Banks and credit unions are preparing for the next big disruption in finance, but it may not come from a startup or a regulatory change. The looming challenge is quantum computing. What feels like science fiction today is edging closer to reality, and when it arrives, the encryption methods that protect trillions of dollars in financial transactions could become obsolete overnight.

Arthur Miller, Founder and CEO of FiQIS, has been watching this future unfold for years. His career has moved through defense systems, healthcare platforms, and financial infrastructure, giving him a clear view of what happens when organizations underestimate technological risk. “Quantum computing won’t ask permission before breaking today’s security models,” he says. “Institutions need to prepare now, not later.”

Why Finance is Vulnerable

Financial systems are among the most attractive targets for quantum disruption. Payments, lending, and trading all depend on encryption standards that were designed decades ago. These standards work well against current threats, but researchers have already shown that advanced quantum machines could crack them in a fraction of the time once thought impossible. For a sector that runs on consumer trust, the risk is staggering.

Miller points out that financial institutions tend to focus on near-term issues like fraud prevention, integration costs, or user experience. Those are important, but they can create blind spots. “It’s easy to get caught up in solving the problems right in front of you,” he explains. “But if we don’t address quantum risks now, we’ll be solving a much bigger problem when it’s too late.”

Building with Tomorrow in Mind

That forward-looking mindset is what drives FiQIS. The platform was designed not only to modernize lending and streamline integrations but also to embed post-quantum encryption as a foundational element. Miller believes that future-proofing should not be an afterthought. “Resilience has to be designed from day one. You can’t bolt it on once the threat arrives,” he says.

The company’s approach reflects Miller’s background in enterprise architecture. At Zelle, he helped scale real-time payments where speed and security had to coexist. At the Department of Defense, he worked in environments where a single vulnerability could have national consequences. Those experiences taught him to think about resilience not as a feature but as an obligation.

The Roadblocks to Readiness

If the threat is clear, why aren’t financial institutions moving faster? Cost is one reason. Transitioning to post-quantum encryption will require significant investment in technology, processes, and training. Uncertainty is another. No one knows the exact timeline for when quantum machines will be capable of breaking today’s encryption, which makes it tempting to delay.

Miller argues that this hesitation is dangerous. “We don’t wait for the storm to start before we build levees,” he says. “Preparation has to happen while there’s still time to plan carefully. Waiting until the last minute only guarantees chaos.”

A Call for Collective Action

Arthur Miller believes the financial sector cannot tackle this transition in isolation. Vendors, regulators, and institutions will need to collaborate to set new standards and ensure interoperability across systems. He sees FiQIS as one piece of that ecosystem, providing a modular platform that financial institutions can adopt without having to rebuild everything from scratch.

He is also quick to emphasize that this is not just a technical problem. It is a matter of trust. Consumers will only feel safe if they believe their financial partners are ahead of the threats, not scrambling behind them. That trust, once lost, is difficult to rebuild.

Preparing for the Era Ahead

Quantum computing is not here yet, but the countdown has already started. For leaders like Miller, the responsible choice is clear: prepare now. Financial institutions that take resilience seriously will not only protect themselves from future risks but also gain a competitive advantage today by demonstrating foresight and stewardship.

The post-quantum banking era is coming. The only question is who will be ready when it arrives. Leaders like Arthur Miller are working to ensure that readiness is not optional, but expected.