Ethereum core developers filed a draft proposal on August 24 that could eventually allow the network to retire its current BLS signature system for validator deposits and replace it with post-quantum-resistant cryptography. Covered by Decrypt, Crypto.news, Crowdfund Insider, and COINOTAG, the proposal — designated EIP-8394 and co-authored by Kevaundray Wedderburn, Tom Wambsgans, and Thomas Coratger — would rework the validator deposit contract to accept variable-length public keys and credential metadata of up to 8,192 bytes, compared to the current hard-coded 48-byte BLS format. COINOTAG reported that roughly 42.4 million ETH, valued at approximately $104 billion, is currently staked on Ethereum's consensus layer. Importantly, Decrypt noted the proposal does not select a specific post-quantum algorithm and would not make Ethereum quantum-resistant on its own — a separate consensus-layer change defining verification under new schemes would still be required. Scheme zero preserves current BLS compatibility during any transition. Crypto Briefing noted that EIP-8141, dealing with account-level quantum-safe signature abstraction, is separately under consideration for the Hegotá hard fork expected in late 2026. The Ethereum Foundation has publicly aimed at approximately 2029 for the core post-quantum protocol pieces, according to Crowdfund Insider.