Quantum Cybersecurity for Banking & Finance

Use Cases of Quantum Security in the Banking & Finance

Quantum security for the defence sector and governments is varied. We have listed the top use cases of quantum cryptography in the military and government bodies.

Inter-bank Settlement & SWIFT Messaging

The global financial system relies on secure messaging for trillions in daily settlements. Traditional keys can be copied or harvested. Quantum keys are governed by the laws of physics. Armos (Quantum Key Distribution) provides secure inter-bank tunnels. Any attempt to eavesdropping triggers an instant alert and renders the key useless.

Key Benefits

Mathematically and physically impossible to hack the key distribution.
Real-time Detection
International SWIFT security frameworks and NIST PQC standards.

Applications

Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) networks.
SWIFT and Fedwire messaging nodes.
Correspondent banking hubs for international liquidity transfers.

Multi-Site Data Centre & Cloud Resilience

As institutions migrate to the cloud, the links between physical data centres and cloud environments become prime targets for HNDL(Harvest Now Decrypt Later). Traditional VPNs are not quantum resistant. QNu’s hybrid approach secures these links without disrupting the existing infrastructure.

Key Benefits

Zero Trust Architecture
Crypto-Agility
Seamless integration with MPLS, leased lines, and SD-WAN infrastructure.

Applications

Primary Data Centre to Disaster Recovery (DC-DR) links.
Core Banking System (CBS) replication traffic.
Hybrid Cloud connections (e.g., On-premises to AWS/Azure/Sovereign Cloud).

Quantum-Safe Digital Identity & MFA

AI is now being used to predict the "pseudo-random" numbers used in OTPs and MFA tokens. Quantum randomness helps to ensure that every session key and identity certificate is mathematically unique with zero predictability.

Key Benefits

Secures the "Root of Trust" for digital identity and KYC databases.
AI Resilience
Eliminates the risk of "pattern-matching" attacks on authentication tokens for unpredictable OTPs.

Applications

Mobile Banking Application authentication servers.
Customer Portals and Employee Single Sign-On (SSO).
Secure Digital Signing for high-value corporate transactions.

CBDC & Digital Asset Custody

Blockchain and DLT rely on ECDSA/RSA signatures which are highly vulnerable to Shor’s algorithm on a quantum computer. As central banks scale Digital Currencies (CBDCs), the underlying ledger must be quantum-safe. A cryptographic failure in a CBDC would be a matter of national economic security. Post Quantum Cryptography provides the quantum-safe foundation for digital wallets and blockchain nodes.

Key Benefits

Sovereign Trust against foreign quantum threats.
Long-term Resilience.
Optimized PQC algorithms ensure that CBDC transaction speeds remain high for low latency.

Applications

Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) ledger signing.
Institutional Digital Asset Custody (Crypto/Tokenised Assets).
Smart Contract execution in Open Banking ecosystems.

Algorithmic & High-Frequency Trading (HFT)

In the world of high-speed trading, even a microsecond of compromised security can lead to massive financial losses or market manipulation. Adversaries target trading keys to front-run trades or manipulate order books. High-entropy keys are essential for securing the fast-changing encryption required in HFT. QNu secures the low-latency links between trading servers and stock exchanges.

Key Benefits

Prevents "Man-in-the-Middle" attacks for Integrity Assurance.
Low-Latency Security.
Safeguards the proprietary algorithms (IP) of the trading house.

Applications

Co-location servers at Stock Exchanges.
Proprietary Trading Desks and Hedge Fund infrastructure.
Real-time risk management and compliance engines.

Quantum-Resilient Data Tokenisation

Tokenisation replaces sensitive data (like primary account numbers) with unique symbols. However, the "vault" mapping these tokens and the randomness used to generate them are vulnerable to quantum analysis Pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs) have patterns that AI and quantum algorithms can exploit. Tropos (Quantum Random Number Generator) provides "True Randomness" based on the behaviour of photons.

Key Benefits

Non-Deterministic Tokens.
Protects long-term sensitive data from "Store Now, Decrypt Later" attacks.
Simplifies PCI-DSS compliance by ensuring tokenisation is "Quantum-Safe."

Applications

Mobile wallet and payment gateway transactions.
Credit and Debit card primary account number (PAN) tokenisation.
KYC (Know Your Customer/Client) and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) vaulting.

Application Security (AppSec)

As banks deploy thousands of web and mobile applications, managing cryptographic standards across them becomes a nightmare as individual applications often use hardcoded, weak, or legacy crypto. QShield provides a unified "Quantum Platform as a Service" to centralise and secure the application layer.

Key Benefits

Real-time Crypto-Agility.
One interface to monitor, maintain, and deploy quantum security from core to edge for unified management
Safeguards 3rd-party fintech integrations and open banking APIs from interception.

Applications

Retail Mobile Banking apps.
Corporate Web Portals and Treasury management systems.
API Gateways for Open Banking and FinTech partnerships.

Classified Communication

With high entropy, you can secure wireless communications, preventing intelligence leaks without any compromise.

Routing Systems

Unpredictable selection and patterns in routes improve operational secrecy, which is impregnable to quantum computers.

Secure VPN

Securing battlefield and headquarters communication is of higher importance, which demands defence-grade data transfer through quantum-secure tunnels.