Could Quantum Computers Break Crypto by 2029? Silvio Micali, Algorand Founder on Fiat Chain, Privacy

*What happens when one of the minds behind modern cryptography looks at Bitcoin, institutions, quantum risk, and the future of blockchain?* In this episode of Inside the Blockchain 100 (orig. "The Mind Behind Modern Cryptography" on Binance Square), Karin sits down with Silvio Micali — Turing Award laureate, MIT professor, zero-knowledge proof pioneer, and founder of Algorand — for a deep conversation on where blockchain came from and where it may be heading next. Silvio reflects on reading the Bitcoin whitepaper, why Satoshi’s breakthrough was both simple and visionary, and how blockchain is now moving from speculation toward real institutional use. He also explains why incentives can be dangerous if designed poorly, why he is working on Fiat Chain, a public tokenless consensus blockchain, and why he believes the next generation of chains must offer stronger security, transparency, privacy, quantum readiness, and better tools for institutions to confidently bring real-world assets on-chain. *In this interview, you’ll understand:* ✅ Silvio Micali’s first reaction to the Bitcoin whitepaper and why he sees Bitcoin as a remarkable marriage of vision and existing tools ✅ Why incentives in blockchain systems can be tricky, and how they can sometimes create unexpected or opposite behavior ✅ Fiat Chain: a public tokenless consensus blockchain designed to avoid market-cap-based security limits ✅ Why Silvio believes private chains are limited, and why public chains matter for global trust, liquidity, developers, and network effects ✅ How institutions could bring real-world assets like bonds on-chain without bringing old opaque systems with them ✅ Why transparency and privacy do not have to be opposites thanks to zero-knowledge proofs ✅ Why hacks often come from human weakness rather than broken cryptography, and how better key management can reduce user error ✅ What quantum computing actually threatens, and why blockchains should prepare with post-quantum security now ✅ His response to Algorand community concerns and why no decentralized blockchain should depend on one person ✅ His 10-year outlook: AI agents, institutional use, national use cases, and blockchain continuing to evolve ⏱️ Timestamps: ⏳ 00:00 – Highlights with Silvio Micali ⏳ 00:29 – Introduction to Blockchain 100 and Silvio Micali ⏳ 01:12 – Silvio’s first reaction to the Bitcoin whitepaper back in 2008 ⏳ 03:47 – From payments to price speculation: what happened to blockchain’s original promise? ⏳ 05:32 – Incentives and token-less consensus with Fiat Chain: a public tokenless consensus blockchain ⏳ 10:22 – How Fiat Chain differs from private enterprise blockchains ⏳ 15:45 – Are institutions & intermediaries coming into crypto antithetical to the heart of crypto? ⏳ 17:54 – What should actually be disintermediated? ⏳ 20:39 – What would real deployment look like in crypto? Bonds, atomic swaps, correlated payments, and why trust matters in finance ⏳ 22:27 – Is blockchain too transparent for institutions? Privacy, transparency, and zero-knowledge proofs ⏳ 25:43 – Privacy: Hacks, stolen keys, and the human problem in crypto security ⏳ 28:07 – Real utility vs quick-buck projects: Why technologists should solve problems instead of only complaining ⏳ 29:17 – Smart contracts: why they matter, and are we using them correctly? ⏳ 34:22 – Quantum computing and what crypto holders should understand ⏳ 37:33 – What quantum computing means for an individual crypto holder ⏳ 39:40 – How prepared are major blockchains for quantum risk? ⏳ 40:10 – Timeline for quantum security and why chains should not procrastinate ⏳ 41:52 – Algorand community concerns and Silvio’s response ⏳ 44:23 – Blockchain in 10 years: AI agents, institutions, governments, and continued evolution ⏳ 46:08 – Final Question from Silvio and Closing #Blockchain100 #Algorand #Cryptography #Blockchain #QuantumComputing #binance *⚠️ RISK WARNING:* Digital asset prices can be volatile. The value of your investment may go down or up and you may not get back the amount invested. You are solely responsible for your investment decisions and Binance is not liable for any losses you may incur. It is your responsibility to ascertain whether you are permitted to use the services of Binance based on your individual circumstances. Not financial advice. For more information, see our Terms of Use and Risk Warning. *📢 Join the conversation:* ➡️ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/binance ➡️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/binance ➡️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/binance ➡️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@binance ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/binance ➡️ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/binance *🔗 Download Binance here (iOS, Android):* https://binance.onelink.me/y874/cb98de36 *🔗 Sign up for Binance here:* https://www.binance.com/en?ref=ERQKP7ND&utm_source=BinanceYoutube&utm_medium=GlobalSocial&utm_campaign=GlobalSocial