Why Post-Quantum Compliance For Banks Starts In Containers

InnovationWhy Post-Quantum Compliance For Banks Starts In ContainersByMehran Farimani,Forbes Councils Member.for Forbes Technology CouncilCOUNCIL POSTExpertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based)May 21, 2026, 10:00am EDTMehran Farimani is CEO of RapidFort, one of the fastest-growing cybersecurity companies securing the global software supply chain. gettyFinancial institutions are under increasing pressure to prepare for post-quantum cryptography as global bodies like the G7 and Europol urge organizations to plan now for a complex, multiyear transition beginning toward the end of the decade. This urgency follows the standardization of new quantum-resistant encryption algorithms by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which provide a clear path forward but will take years to implement across modern stacks.Considering the value and sensitivity of the data financial institutions hold and transmit, and the fact that attacks to steal information for future decryption are already underway via harvest now, decrypt later (HNDL) threats, the need to transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standards is urgent. However, too many institutions are working in the dark because most environments aren’t cryptographically visible. The challenge isn’t just adopting post-quantum algorithms; it's identifying where legacy cryptography lives across container images, third-party libraries and bloated software stacks. You cannot migrate what you cannot see, and by the time you achieve that visibility and reduce your attack surface, the window to prepare will be much shorter than expected.The quantum threat is on the doorstep.While organizations begin migration, adversaries aren’t waiting for Q-Day, which is when quantum computers will be able to break current public-key encryption. Bad actors are preparing now with HNDL attacks, which involve stealing encrypted information...