According to @BitMEXResearch, adopting post-quantum cryptography too early in Bitcoin could have missed more efficient schemes, citing a Dec 11, 2025 proposal by n1ckler with signatures around 350 bytes (source: BitMEX Research tweet Dec 23, 2025; delvingbitcoin.org SHRINCS thread Dec 11, 2025). The proposal thread titled SHRINCS: 324-byte stateful post-quantum signatures with static backups documents a design targeting 324-byte stateful PQ signatures with static backups (source: delvingbitcoin.org SHRINCS thread Dec 11, 2025). Smaller signatures directly reduce per-input virtual size, which determines transaction fees and blockspace usage on Bitcoin where fees are priced by vbytes (source: BIP 141 SegWit; Bitcoin Core fee policy documentation). For traders, this signals that future PQ pathways may impose less overhead on capacity and fee markets than previously assumed, keeping BTC network cost projections tied to ongoing cryptography R&D rather than imminent protocol changes (source: BitMEX Research tweet Dec 23, 2025; delvingbitcoin.org SHRINCS thread Dec 11, 2025).