance that’s constructed on Bitcoin. Q1 2026 set the tone with Jade Lightning funds and publish-quantum signatures on Liquid, two milestones that reveal Blockstream’s potential to ship strong merchandise and options. As Q2 kicks off, right here’s what we’re centered on:

  • Consumer: Jade Lightning adoption and ecosystem growth continues. New Jade product developments are on the best way, and continued options for the Blockstream app. 
  • Enterprise: Expanding Blockstream’s suite of merchandise to serve institutional wants throughout custody, tokenization, and settlement. Extending Explorer APIs to new audiences and additional solidifying Liquid’s institutional place with an upcoming protocol improve.
  • Research: Extending publish-quantum protections to further Liquid subsystems,  refreshing Simplicity documentation to welcome new developer audiences, and concentrating on Simplicity activation on a Bitcoin testnet.
  • Community: Continued Jade distribution to educators and advocacy for larger self-custody adoption.

For extra data, go to blockstream.com, attain out to press@blockstream.com, or DM @Blockstream on X.

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