The community of Starknet, a layer-2 network on top of Ethereum, voted with 93.5% of voting power in favour of exploring a move to an independent layer-1 blockchain designed to withstand quantum computers. More than 2,800 wallets took part in the seven-day vote, while StarkWare did not vote. The vote does not decide the move: a draft whitepaper is expected in November and further votes will follow. The aim is for the network to be safe against quantum attacks during 2027, with STRK remaining the token and bridges staying open.

What it means: The threat quantum computers pose to cryptography is not immediate, but moving to new algorithms takes years, which is why bodies such as NIST and ENISA are already asking for migration plans. Starknet uses STARK proofs based on hash functions, considered more resistant, but it depends on Ethereum, which has a slower timeline for the same transition. So the community is asking whether independence is worth it to gain time. The choice has a cost: a network that leaves Ethereum loses part of the security and liquidity it inherits. Beyond crypto, the topic concerns every Greek business that relies on cryptography for signatures, certificates, banking interfaces or long-term document archiving. The European Commission has already published a roadmap asking member states to start moving to post-quantum cryptography by the end of 2026 for the most critical systems. A practical first step is an inventory of where and how cryptography is used, so it is clear what must change once the new standards become mandatory.

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