LONGITUDE Recap: Bitcoin, Quantum Risk and US Crypto Policy
Executives at the LONGITUDE conference in Hong Kong emphasized the need to address Bitcoin’s technological risks and called for clearer U.S. regulation. The Feb. 12 event, co-hosted by crypto exchange OneBullEx, opened with a fireside chat featuring Tron founder Justin Sun, who said the sector should prepare for advances in artificial general intelligence (AGI) and develop straightforward standards for AGI to interact with blockchain.
The program included three panel discussions on the potential impact of quantum computing on Bitcoin, the outlook for the U.S. CLARITY Act, and the state of crypto infrastructure as it scales toward a trillion-dollar capacity. Despite market volatility late in 2025, participants expressed optimism about the industry’s trajectory.
Analyst: Bitcoin valuation should reflect quantum risk until mitigated
Panelists debated the degree to which quantum computing poses a near-term threat to Bitcoin. Capriole Investments founder Charles Edwards said the risk should be factored into current pricing until quantum-resistant measures are in place, adding that concerns around the technology were a key reason Bitcoin ended 2025 below where it began. He noted quantum became a “non-zero threat” and that U.S.-based Bitcoin ETF issuers introduced risk disclosures related to quantum.
Matthew Roszak, chairman of Bloq and co-founder of Hemi, described the likely path forward as a two-step process of upgrading and stabilizing the network. Akshat Vaidya, managing partner and co-founder at Maelstrom, called quantum an “existential threat” but anticipated a proportionate and coordinated industry response.
US CLARITY Act viewed as pivotal for the sector
In December, White House crypto and AI adviser David Sacks said the U.S. is “closer than ever” to passing the CLARITY Act, which seeks to provide more definitive rules for the industry. Although the bill has not yet passed, panelists said the U.S. regulatory stance has become more accommodating since President Donald Trump took office.
Sean McHugh, senior director at Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority and a former U.S. TradFi professional, cited Dubai’s commitment to regulatory clarity as a primary reason for relocating about a year and a half ago, noting that the U.S. environment has evolved since then.
Craig Salm, chief legal officer at Grayscale Investments, referenced previous jurisdictional disputes between the SEC and CFTC during the Joe Biden administration and said the agencies are now coordinating to provide needed clarity for digital assets.
Questions remain about infrastructure capacity for trillion-dollar flows
When asked whether current crypto infrastructure can handle trillion-dollar institutional flows, Offchain Labs chief strategy officer A.J. Warner said it is “probably not yet” ready.
Joanita Titan, head of institutional growth at Monad Foundation, agreed, stating that while billion-dollar payments or processing are manageable, trillion-dollar scale is not yet feasible. Warner identified the largest bottlenecks as continued scaling, network resilience, and user experience.
The LONGITUDE series is scheduled to continue in 2026, with editions planned for New York, Paris, Dubai, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi.
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