Quantum shockwave hits finance as Aussie companies join the race

• Quantum storm brews over global finance
• Archer, Diraq and Codeifai lead Aussie quantum push
• Codeifai builds fortress for the post-quantum world

If there’s one threat forming on the horizon of global finance, it’s not necessarily another banking crisis, it’s quantum computing.

Quantum computers aren’t just faster. They’re built on entirely different physics (superposition and entanglement), allowing them to process calculations that would take today’s supercomputers thousands of years … in mere minutes.

That power is a dream for scientists but for banks and payment networks, it’s a ticking time bomb.

That’s because the same quantum power that can simulate entire molecules in seconds can just as easily rip through the encryption walls protecting global finance.

All those locks guarding online payments, digital wallets (and now blockchain transactions) rely on public-key cryptography. Once quantum processors mature, and most experts say they will within a decade, those locks could snap open like cheap padlocks.

“Our financial systems face an existential threat from quantum computing’s ability to break widely used public-key cryptographic protocols,” said Singapore-based blockchain adviser Anndy Lian, warning that trillions in digital transactions are exposed.

Banks know it. Regulators are catching on.

And while some countries are already investing heavily in “quantum-safe” systems, much of the world still isn’t ready.

That gap has created an urgent opportunity for companies that can bridge today’s digital infrastructure with tomorrow’s quantum reality.

Aussie companies gearing up for quantum shift

Australia already has a few names making early moves.

Archer Materials (ASX:AXE) is one of the few public companies in the world developing a quantum chip that can operate at room temperature, which could be a game-changer for the industry.

Its flagship project, the 12CQ chip, aims to use carbon-based qubits, a very different approach from the ultra-cold superconducting systems favoured by giants like IBM and Google.

What makes Archer interesting is that it has already demonstrated the ability to detect and now fabricate individual qubits using standard semiconductor processes. If successful, it could mean quantum computing that fits on a normal circuit board.

Meanwhile, Sydney-based Diraq, though unlisted, has partnered with UNSW to advance silicon-based qubits, essentially trying to make quantum chips that speak the same language as today’s computers.

Another early mover is Codeifai (ASX:CDE), which has recently broadened its focus from product authentication into the much broader world of quantum-secure data.

Codeifai expands into quantum

Codeifai’s story started in product authentication, stopping counterfeit goods with scannable QR codes. But the company’s ambition has evolved fast.

In 2024, it launched ConnectQR, turning those codes into digital trust portals that verify products and track supply chains.

In 2025, Codeifai took a major leap forward by integrating GS1 Digital Link functionality into its ConnectQR platform, a technology that transforms ordinary barcodes into web-enabled smart data carriers.

It connects physical products directly to online information with a single scan, giving consumers instant access to verified product details and authenticity.

This move also saw Codeifai accepted as an Associate Alliance Partner of GS1 Australia, placing it at the forefront of the global transition from 1D to 2D barcodes and expanding opportunities for its high-margin SaaS ConnectQR business.

Now, the company is preparing for its biggest move yet… into quantum-secure payments and communications.

Earlier this month, Codeifai appointed seasoned payments executive Marcus Cann as chief strategy officer to lead the charge.

Cann’s background at Volt Bank and MOGOPLUS gives him deep roots in fintech and open-banking infrastructure, exactly the kind of experience needed to bridge finance and frontier tech.

“He [Cann] will work closely with our COO and myself as we navigate the company into an exciting new arena,” said Codeifai’s executive chairman, John Houston.

The appointment coincides with Codeifai’s potential acquisition of AntennaTransfer.io, an AI-backed, quantum-secure communications platform owned by Canada’s Credissential Inc.

Once the deal is approved at the company’s EGM on 8 December, it will be rebranded QuantumAI Secure.

Secure payments for the post-quantum era

Every time someone scans a QR code, approves a BNPL transaction, or signs a digital agreement, they’re relying on one unspoken assumption: that the system can’t be forged.

Quantum computing is about to test that assumption.

Codeifai’s QuantumAI Secure is designed to make sure that trust still holds. It features a payments gateway fortified with post-quantum cryptography, built so that even if someone intercepts transaction data today, it will remain unreadable decades from now.

The platform also enables file transfers that keep sensitive contracts and intellectual property sealed tight for years to come.

AntennaTransfer.io brings the communications backbone to transmit encrypted information across distributed networks, and that technology is now about to be folded into Codeifai’s ecosystem.

The expansion into encryption technology puts the company squarely in the path of one of the biggest transformations in tech history.

This story does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decision.

At Stockhead we tell it like it is. While Codeifai is a Stockhead advertiser, it did not sponsor this article.