Post-Quantum Cryptography Patent Landscape 2026
Post-Quantum Cryptography Patent Landscape in 2026
Post-quantum cryptography patent activity is in a growth phase, with filing volume rising on a multi-year basis and the United States as the dominant filing office. The field remains moderately concentrated: American Express Travel Related Services leads the ranking, but new entrants from financial services and enterprise technology are broadening the competitive base.
American Express leads a field where financial institutions and tech firms are converging
American Express Travel Related Services holds the top position with 19 patent families, ahead of Wells Fargo Bank with 12 and IBM and Vaibhav Laxman Dhasal tied at 10 each. The top five filers account for 30% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, indicating moderate concentration rather than a single dominant monopoly.
A clear tier gap separates the top two applicants from the pack: after Wells Fargo at 12 families, the next cluster sits at 8–10 families and includes both individual inventors and institutional players. This two-tier structure suggests incumbents hold a defensible lead but have not locked up the space.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Express Travel Related Services Co Inc | 19 | |
| 2 | Wells Fargo Bank NA | 12 | |
| 3 | VAIBHAV LAXMAN DHASAL (DIRECTOR) | 10 | |
| 4 | IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) | 10 | |
| 5 | SYED KAMRAN HASAN | 8 | |
| 6 | Fractal Networks LLC | 8 | |
| 7 | Institut Mines-Telecom Telecom Bretagne | 5 | |
| 8 | Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 5 | |
| 9 | HASAN SYED KAMRAN | 5 | |
| 10 | QOMPLX Inc | 4 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Adeia Emerging Technologies Inc | 4 | |
| 12 | BOBI Inc | 4 | |
| 13 | Crypto4A Technologies Inc | 4 | |
| 14 | Jiangsu Superfluidity Information Technology Co Ltd | 4 | |
| 15 | Volkswagen Group of America Investments LLC | 4 | |
| 16 | ApexCognita Pte Ltd | 3 | |
| 17 | SR University | 3 | |
| 18 | KUDKELWAR SAGAR BADRISH | 2 | |
| 19 | MADHANKUMAR C | 2 | |
| 20 | Multiverse Computing SL | 2 |
The presence of financial institutions—American Express and Wells Fargo—at the top of the ranking reflects the urgency of quantum-resistant authentication and transaction security. Their positions signal that cryptographic infrastructure for payments and banking is the primary commercial driver of current filing activity.
Filing counts for 2025 and 2026 are understated due to standard publication lag; the apparent surge in recent periods should be read as a lower bound, not a ceiling. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing volume is rising and AI-based computing dominates the technology mix
Two views of the corpus reveal both the pace of activity and the underlying technical focus: an annual filing trend shows where the field is heading, while the IPC class breakdown shows which computing disciplines are driving it.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings were broadly flat from 2018 through 2021 (16–21 families per year), dipped in 2022, then resumed an upward path through 2023 and 2024. The 2025 and 2026 bars are understated due to publication lag and should not be read as the final totals for those years; the underlying growth trajectory remains intact.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
G06N (computing based on AI models) is the leading IPC class, reflecting the deep integration of machine-learning methods with quantum-resistant algorithm design. H04L (digital information transmission) and G06F (electric digital data processing) follow closely, confirming that secure communication protocols and data-processing architectures are the two other core technical pillars. G06Q (business, commerce, and admin data processing) is a secondary cluster, consistent with the financial-services applicant profile.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Systems and methods for post-quantum cryptography …
Systems, apparatuses, methods, and computer program products are disclosed for post-quantum cryptography (PQC). An example method includes receiving data. The example method further includes receiving a set of data attributes about the data. The set of data attributes comprises one or more sets of data environment data attributes that are each… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Human-like emulation enterprise system and method | 130 |
| 2 | Identifying data of interest using machine learning | 90 |
| 3 | Computing system | 62 |
| 4 | Secure configuration of a secondary platform bundl… | 52 |
| 5 | Compressible (F)HE with Applications to PIR | 52 |
| 6 | Methods and systems for secure data analysis and m… | 49 |
| 7 | Computing system | 43 |
| 8 | Quantum-attack resistant operating system for use … | 41 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the competitive structure means for R&D investment
The landscape’s composition—growth-stage field, moderate concentration, financial-sector leadership, and US-centric filings—creates distinct strategic signals for teams allocating R&D resources.
Growth stage: annual filings are still rising
The field is classified as Growth, with annual filing volume on an upward trajectory and the most recent periods understated by publication lag. This means foundational IP positions are still being established and the cost of entry has not yet reached the levels typical of a mature field. Teams that file now can still claim meaningful priority dates in core sub-domains.
Growth stageModerate concentration with a two-tier structure
The top five filers hold 30% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output, placing the field in a moderately concentrated zone—neither fragmented nor monopolized. The gap between the top two (American Express at 19 families, Wells Fargo at 12) and the next cluster (8–10 families) means incumbents have a lead but challengers remain close enough to compete on specific sub-routes. IBM and Samsung are the established technology firms to watch in adjacent technical territory.
Moderate concentrationNo co-applicant activity detected in this corpus
The collaboration evidence shows no co-filed patent families in the current dataset, meaning the field is developing through independent, parallel efforts rather than formal consortia or joint-development agreements. For R&D teams, this signals an open landscape for strategic partnerships: a co-development agreement could deliver both technical differentiation and broader geographic coverage without a crowded incumbent coalition to navigate.
Solo filings onlyUS-dominant with India as a rising second jurisdiction
The United States is the primary filing office with 79 records, followed closely by India with 75—a notably high share for a jurisdiction that does not typically lead in cryptography IP. China accounts for 22 records, with WIPO PCT filings at 14 and EPO at 12 providing international coverage. Teams seeking global protection should prioritize US and PCT routes first; India’s strong showing also makes it a relevant jurisdiction for freedom-to-operate analysis.
US + India leadGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
American Express and Wells Fargo lead; IBM and Samsung anchor the technology tier
The top filers split broadly into financial-services institutions focused on AI-driven cryptographic systems and technology firms with broader protocol coverage. All momentum-tracked leaders entered recently, confirming this is a field still being shaped.
American Express Travel Related Services
The top-ranked filer with 19 patent families, American Express concentrates its post-quantum portfolio heavily in AI-based computing (G06N 20 and G06N 5) and digital data processing (G06F 40), pointing to a strategy centered on quantum-resistant machine-learning pipelines for financial transactions. Its momentum trend is flagged as a new entrant in recent periods, with 10 families filed in the recent window, suggesting the bulk of this portfolio was built rapidly rather than accumulated over many years.
families: 19Wells Fargo Bank
Second-ranked with 12 patent families, Wells Fargo distributes its filing evenly across AI-based computing (G06N 20) and digital information transmission (H04L 9), with additional coverage in quantum computing methods (G06N 10). This balanced AI-plus-protocol approach positions Wells Fargo as a more technically diversified challenger than American Express. Like its peer, Wells Fargo is classified as a new entrant in the momentum data, with 6 families in the recent period, indicating an accelerating pace of investment.
families: 12| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| American Express Travel Related Services Co Inc | 10 | ▲ new entrant |
| Wells Fargo Bank NA | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
| SYED KAMRAN HASAN | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| HASAN SYED KAMRAN | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served routes in wireless networks and business-process applications
Several IPC classes adjacent to the dominant cryptography core carry relatively sparse patent coverage, making them worth monitoring for teams with technical capability that spans these domains.
H04W · Wireless communication networks
With only 17 records and a 3% share among the hundred largest filers’ output, wireless network security under post-quantum constraints is sparsely covered relative to its practical importance. 5G and emerging 6G infrastructure require quantum-resistant key exchange at scale, yet incumbent filing is thin. Teams with expertise in wireless protocol design and lattice-based cryptography could establish priority positions here before major network-equipment vendors consolidate the space.
Search this in Eureka →G06Q · Business, commerce & admin data processing
G06Q carries 42 records and a 7% share—present but comparatively sparse given that financial institutions dominate the applicant ranking. The gap between the sector’s prominence as an applicant base and its modest IPC presence in business-process cryptography suggests that application-layer quantum resistance (e.g., quantum-safe payment tokenization, quantum-resistant identity verification) remains underprotected. This is an observation of relative sparsity; teams already active in fintech security infrastructure are best positioned to evaluate whether filing here adds defensible value.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ across technology routes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H04L 9 · Digital information transmission | G06N 20 · Computing based on AI models | G06N 3 · Computing based on AI models | G06F 21 · Electric digital data processing | G06F 15 · Electric digital data processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) | Strong · 10 | Strong · 10 | Absent | Strong · 9 | Absent |
| American Express Travel Related Services Co Inc | Moderate · 5 | Strong · 19 | Emerging · 3 | Absent | Absent |
| VAIBHAV LAXMAN DHASAL (DIRECTOR) | Strong · 9 | Strong · 8 | Moderate · 3 | Moderate · 4 | Absent |
| Wells Fargo Bank NA | Strong · 9 | Strong · 9 | Absent | Moderate · 2 | Absent |
| SYED KAMRAN HASAN | Strong · 6 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Strong · 8 |
| Crypto4A Technologies Inc | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 4 | Strong · 4 |
| FRACTAL NETWORKS LLC | Absent | Strong · 5 | Absent | Strong · 5 | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 229 patent families. This is a focused dataset; the filing trend and applicant rankings are drawn from this set.
American Express Travel Related Services holds the top position with 19 patent families, followed by Wells Fargo Bank with 12 and IBM and Vaibhav Laxman Dhasal each with 10.
The United States leads with 79 records, followed closely by India with 75. China accounts for 22 records, with WIPO PCT at 14 and the EPO at 12 providing the next tier of international coverage.
The field is classified as Growth. Annual filings are on an upward multi-year trajectory, and the most recent periods are understated by publication lag, so current activity levels should be treated as a lower bound.
G06N (computing based on AI models) leads with 196 records, followed by H04L (digital information transmission) at 139 and G06F (electric digital data processing) at 133. These three classes together reflect the field’s integration of AI methods, cryptographic protocols, and data-processing architectures.
H04W (wireless communication networks) carries only 17 records at a 3% share among the largest filers, making it relatively sparse given the practical need for quantum-resistant wireless protocols. G06Q (business, commerce, and admin data processing) at 42 records and 7% also appears underprotected relative to the financial-sector applicant dominance.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
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