Abstract

The growing risk of quantum computing means that criminals will find it needless to adopt quantum-safe solutions, specifically in protecting the Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and economic infrastructures. The present paper suggests a Quantum-Safe Cryptographic Framework as a combination of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) to provide security to financial transactions. The paper describes the main architecture, that is, three layers: Cryptographic Primitive, Secure Communication and Key Management, and Application Layer, where quantum-safe algorithms such as Kyber (ML-KEM) are used to encrypt information and Dilithium is used to sign it. The major statistical implications are that the quantum-safe framework versus classical RSA/ECC systems leads to the reduction of throughput (850 TPS vs. 1000 TPS) and the increase of latency (54 ms vs. 45 ms) by 15 and 20 %, respectively. The computational cost of PQC algorithms also increases by 25 % and 1.5 J in the quantum-safe system and 1.2 J in the classical system, respectively. In spite of these trade-offs, the quantum-safe framework offers the much-needed protection against quantum threats, which proves that it is possible to protect digital financial infrastructures. The migration plan (the Sandwich Approach) proposed would enable seamless implementation of PQC with old systems throughout the transition process, such that the system remains stable and operational. Future work will involve optimization of PQC algorithms to minimize the performance overhead and look into Quantum Money and AI-based detection systems to detect cyber threats caused by quantum. This paper highlights the importance of urgent adoption of quantum-resistant systems to protect the future of national financial systems.