The $15 million Bitcoin security pledge marks the launch of the Bitcoin Security Consortium, a joint initiative formed by nine major financial and crypto giants—including BlackRock, Coinbase, and MicroStrategy (Strategy)—to fund long-term defenses against future quantum computing threats. Key Elements of the Consortium Funding Structure: The $15 million total is an aggregate pledge over three years, rather than a single pooled corporate fund. Independent Selection: Each individual member independently chooses which open-source developers or researchers receive its money. No Network Governance: The group explicitly states it will not dictate protocol changes or influence Bitcoin's decentralized development decisions. Public Education: The coalition will publish open research to serve as a reliable security reference for media and investors. Leadership: Mike Schmidt, the Executive Director of the developer non-profit Brink, is coordinating day-to-day operations on a volunteer basis. The Core Founding Members The consortium spans top-tier institutional asset managers, custodians, infrastructure providers, and corporate holders: Asset Managers & Corporate Holders: BlackRock, MicroStrategy, Fidelity Digital Assets, and Cathie Wood's ARK Invest. Exchanges & Custodians: Coinbase and Anchorage Digital.Infrastructure & Fintech: Jack Dorsey's Block, Blockstream, and Galaxy. Why Quantum Threats Matter Now While a quantum computer capable of cracking Bitcoin's current elliptic curve cryptography does not exist today and is likely years away, changing a decentralized network takes significant time. According to CryptoQuant research, roughly 6.9 million Bitcoin could eventually be vulnerable to a future breakthrough if protections are not implemented early. The pledge will fuel research into post-quantum signature schemes and upgrades—such as BIP 360—which limits the public visibility of wallet keys before transactions.

@Lii Crichton DM’d me a great question today about a hardware wallet. Once you get really going in bitcoin, you’re going to want to get yourself a hardware wallet. A hardware wallet is a small device that you will use to approve any sending of bitcoin from a wallet on your smart phone or computer. It is a second layer of protection to keep you safe and make sure people that access your smartphone or computer can’t access your bitcoin. You want to make sure that your hardware wallet has these features: 1. It’s bitcoin only 2. It’s open source Both of these features have to do with safety and security. Bitcoin only keeps the device much more simple and easier to protect. The more alt coins a hardware wallet supports, the more code it has. The more code it has the more room there is for errors and bugs. Open source means that the software code is not private and everyone can look at it and see what it is. That tens of thousands, maybe even millions, of people are looking at this code for bugs and errors and finding them and fixing them. I would love to know Here in the community is using if they are using a bitcoin, only hardware wallet. Please let us know in the comments.

Hello, I’m AP! I created First Step Bitcoin to help one million people, just like you, get started using bitcoin. I’m excited to have you here! This community exists to help everyday people take their first step toward freedom, wealth, and a future powered by long-term thinking and Bitcoin. Here’s what we’re about: - Buying your first Bitcoin or sats (starting with as little as $10) - Starting Hodl520 – buy $500 of Bitcoin, move it to a safe Bitcoin only wallet, and hold it there for 20 years - Setting up your Bitcoin economy wallet to sell and buy with any other Bitcoin user anywhere in the world with near-zero fees - Building long-term wealth through recurring buys and simple systems - Helping each other learn and grow by building wealth, freedom, and control over our future This space is for you if you’re curious, committed to freedom, wanting to build wealth, or ready to share what you’ve learned with others. 👉 Start by completing the short onboarding process Then… 👇 Introduce yourself in the comments! Let us know: • Where you’re from • An interest or hobby you love • Why you joined First Step Bitcoin We’re glad you’re here. Let’s build the future—together!

The stablecoin bill just passed the house and is headed to the president's desk for signature.

There's something I really love about Skool. It's not just the community. It's not just a great platform. It's the people. People just like you and me. People who know that a good gif can be worth 10,000 words! So, if you had to describe Bitcoin in one gif, what would it be? I'm really looking forward to seeing what you come up with!