FOR BANK CISOS AND SECURITY ARCHITECTS
Post-quantum key protection for financial infrastructure
SWIFT messaging, payment rails, and inter-bank settlement require hardware-grade cryptographic protection. CQ1 secures those operations with NIST-finalized PQC before the harvest-now-decrypt-later window closes.
THE THREAT
What's at stake in financial services
Intercepted SWIFT messages
Nation-state actors record encrypted inter-bank SWIFT messaging today. When quantum computing reaches cryptographic relevance, those records become readable — exposing transaction histories, account details, and financial positions.
Compromised long-lived keys
CA root keys, master key encryption keys, and signing keys issued today may remain in service for 10–20 years. Keys generated with classical algorithms will be compromised before they expire — if quantum harvesting proceeds on current timelines.
Regulatory pressure
NIST SP 800-131A Rev 3 transition guidance, OMB M-23-02, and emerging EU financial-sector quantum readiness directives all point to the same mandate: post-quantum migration for regulated cryptographic operations must begin now.
USE CASES
Where CQ1 integrates in financial infrastructure
Payment authorization signing
CQ1 replaces classical HSMs in payment authorization flows. PKCS#11 interface means existing payment middleware connects without modification. Dilithium-3 signatures authenticate payment instructions at >12,000 ops/sec — sustaining current peak volumes with headroom.
SWIFT message authentication
SWIFT Alliance and messaging gateway deployments integrate CQ1 via PKCS#11 to generate and verify post-quantum message authentication codes. The upgrade is transparent to SWIFT network infrastructure — only the cryptographic primitive changes.
PKI root CA protection
Root CA and intermediate CA private keys generated inside CQ1's FIPS 140-3 Level 3-designed boundary. Kyber-1024 key encapsulation secures CA key ceremonies. Dilithium-3 enables PQC-native certificate issuance alongside classical certificates during the hybrid migration window.
Digital asset custody
Institutional custody operations require hardware key protection that goes beyond classical HSM cryptography. CQ1 provides CRYSTALS-Kyber-1024 key encapsulation for custody key management, with the physical security boundary that institutional clients and regulators require.