The cryptocurrency industry is beginning to prepare for a new and potentially existential challenge: the possibility that quantum computers could eventually break the cryptographic systems that protect digital assets, transactions and wallets.

Quantum computers are designed to solve certain complex mathematical problems far faster than today’s most advanced conventional computers. If the technology reaches the required level of capability, it could undermine traditional encryption methods that secure digital information, posing a major risk to the roughly $2 trillion global cryptocurrency market, which relies on blockchain networks protected by decades-old cryptography.